Finally Done with Blocking Objects Update

 Today I finally got the blocking terrain features completely done. The pathfinding code, the highlighting, the bugs, etc. It was quite some effort. Took me something like 14 hours spread out over about a week. I feel like it was pretty good progress. Difficult problems to solve but I stuck it out!

Exciting to figure out what the next problem to solve will be. As stated previously, I'm still thinking I need to move into the game loop / progression at this point, and I need to post this thing on Reddit to see if I can get some gameplay feedback. I guess before that I'll need to update the instructions again to clarify a few things.

I don't really know specifically what w/ the game loop comes next because I haven't looked at it in a while. Tomorrow or later today I'll plan the next chunk of work.

Later!

Pathfinding Improvements

Continuing to make progress. I needed to make a lot of adjustments to the AI pathfinding to account for the blocking terrain features. Switched to a more clearly defined point graph and am instantiating the points myself so I have more control over which nodes connect (so that pawns move in a more defined way). I needed to do this to make sure that the enemy AI could figure out how to get around obstacles.

I like this iterative method of implementing features. I like that the AI started off really dumb, and I'm just improving it only as is necessary. I think I've done a good job keeping things as simple as possible.

Anyway this has been neat but it has been quite a task. After finishing this up, I'll be moving on to getting the game loop and progression up to speed.

Things are good. I have new perspective on life, and I am reinvigorated with patience and I feel like I can stick out the learning process that is gonna be necessary to continue in game dev. Just one single day at a time, being patient and not too passionate, just put in the work daily bit by bit. We'll see where it lands. But the game itself is really coming together - I think it looks pretty nice!

 

Working out the Kinks for Terrain

Working out the problems with terrain generation. I had ideas to add height, different types of terrain like difficult or dangerous terrain, but for now I think I need it keep it simple. I think I had assumed that terrain might be a necessary thing for a tactics game. I am basing my assumptions on what the basic mechanics are of a tactics game from chess. I know that chess doesn't have trees and boulders, but each piece can move only in certain ways, which is some mobility restriction. And terrain creates mobility restrictions.

However after playing the Banner Saga, I noted there was basically no terrain (at least in the first couple hours of gameplay) and it came across well enough as a tactics game. 

Adding Terrain

Today I worked on adding terrain into the game. At first, I was thinking of all the different things I'd like to add like height levels, rivers, etc. but I think that will be quite a lift and I don't really know if all that is necessary. I do think some level of terrain is necessary however, so I'll at least add non-traversable tiles. It's a work in progress, but I'm figuring it out. The only real issue at this point is ensuring connectivity.

Very soon I'll need to start iterating on the whole game loop, not just the battle scene. I'm sure the battle will require a lot of adjustments because I haven't really put it out to the general public for testing (by that I mean just my friends have tested it), but I need development time on the progression, perks, and game loop.

I'm generally pretty pleased with what the battle scene is at this point. I think it feels a lot higher quality than previous things I've worked on. Looks kinda neat with all these bushes everywhere too.

How to Display Motivation Conditions

 I'm working out how to communicate that a character is in their prime position (their condition related to their vice). I don't have a lot of time; here's a screenshot.

Tooltips Rework

 Today I worked on implementing a better system for tooltips. I'm expanding tooltips to show for Actions too so the player can know what that action even does. I would like to have a tooltip for anything that could possibly need explaining, including stats. That way the user doesn't need to refer to the instructions screen or whatever every time they have a question.

Gotta get to work!

Axes and Spears Implemented

I got spears and axes implemented with their own bonuses and special attacks! It was pretty cool actually. The sword and spear took quite a lot of effort. Axe on the other hand has no special ranges or attack pattern, it's just a high damage single target weapon. So it was very easy and once I tried it out in the game I actually found it very satisfying.

As a player, I can already feel the difference now that I implemented these three weapons. I didn't even sit down and have a play session, I just tested it briefly but the one or two battles I played, I noticed I was trying to keep the spear guy at range 2, which meant positioning other guys in front to hold the enemies in position. My brain immediately thought, "oh, so spear guys are in the back line, so maybe they should have heavy armor because they already move slow. Wait, light armor is better because then they can stay one step ahead of enemies to stay at range 2!". And I noticed the sword guy being useful taking on two guys at once. And the axe was very satisfying to use, because I knew it would do very high damage.

So it's cool being able to feel the difference based on the work I just did over the past week. It's rough still and it was a bit of a slog but I'm actually feeling very confident about this game right now. I feel like I can do it, that I'm not in over my head, that I'm making good decisions and putting in the work. 

Playing other games has been very enlightening. I've been playing Our Adventurer's Guild the last two days, and it's a pretty neat game. I like it well enough. There are enough systems and the art style etc. are nostalgic for me, having played Adventure Quest a ton back in the day. It's a very successful game as far as I can tell, but at least so far, it doesn't seem all that deep strategically. Or all that original. And I don't mean that in an insulting way - I find it impressive. Nearly every system I thought "oh, so this part is straight out of Darkest Dungeon", or some other game. And that makes me feel a little relieved - maybe all I have to do is take parts I like from a variety of games and put them together to create something. And it doesn't even have to be that unique! Like I can straight up rip mechanics from other games. As long as I mix a variety of games, and trust my intuition when I do want to have something unique, I think I can make something pretty cool.

I should note OAG is a pretty well made game (assuming you view the art style as an artistic choice as I do). There are a lot of systems to interact with and there is plenty of that feeling of progression. So I just need to do a good job putting things together and make sure the game is presented with a good level of polish.

Basically, right now, I feel like all I have to do is just do a good job and work hard and I can be successful.

Feelin gewd.

Working on the Spear Attack

 Today I worked on the spear. It's supposed to have 2 range and it's supposed to have increased damage at range 2. Made some progress but things are a little tangled up and I think I'll need to rework some of these systems later on now that things are becoming a little more complex. Making progress though.

I'm looking forward to getting through this pile of work so I can decide what's next. Will be exciting to develop a different part of the game. I find the weapon implementations to be a bit of a drag.

Chuggin along.

Weapon Special Attacks and Passives

Today and yesterday I worked on implementing the different skills used in each weapon. I also added highlights where the attack will land so it becomes clear who an attack is targeting. The plan is to have 3 types of weapons - axes, spears, and swords (for now). Each will have its own uses and play differently. After playing some chess with a friend, it became more clear to me that an important part of a strategy game is that each piece feels different (like a pawn compared to a rook, compared to a queen). Each piece must have their own distinct uses and some must be more powerful than others. In strategy RPGs, many times this is solved by making classes so that characters must act differently from the get-go. However in other games like Battle Brothers, it's more flexible. Your troops all start off pretty much the same, but they grow in power as they gain experience, and the equipment you decide to give them customizes them into a unique piece of your own making. Pretty cool!

Anyway I have doubts still of course - the typical stuff. "Am I wasting my time?" "Is this even a good idea?" "Am I biting off more than I can chew?" blah blah blah. I mean I don't know the answers to these questions. But I think to often I let those thoughts derail my progress. I've realized in life, not just game dev, I am prone to having such thoughts and it really gets in my way. Here's the thing - I'm going to get this game done, it's not going to go on and on forever. It'll be done at some point, we're getting there. And I'm gonna learn lessons. And when it's done, I can do something new. So there's no reason to stress. I'm just making a game.

I guess it's just important to me that I make the right decisions. But how can you know what decisions are right? I think the only way to learn that is just to live life and find out. And listen to people and consider things of course, but I have a problem with chronic doubts and I think that I need to dismiss those. I need to finish this project and I won't abandon it.

It's coming along. I think the only features that I still need to add are perks and a progression system. And then of course improving on what exists a ton. AI, enemy types, adding weapons, tuning the gameplay, sprucing up the maps. Oh, I suppose objectives in battles are another thing I want to add. But I'm honing in I guess on the basics of the game.

Here's the goal: Make a strategy RPG and put it out there for people to play. And do the best I can. That's it. Well, also, this one isn't going to be free. I'm going to sell it for like $3 or something. And I would bet I can make a little money, and that will teach me something. Anyway I'm thinking the release should be by the end of December. And then I can move on and be done with it.

Cool.  

Implementing Actions and Playing More Games

I've already implemented most of the changes I've planned for this "Sprint". Right now I'm working on implementing "Actions", as in giving the player different types of attacks they can do and I have realized it's a much deeper mechanic than I thought it would be. There were several things I didn't consider that I have realized should be entirely separate "tickets", and fortunately I decided to recognize that, write one, and put it away. I think sometimes I will recognize things and try to fix them on the spot but when you underestimate a feature that can become a giant body of work and you don't really wanna get caught up taking so long on something you haven't really planned for. 

Anyway yeah I'm mid way through implementing the actions at this point. Looking forward to the result. 

I've been thinking about making a side-scrolling shooter lately. I think I'll just keep ideas and maybe designs sometimes for fun as a little side thing while I work on this game.. Once I finish it maybe I can make that. I realize I need to just focus on making cool games and having fun with it, I need to learn and master the craft before I can expect to be making any money.

Also I've been waking up early again the past week or two, and it's been really helpful. I try to get an hour or two of work done on my game first thing in the morning before anyone else is awake - that way I have all the quiet I need to sink in and get shit done.

Oh, also I emailed the devs of Battle Brothers and one of them (Paul) emailed me back! Super cool to receive advice from someone I really look up to so much. One piece I've heard elsewhere but I've decided to take more seriously - play more games, and more variety of games. So lately I've just been looking for cheap games, like < $10 that I can pick up, and I feel like I've got so much insight already. The thing is, I won't hesitate to spend $10 on lunch, but for some reason, I feel like $10 on a game is more expensive. But instead, let's just eat at home for like $4 and buy a game as well. Clickyland and Dead Cells have been the most interesting so far. Although Mechabellum was also very cool.

Here's to keeping it up and doing the best I can!