[Released] Combo Animation System

Introducing the Combo Animation System
[Asset Store] [Documentation]

The Combo Animation System is a way to accomplish a similar combat feel to games like Dynasty Warriors, Devil May Cry, and Ninja Gaiden. Simply put, a combo of attacks based on button presses.

Ever wanted to spam X,X,X,Y on a controller and do a combo? Whether you call it a Hack and Slash, Musou, or DmC style, you can search for hours on end for tutorials to make something similar and won't come up with much. You could spend hours trying to experiment or cut that time down significantly. I noticed these types of games normally show a flow graph of combos you've unlocked. So I got the idea to try and implement this design into a development space. This system eventually evolved into what you see now! Something that is nice, easy to use, and quick to set up.

Common Q&A
Any Integrations?
None at the moment. It's made to be pretty dynamic. I have it working with ECM2 for my own personal project with nothing changed to the CAS Scripts.

What's the roadmap like?
The roadmap is still in working phases, actually. There's 2 main features I want to add.

• Directional Nodes (Pressing Up + X to attack instead of just X)
• Timer Nodes (Waiting a certain amount of time will do a different move)

Will this magically fix my animations to be seamless?
This will not magically make mismatch animations suddenly match! Your animations should follow a specific flow. You can read about it in the documentation.


Visual assets in the video are used strictly for demonstration purposes and NOT included in the package unless stated otherwise.

Version 1.2.1

 

I updated the post to be a little more condensed. I'm gonna be making tutorials on it soon to add to the top post as well.

Still pending review at the moment.

 

Sorry for the necro-post. But what is the progress of this?

 

Release was put on hold for further bug fixes and testing. I didn't see a lot of engangement or interest so I essentially put it on the back burner for now. It's technically in a releasable state I just have to get it up to the Asset Stores standards.

 

lol trying to implement my own solution now for combos which is a pain because animation events are hugely unreliable, best of luck with your projects.

 

I've been using it for personal projects. It's honestly a really finicky thing. Because its so reliant on animations being form factor to each other, it's difficult to really show off or even use unless you follow a certain type of animation standard.

I've been trying to make the process as painless as possible, refactoring code, taking out features, adding features, and trying to keep up with documentation. I honestly feel your pain because at one point in time I couldn't find anyone doing animation tutorials for more than 1 attack. I even find myself not ever using more than one button at a time myself.

I'm going through the steps still to make this a proper asset and hoping to release it within the next couple of months. Day job and other life duties have taken a little precedent over hobbies like this. I'm gonna be sticking to the same price point but doing a new release promotion whenever it does come out. I'll be updating this thread when it finally releases if you're still interested by then.

 

Update

So I've picked back up work on this a bit. I've taken a different approach to some of the features and removed some completely.

No longer is there the Speed Multiplier variable. It only made sense because I also got rid of the automated combo timer. It was causing too many issues and was very inconsistent. As much as I like automation, I had to replace it. A new script called ComboAnimationSystemAnimationEvents is now used to help determine in your animations on precise frames when you can start a combo or reset. Mouthful of a script name I know, but naming conventions are not my forte and it matched everything else.

This has already made everything 100% easier to manage. Got rid of a lot of variables in the script and fixed some like the newComboTimer, which is how long it takes before you can start a new combo after ending the last one.

Another new addition is one that made sense to me. Sometimes you don't want a crossfade and actually want a snappy animation feeling. In the graph nodes you can now select to UseCrossfade or not. It produces some pretty fun results on both ends and I'm happy it's now a part of the system.

I'm working on cleaning the scripts up a bit and possibly trying to implement a better event system for it. At the moment, it uses subscribe-able events for ComboStarted, ComboContinued, and ComboEnded. It's pretty useful but I'm trying to decide between this and just making public UnityEvents. I've also thought about implementing a more useful and less hard coded ScriptableObject event system.

All in all, I now have to really rewrite the manual for this thing. It's not super different but all the pictures of the graph and script are going to look old.

I'm hoping to look forward to a mid September release

 

Yoooooooo defs gonna purchased and check it out, it sounds super promising!!!

 

Made an update to the first post with a new video. It's short and to the point. I find it infinitely better than the last one and I think will serve well as a cover video. Just going to get a tutorial video done and it'll be off to the asset store review process again!

 

sounds awesome! defs gonna tell all the people on the action development discord when it drops

 

Package has officially been submitted and waiting in queue!

We'll see how it goes from here.

 

Combo Animation System is now live!

Took a long while! Tutorials are a bit lacking at the moment but I'm working on getting videos up soon that'll hopefully be helpful. Until then, please go ahead and ask any questions here. I'll try to answer the best I can!

 

Very nice combo system, I purchased it right away!!!

Questions for ya:
1) Root motion support? Non Root motion support?
2) Can your character react based on a hit direction?
3) Hitbox detection? or Raycast hit detection?
4) How easy to hook a Particle event to your combo system or any usual event, at a specific animation-frame?

Thanks

 

Happy to answer!

1. This does support root motion! Since it uses the animator it supports anything the animator can.
2. Hit direction is in the works along with delay inputs.
3. No hit detection systems are built in. I stayed bare bones and only provided the animation playing system itself. I could work on a hit detection system but I'm not sure how in depth it would be or should be.
4. To reference question one, it's easy as can be! It uses the animator so animation events, state machines, all supported! Combo Animation System uses the information from the graph container and essentially feeds it into the animator. This will be more easily explained when I get the first tutorial up

 

Not working for me.
When using the graph the start box is too small to link from the start node to the combo node. It doesn't seem to be resizable. It might show up at a higher resolution but 1080p is as high as my monitor gets.
Hopefully this can be addressed in a future update unless you know a work around.

 

Seems I can actually connect the node if grab a certain part of the box. Strange tho, maybe its a unity version issue.

 

I've tested from 2019 to 2022 and never had this issue. Have you installed in a fresh project first to see if anything is conflicting with it? I'm trying to figure out how to recreate the issue so I can fix it.

Anymore details you could provide me would be great!

 

I just tried a fresh project on 2 different Unity versions.
1st version was the one I tried earlier
2022.1.16f1. I had the same problem.
2nd version was 2021.2.17f1 and it worked like it should.
I'll try to find a different 2022 version later to try it on.

 

Ok, I tested on 2022.1.19f1 and had the same problem.
Then I tried 2022.1.0f1 and it worked like it should.

I guess the problem is with some of the more recent 2022 builds, if you have one of the more recent versions installed try seeing if you get the same problem with the combo graph, if not maybe it's on my end. Anyways, I hope this helps. Good luck with the asset, it has great potential.

 

That helps a ton!
The latest version I have for testing is 2022.1.17f1 and its also showing this same kind of error. I'll have to look and see what changes happened to 2022.1.0f and beyond. CAS uses an inbuilt unity graph system for its graphing components. I'm thinking something changed internally. I'm hoping an easy fix will be to implement sizing options for the nodes.

Looking a little more, I found its only on the branches that's causing issues. Something is resizing them wrong.

I'm not sure how quickly a fix can be implemented but its definitely being worked on.

 

*Edit*
The issues and fix below are no longer present or needed in the new update.

*Original*

So a quick fix to this would be to open up ComboGraphView.cs in the folder

Combo Animation System/Graph/Editor/ComboGraphView.cs

and change lines 224 and 225 to

Code (CSharp):

1. generatePort.contentContainer.Add(child: new Label(text: "                   "));
2. //generatePort.contentContainer.Add(textField);

this seemed to work for the meantime until I figure a more elegant fix.

 

A fix has been found and is being pushed to the asset store soon. Testing older and new unity versions now before submitting.

 

The patch update should be live now.

• Fixes the issue with the text box's not appearing properly on newer unity versions.
• Colors added in. All grey was cool but visibility wise hurt a little bit.

 

Nice, That was fast, colors were a nice idea too

 

I've come across my own little error in the system.
When referencing ComboAnimationSystem, you're supposed to use the namespace

using ComboAnimationSystem;

.

Well I goofed up a bit because it never occurred to me that having the namespace match the script name would cause issues referencing it.

For the time being until I get a small patch through, you'll have to reference it like

public ComboAnimationSystem.ComboAnimationSystem comboAnimationSystem;

which looks a little goofy but works. Not game breaking by any means, but a little embarrassing I didn't catch that on any of my tests

 

I spent like 3 days just i'm trying to add your solution in my project,,,
The instructional steps are not clear..
Please make any tutorial video step by step

 

Apologies, I've been trying to get one made but a lot has been happening in my day to day. I have it recorded and now just trying to get the time to add on screen text or a voice over.

In the meantime, is there anything specific that's holding you back? I could probably explain which components to use or how to use them in your situation.

 

Thank you for your time.
I use (Invector Third Person Controller - Basic Locomotion)
What i trying to do,,, i have boxing combo animation and i just try to add the animation
but still i'm confused because there i can’t understand steps.
you can share to me the video with out audio it's fine.

 

So this is where things are gonna be a little tricky on your end. Combo Animation System is built in a really general way to make it easy to integrate into most systems. However, I've personally tried to use it with Invector and Opsive both. It takes a LOT more effort to effectively use CAS with these assets. I never even got it working with Opsive in the end.

It's a little late at night where I live but I'll definitely get that video up for you tomorrow. I don't know if it'll help much with Invector but doesn't hurt to try!

 

The tutorial video is up. It's not finished uploading complete yet as of writing so quality is going to be low.

It's a short 8 minute video of showing a very basic set up. I'm hoping it clears up a bit on how to use it.
If there's any step that confuses you or you would like to know more about, let me know!

 

Hi,Does Combo Animation System support combo input?
Such as AB or 632B ,Something like this in Fight game

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean but I'm assuming you mean 2 inputs at the same time?

At the moment, it does not. It was mainly built to replicate "button masher" type of action games. It wasn't built with 2 button inputs in mind but it might be something to keep in mind while I'm trying to implement directional input.

 

A small update will be coming soon

The update includes

• Fixed Namespace - namespace is moving from ComboAnimationSystem to CAS. This is to avoid the small issue of trying to reference the CAS component by typing

  public ComboAnimationSystem.ComboAnimationSystem comboAnimationSystem;

• Bool Conditions - The nodes will have a set of bool conditions now that you can name and assign true or false. When using the system myself I've found I don't want to keep creating separate ground and air graphs. So now it will do an additional custom check if a bool is listed and if they match.

Example of Bool Condition

1. Combo Node has a bool named IsGrounded and set to true
2. This now requires you to pass IsGrounded True to do move to this Combo Node
3. In Code, create new ComboBool("name string","bool value");
4. In this case, ComboBool cb = new ComboBool("IsGrounded", true);
   
5. In code, Call ComboInput(ComboButton.X, cb);
6. Now in the ComboAnimationSystem component, it will check for the active combo string with the correct bool. if one isn't found, no combo performed.

This is a quick set up type of example. Another example would be

Code (CSharp):

1. public ComboBool isGroundedCB;  //Set your string in inspector or code, doesn't really matter
2.  
3. bool GroundCheck(){
4. //Code to check if grounded
5. return result;
6. }
7.  
8. Void LightAttack(){
9. isGroundedCB.boolValue = GroundCheck();
10. cas.ComboInput(ComboButton.X , isGroundedCB);
11. }

With the Holidays coming around I'm going to try and get this update out soon. I'm still working out some errors here and there during free time.

 

Just wanted to do a quick update

Combo Animation System is on track for version 1.1.1 to release soon. I'm currently testing the conditions update to make sure it's working how it's intended to work.

Because I couldn't make custom classes work in Graph View (I tried for HOURS), I decided to go with a scriptable object approach.

This means you have a master list object for the player that you update bool values for, and the nodes will have separate list objects. The CAS script then checks through the list object comparing and trying to find a not matching list value.

This has its own little quirks. Right now if the player list doesn't have a value to compare to the node, then it automatically returns true and performs the combo. If you choose to pass no list through at all, it will ignore any conditions on the node and performs the combo. It's mainly a "Use if you really need it" kind of feature. Not necessary at all but thought it would help with games that decide to hide certain combos before getting certain skills in game.

A tutorial is being worked on to release along side the update. The manual also needs to be updated to reflect the change. If all goes accordingly, then it's looking at a December 30th release, taking into account the Holidays I won't be able to work.

 

Well the new update has been submitted!

Version 1.1.1

New features

• Conditions List

Changes

• CAS script no longer has custom inspector
• New namespace: CAS
• New naming on components to CASScriptName
• Fixed graph removing itself from script when changes made

Known Bugs

• Copy/Paste/Duplicate is broken

It is HIGHLY recommended you delete the previous ComboAnimationSystem folder before updating. A lot changed and conflicting errors will occur if you don't follow this step.

 

Seems like a good base for wanting to make a musou game. Would love to see Ranged attacks, specials/ultimates, and Ai.

 

I'm actually working on making a damage system for it. I didn't include one because I initially thought people wouldn't want a built in system in favor of their own.

I have to face that CAS is slowly evolving into a Musou kit . I like the suggestions as well! I think I can get most of it in a good spot except for AI. AI is a terrible weak spot for me but no better time to learn than now!

 

Would love for this to become a Musou kit. Mission and field system included

 

Just wanted to update on how CAS will look moving forward.

CAS will be transforming into the Musou Engine. Work has already started on the engine and it's looking good! This does however mean that CAS specific updates, other than bug fixes, will be put on hold.

Soon I'll have a new thread up detailing all overall progress so far and any updates moving forward.

 

The last update for CAS (feature wise) was submitted and accepted!

The biggest change is it introduces a combo queue feature to help it feel more like the warriors games it was meant to mimic. A big thanks to @JRRReynolds for the suggestions and feedback!

The full change list should be reflected in the documentation linked in the first post.

Musou Engine is coming along well! I don't have enough to make its own post yet, but it's definitely coming together.

 

Any ETA?

 

I've been working on the enemy AI for a bit since I'm not entirely familiar with building my own AI solution.

This will be a little bit of a lengthy post so the TLDR is at the bottom.

The character controller needs a little more tweaking. At the moment it relies a lot on root motion for attack movement. Which isn't bad, but not everyone is going to have root motion animations or want to use them. So I'm working on a smooth transition from movement to attack that doesn't look completely goofy.

I've been trying to keep track of different features in a Musou game. Capture zones are a must and currently work with 2 different types of zones. Timed Capture Zones Kill Capture Zones. Timed you just have to stay in the point for a determined amount of time, and Kill works how most games work. You kill a lot inside the zone and eventually capture it.

For the character combat, a hit detection system has been implemented based on this forum post here. Essentially, you define points on the weapon and when the weapon is active, it'll use some raycasts to detect if it has hit anything. It's been pretty accurate in all my tests so I'm really happy with it. There's an included health script but I made it so you just include the IHealth interface into a script, add the damage and heal functions from it, and you'll be able to integrate most health systems into it. Was the easiest way I could think of approaching it for now.

At the moment, I also don't have any animations to include in the package for a demo scene so I either have to get some commissioned later down the line or not include a demo scene. I would much prefer the former before the latter.

All in all, I say it's coming along well but I definitely don't have a very solid ETA. I'm working on this in my free time outside of my actual job and sadly that's the thing that pays the bills so I can't ignore it .

TLDR: Slowly but surely progress is being made, no ETA at the moment.

 

Excellent along with melee including ranged attacks would be good too. Charge and Musou attacks would be a great basis. I assume a price increase is gonna happen as well? I feel like for a Musou kit since it's one of a kind on the store charging $50+ would be good.

 

There's definitely ranged characters in the works! I'm wanting to get melee to a satisfying point before doing more work on them but I built the systems with different character styles in mind.
Three play-styles are planned for first release-

1. Melee (Most used one)
2. Ranged (Similar to this video. Essentially, attacks are weaker than melee but you have a bigger AOE effect with an aiming ability)
3. Magic (Spells and big AOE effects. Thinking about using them as an example of introducing additional energy bars)

Charge and Musou attacks are musts! They're in the works but nothing too big to show at the moment. Learning how to efficiently use Timeline and Cinemachine has been half the battle

I'm hoping to get a video together with a playable sample soon to show the progress of the engine. Soon is a really loose term here but it never hurts to hope .

As for the pricing, a price increase is the correct guess.
I'm still working out the details of that and I have quite a bit of time to think about it.

 

Not sure if this may be client-side however the "Save Gaph" feature is bugged as I am unable to save any graphs in any folder to import onto the CAS scripts to implement the systems. Is anyone else encountering this issue?

 

Honestly strange as I haven't encountered that before. Just a couple of questions-

1. What Unity Version are you using?
2. Is the CAS system the latest version?
3. Where in the hierarchy are you saving to?
4. Is there an error code that gets produced when trying to save?

On a fresh import into Unity 2020.3.37f1, I'm not coming across this issue.

 

Hey, just checking up!
Haven't received any DM's, emails, or responses here about your issue.
Did you end up figure out what the problem was?

 

My apologies for the late replies, been busy getting some other projects in. Previously when I tried I was on Unity 2021.3.18f1. CAS was on the latest version 1.2.1. I saved (or tried) saving the graphs in the default folders which failed then I made my own folder to see if that was the issue however it still didn't work. No error code gets produced, it's just every time I go to open the graph there are no entries or graphs that appear in the folder I tried saving them to. Sorry again for the late reply, I'll try seeing if the latest version resolves the issue but this is all the info as of now.

 

No worries!
It should work on 2021 versions. The only issue I ran into was a refresh issue based on old custom editor code that shouldn't be in the latest release (I believe I removed it for that reason).
At the very least, I did an import on 2022.1.17f1 and wasn't able to replicate the issue stated.

Some things I would check for-

• If there any other assets you have that affect the import process
• If you are able to load and use the demo scenes graph
• If any editor scripts are included still (shouldn't be, but might be there still if you've previously used an older version)

We'll get this figured out! It'll probably just take some time

 

-Musou Engine Update-

First let me preface this with it's a small update, completely combat focused.
Combat now has 3 options to deal damage

• Precision hit detection
• Particle Collision
• Overlap Detection

Precision Hit Detection
Use markers to give you a very precise way to detect if a weapon has made contact with an enemy.



Particle Collision
Allows the use of particles and the collision tab to deal damage.


Overlap Detection
Use a overlap box, sphere, or capsule to capture all objects and damage them at once.
Personal note: The way most Dynasty Warriors games work, judging by videos I've watched.




Not much else to update as of right now. Currently, the precision detection system is the only option with features. The others are smaller scripts being expanded on currently.

I might make a Discord soon to provide more in depth looks at progress.