Game Update
Still working on implementing the new difficulty system. The dead troops are not standing back up when we heal them due to a weird interaction. We almost had it fixed but are still working on it. There is a lot of slow testing that I have to do with it to get it going. Mostly playing a stage to damage and kill troops to make sure that it is triggering properly when the difficulty is turned up to the proper level. It’s been a little slow going. It did uncover a separate bug that we fixed so that was good at least.
I spent some time playing a fellow developers game Arcadian Atlas. For all intents and purposes I see them as my friendly rivals as I met them so many years ago when they had just started working on their game and I had started working on mine. I’m fairly certain they have no awareness of me now. It’s also a fantasy strategy game that has a similar style and feel to Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre.
After playing their game I would say that they made a really solid game. We definitely went in different directions with what we built. Their story telling is solid, and I wish I could hold a candle to it with what I’ve done. Maybe building my own Dungeons and Dragons scenarios will help there. The animations and the art for their game is very solid. It was always apparent that they would shine there.
I have a couple of critiques, but a lot of this is my own preferences:
Sometimes when clicking on tiles it can be difficult to target the tile I want. You can’t rotate the camera in their game, which is most likely due to the way their artwork and assets function together. I was able to add this in my game to help out with some troublesome camera problems due to some player feedback.
Sometimes playing battles drags a bit toward the end. I feel some fatigue and loss of interest at the end of a battle.
It can be difficult for me to always know who is on my team and who is an enemy. I know that the enemies and players are red and blue, but an additional note on the selected character card to say as much would be helpful. Sometimes the shading is close for me, but I’m also color blind.
The troop turn order at the bottom of the screen doesn’t seem that helpful but I may not be using it properly. It’s not clear if I pass part or all of my turn if that makes my troops come up faster in the line up.
I’ve only seen four of the maps but two of them felt very same-y. I’m hoping that there will be some more variation in future levels.
The enemy healer characters don’t seem to be able to fight when they run out of allies to heal. It seems like their AI is a little limited.
It’s unclear if facing improves or reduces anything when in combats.
All attacks seem to always hit. I’m assuming this is by design. I feel that if this is the way it’s been designed that removes some sense of anticipation when taking actions.
I would suggest trying Arcadian Atlas, and I’d like to know what you thought of it. It feels like a solid plot driven game with some great pixel art.
Personal Update
I had a chance to do some DJing for a friends party this weekend. I had a blast doing it! My buddy had his own DJ light which had a fog machine attached and it was super cool to see how that effected the light. They all said that they really appreciated it.
The new Magic Set Wilds of Elcraine was released and I wasn’t able to pull the card I was looking for in all the packs I bought… So I just went online and ordered it. I’m glad that I did too, because it went up by $10 since when I ordered it. Scrubbed pretty hard in the sealed tournament at my local game store. I only won my last round of four, but I ended up finishing with two wins overall for the night as my first round was a bye.
Got everything moving forward for my sons birthday next weekend. We are moving into the birthday season again here. He asked for a skateboard, which worries me a little. Then again boys love to be physically active and challenge themselves that way. He will need a helmet and pads.
One of my friends lost their dad this weekend. I did my best to support them. The older I get the more people pass away. Selfishly, it made me remember my own parents and ultimately my own mortality. I suppose I should be using that to help me focus more on my kids, and finishing things like this game. I still feel like I tend to squander a lot of time, money, energy, and resources at time. I’m trying to do better and I feel like I’m getting somewhere at least.