Time Marches
It's August! In fact, nearly the end of August, and this month, my provisional penciled-in date for when the game would be released has been and gone. While disappointing for all, it's not a bad thing in the long term. In this update, I'll explain why, and how development and the road to release has changed.
First off, what has been done on the game since the last update in June?
- Balancing data spreadsheets have been massively improved.
- Buildings (Land Uses) have a whole suite of new variables that affect them.
- The city / population growth algorithm has been changed
- UIs have been tweaked and improved.
Lost in the Details
Most of the code changes to the game of late have been about giving myself as many possible tools and techniques to balance the game. For example, I added construction timers to buildings. I added restrictions to where buildings can be placed. I added build costs, depending on the underlying terrain. And lots of other similar small things.
All of which I eventually realised was just glorified procrastination. The game might not even need these features, and with each, I was adding complexity to the task of balancing.
However, that's not the only procrastinating-like thing I've been doing. Recently, I've done a lot more research on other similar games, mostly in the 4x genre, but also a bit with colony sims and city builders. Only instead of playing these games myself, I've been watching let's play videos, to see how others play them.
Theory Craft
Turns out, there are two types of player who enjoy 4x and similar games. Those like me, who jump in, play by ear, and from the chaos formulate a strategy for victory. And those who like to craft a strategy beforehand, and then try to execute it in-game.
For both, the starting of a new game and looking at the map for the first time is very important, as it sets the tone for how the game will play out. In the last update, I talked about changes I made to the map generation / disaster algorithm, and unfortunately the way I wrote it starts the player off on one small puny island. The island then expands and changes over a number of disaster cycles in order to give the player a feeling of progress.
This may have ticked all the game design boxes, but it doesn't have the same magic of say a city builder, where players are given a wide open map - a tabula rasa, onto which they can start etching their dreams or grand designs. Likewise with 4x games, starting on one small island means no exploration and no real choice where to build that all important first city. It takes away an important, exciting early decision for the player.
This became especially apparent after playing the neolithic era in Humankind, in which the opening part of that game is all about exploration and getting a feel for your surroundings, with the game rewarding, rather than punishing players taking the time to find a good first spot for an outpost/city.
Get the Feels
If the current map generation algorithm in Critias Empire lacks that buzz of similar games, then what other feelings should the game give?
- "One More Turn" Every turn should give the player a feeling of progress, and a decision to make. This is really the signature feel of most strategy games, and definitely something I want for Critias Empire.
- "Sandcastles" Building sandcastles on a beach comes with the inevitability that the tide will eventually come in. This is the feeling I want when disasters hit your empire: Preparing as best you can for the waves. Seeing which parts of your sandcastle unexpectedly crumble. Reacting to protect as much of your sandcastle as you can. And finally rebuild back your sandcastle even better!
New Balance
With that in mind, I've made a framework for how to balance the game. The map generation algorithm will have to be re-written yet again, and this will most likely take some weeks. However, I now have a much clearer vision of how to proceed after that.
This has also made me rethink the roadmap. Instead of trying to tick off features from a list, I am now going to wait until the game is giving the right vibes, then polish and expand from there. This means skipping Early Access, with the full launch now happening in early 2023.
Page Turner
With a clearer vision of the game, at least in my mind, I've been experimenting with the Steam Store Page to better get that across. Over the next few weeks, you may see some parts of the store change, from the artwork to the descriptions and roadmap. Don't worry, the game is not fundamentally changing, and no features are getting cut, even if the order in which I do things is changing.
What's Next
As already mentioned, the map generation algorithm, tied in with the disasters, needs rewriting. As well I will finally be rebalancing the stats for buildings and resources. And I still need to think of some ways to make Wonders more interesting and varied. Expect to hear about all that, hopefully with some screenshots of it all in action, in the next update.