Demo Update 1.1.8

! Small Note on Story Mode !

Development is going great! We've finished the Narrative Design, and it's all ready to go for the prologue (and the rest tbh!), so, please wait until update 1.2.0!

DEMO UPDATE 1.1.8

1. Dice System Rework

The dice system was due for a rework. The previous version had too many elements: decisions, skill checks and even after a week of experimenting, the dice clash mechanic never really found its place.

So... meet the new Dice System!

1a. One Die to Rule them All

One of the biggest changes is that combat now uses a single die, rolled by the attacker

(This also means the defender, like in most turn-based games, does not need to take any action during the attacker's turn.)

1b. Charge It...or Don't!

You can charge and aim your roll...or simply roll right away!

(This function is entirely cosmetic, just adding a bit more drama to the moment.)

1c. The Critical, the Counter, and Everything Else

With only one die in play, it now features both positive and negative values that adjust the base attack.

Alongside the usual numbers, there are now two special faces: Critical Attack and Critical Counter.

(the range of the numbers has been adjusted as well, from -12 to +12)

1d. More Punch, More Impact

While most battles play out as usual, Critical Attacks and Counters now come with unique animations and/or VFX;

(There will still be some adjustments to this in future updates)

1e. Full Dice Rework Changelist

Removed

• Power Meter;

• Dice Clash (since we only have 1 die now);

Adjusted

• Dice is now Gray/White, no matter the team/nation;

• Only the attacker will throw the dice;

• The new D20 faces: -25, -12, -12, -8, -5, -4, -3, -3, -2, -1, +1, +2, +3, +3, +4, +5, +8, +10, +12, +25 (so, besides specials, the range goes from -12 to +12)

New

• If you want, you can charge or aim the dice, but it's purely cosmetic;

• Charging the dice has a new animation and sounds;

• The dice has two special faces: Critical Attack (+25) and Critical Defense (-25);

• When the dice lands on a special face, new animations will happen in the battle;

2. New Game Settings

To speed things up, three new optional settings have been added to make battles quicker!

(all the new settings can be found both in the main menu and in-game)

2a. Auto-Roll Dice (Default OFF)

• Automatically rolls the dice for you, removing the need to charge or aim;

  • The dice automatically rolls for the computer, no matter the setting;

2b. Skip Won Battles (Default OFF)

• Automatically skips battles that are already guaranteed wins from the attacker's side;

  • For both Players and AI;

2c. Skip All Battles (Default OFF)

• Automatically skips all battles! This makes the game more fast faced;

  • For both Players and AI;

3. Maps

After player feedback, a couple of the larger maps have been reduced in size to improve replayability and match pacing.

3a. (REWORKED) Island Management

3b. (REWORKED) The Great Divide

And talking about it, you probably noticed that weird glitched tile on those maps...

4. Tiles

Not a new tile, but a new state: UNSTABLE

Currently applied to some Deploy Bases (with more uses planned for Story Mode), UNSTABLE tiles don't behave as they normally would. A neutral UNSTABLE Deploy Base now takes two turns to capture! (Unstable -> Neutral -> Team, instead of the usual Neutral -> Team)

Once stabilized, the tile will remain normal and won't return to the UNSTABLE state.

This also helps reduce first-turn advantage, adding a bit more balance to early turns.

5. (New) Loading Screen

Loading... but not really!
The loading screen now acts as a smooth transition thanks to "almost" instant load times.

6. Fixes, QoL and other Updates

• (BUG FIX) Fixed an issue where Frozen and Shocked units could still attack;

• (BUG FIX) Fixed various sprite issues;

• (BUG FIX) The level would appear before the loading screen;

• (BUG FIX) You couldn't exit the Buy Unit Screen if you clicked somewhere else instead of the cards;

• (BUG FIX) Buy Unit Screen didn't had sounds;

• (ADJUSTED) Synchronized Idle and Wait animations (adjusted from 2 FPS to 1 FPS);

  • All units are now properly synced across the map;

• (ADJUSTED) Updated the camera angle on the Map Selection screen;

• (ADJUSTED) Physics of the dice to be a bit heavier;

  • Meaning it will not bounce as much;

• (QoL) Improved readability by slightly darkening units in the Wait state;

• (QoL) Battle: Team positions are now fixed;

  • Team 1 will always appear on the left, and Team 2 on the right, regardless of attack or defense;

• (QoL) "Apply" Button on the settings now change display text to "Applied!" for 1s after you click it;

• (NEW) If a battle outcome is guaranteed (from the attacker side), the damage UI will now display 100% damage and a "dead" sprite for the defender;

That's it!

Thanks as always for everything and consider entering our discord: https://discord.gg/QbNXSmgCtJ
I'm always listening to feedback and any other comments on the game!

Thanks, and Avante!