Von_Lipwig's Blog

This seemed rather dead, I know. And I guess it actually was. However, I've been working at things for quite a long time and I'm finally making some headway with this.


Complete Overhaul

First off: you can forget about a lot you read in this blog earlier. Many of the features and systems I was previously contemplating are now gone. The map, always meant to be a playtest map leading up to something bigger, has been scrapped. The factions, too, have been changed and multiplied. I changed many of the game's characteristics in order to allow for a larger scale and more meaningful strategic gameplay.

So, what's changed?

• The map is completely different.
• There are now 9 factions to choose from
• The battle system will move from a numbers game to an event that happens through PM and is controlled by player and game master alike
• Movement system is completely different
• Economy will be much more detailed, including region improvement, trade and raiding

Different Map

The map that will be used now is the map I had in mind all along. The map previously shown was meant for a playtest to see if the concept worked. However, I switched to the larger map so there would be room for more players, and also because I like that map a lot more.


9 Factions

A larger map has room for more factions. Each faction will be fully fleshed out and will have its own strengths and weaknesses, as well as at least one unique unit that might have a large influence on battles. A faction overview (complete with history) will be posted in a future blog post.


Battle System Overhaul

In previous posts, the battle system was a numbers game, focusing on statistics and calculating battle systems. In this iteration, battles are more depending on tactics and their outcome is less certain since no numbers are involved at all (except the amount of troops you bring to the battlefield). Battles will be resolved through PM, and the gamemaster will decide which of the combatants will win. More information will follow in a seperate blog post.


Movement System Overhaul

In previous posts, we were considering a hex system for movement. We now work with a region system, where the type of region you're moving towards determines how long your journey will take. Fields will take 2 turns to go to, forests and hills take 3 turns, and swamps and mountains take 4 turns. Certain empires may have movement bonuses in certain types of terrain.


Economy

Economy is still being worked on, but a basic system is in place. Prices and income rates still need to be evaluated and will probably be a bit off in the first playthrough. This can only really be balanced while playing, since it's so hard to see what stuff will do before it's actually used. Trade and piracy/raiding still have to be implemented. I expect to have a basic system for these things ready in a few weeks.



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Going Forward

I want to have a basic playable version of this ready by New Year's. Until that time, I hope to post regular development info in this blog. I probably won't be able to finish all art assets by then, but there should be placeholders and stuff so it will be playable in its most basic form. I'm also contemplating making a User Interface that will be sent each turn through PM to each participant, so they have all their information available to them in a single picture.



The Far Future

Of course, it would be great if some aspects of this game could be automated. As it is, it's going to be a tough job for the gamemaster (ie, me) to keep track of everything going on. However, I would still want either a human controlling the outcomes and events during the game, or a very advanced AI. I don't see us getting that AI anytime soon, so human gamemaster it is. It would obviously be great if I could turn this into a fullblown game, but I lack the programming skills to be able to do so. If anyone knows a game developer who is interested in making a cool strategy game, let me know.

As it is, I'm mainly looking for ways to make the game easier to maintain (but still forum-based), so easy that anyone could do it, given the tools. I'd also like to add art assets for all factions and make them unique, so people actually feel they're controlling more than a colour on the map.

All in all, there's still a whole lot to do. But the basics are slowly getting there, and as I said: I expect a playable version by New Year's.

Map

Map with information bars