How do I Setup directional based attacks

Project is a sidescrolling fighting game

Currently I have 4 playerboxes used as hitboxes for each player. I have 14 characters that are positioned ontop the those playerboxes. Right now I have 4 directional based melee attacks (punch left, right up down etc) but I'm trying to decide how to go about making 4 more attacks that are more complex and unique to each character. What would be a good way to setup a function for this? So when a player is holding left and pressing C they will do the associated attack for the character they are playing as

Hey Prazon,

Hopefully I'm interpreting this right, it sounds like there are 14 different selectable characters in the game, and you have a generalized character rig setup that has a spot for the selected character in the middle, and then 4 boxes situated around the character, representing attack zones to the left, right, top, and bottom of the character.

You want a control input, like Towards + C, to trigger a unique action depending on the chosen character.

Two options come to mind, global variables is one, and a callback function system is the other. The global variable method is easier but a little less flexible, though it should still work just fine in this case.

Global variables:

You can use a global variable to store the name of the character chosen by the player, and only trigger that character's attack if their name is found in the global.

e.g.

* Event: If keyboard pressed Left + C.

* * SubEvent: If global characterName = "lulu". -- Action: Call function "luluShield".

* * SubEvent: If global characterName = "veigar". -- Action: Call function "veigarStun".

* * SubEvent: If global characterName = "teemo". -- Action: Call function "teemoSelfDestruct".

Callback functions:

You can create a Dictionary object, that maps control input events (Dictionary keys) to function names (Dictionary values). At the point that a player selects a character, you can populate the Dictionary with the chosen character's functions. These functions will execute the character's actions.

e.g.

* Event: Player chooses "lulu".

Actions:

Add to Dictionary key = "Left+C", value = "luluShield" .

Add to Dictionary key = "Right+C", value = "luluSpeedUp".

etc ...

* Event: If keyboard pressed Left + C. -- Action: Call function ( Dictionary.getValue( "Left+C" ) ).

Note: Dictionary.getValue( "Left+C" ) will return "luluShield", which we added earlier, and so the action evaluates to [Call function ( "luluShield" ).]

* Event: On function "luluShield". -- Action: Execute the stuff that's supposed to happen when Lulu uses her shield ability.

Hope that helps.