With SLM: Horse & Spoon FC right around the corner, I thought I'd let folk know what to expect in the Steam release that wasn't in the demo web versions over at netlify & itch, let's talk about what's on the way in the coming week (and months, as the roadmap from v0.8 to v1 comes to an end).
Changes from 0.6 to 0.8
(ideally release version, if not very shortly after)
Game Changing Moments
We had half-time & extra time subs in the past, but now there are second half crucial moments that can occur if you have not used all three of your substitutions. You will be presented with a situation (a player has to leave, or is injured, or is having a stinker) and you will select a lad off the bench to take their place on thee pitch. At the same time the opposition will look to counter that with a sub of their own, and if you win that individual battle, your team will have a significant advantage for the remainder of the match (or until extra time begins in a cup game).
This incentivises players to not roll all their dice on Half time subs and maintain a strong "super-sub" that might be able to impact the game.
Sound Effects
Matches have ongoing sound effects (which are optional) to help create a more engaging experience. Some of these will improve as time goes on (I will make better quality sounds for one!). Might even put some credits on IMDB for my absolutely stellar crowd noises.
Changes from 0.8 to 0.9
(anticipated to be Early October, Late October at the latest)
Sponsorship Mini Game Rework
I'll be making the sponsor section of the finance area more rewarding/challenging by introducing a mini game. In my local branch I've been playtesting a few options from selecting players to bring along to the negotiation, getting your pets involved and a classic pub-style puggy mechanic to decide what % of the total potential value the sponsors will give you.
Poaching Opposition Players
Poaching opposition players is - like it or not - a large part of the Amateur game. We can already see dissatisfied players leaving H&S FC if we ignore them, but I'll be introducing the ability to try and poach players from opposition teams. This will lean heavily towards poaching from teams who are below H&S in the league (or leagues depending on progress over seasons).
Changes from 0.9 to v1.0
(Release in November)
Mac & Linux Builds
I'm confident I'll have the cross platform builds working by this release. Testing them has been a bit of a long winded affair.
Achievements & Steam Cloud Saves
I'm confident I'll have the cross platform builds working by this release. Testing them has been a bit of a long winded affair.
Getting the Kids Involved
Pub teams don't often have them, but amateur sides often do and H&S will be looking to expand their youth team training and recruitment as we hit V1. The options to open an under 17 and under 15 team will become available to you as an upgrade providing players with time heavily on their side to develop - and maybe the odd Wonderkid (if that's not a term I can't use...).
There will be coaches to choose from at this level, so you'll want to make sure they have the right stuff to bring the kids through.
Ageing Player Avatars
Our avatars at the moment are static (until over 35) and pretty basic in terms of the look and feel of them. With the release of V1 I'm hoping to have avatars that change with age for players, remaining clearly recognisable but also clearly not still 16 as they change their hairstyle and experiment with beards, moustaches and the like.
What about after that?
I've got some ideas knocking about in the back of my head regarding future enhancements, but once the V1 roadmap is complete, I'm going to be putting my time in to any request you guys might have had along the way, so don't be shy about opening a discussion and letting me know what you want to see.
Bugs and Other Fun
I'm not daft enough to think a wider player base won't find bugs in this game as we go. I'll look to address these as soon as I can. As a solo dev doing this in evenings and weekends, it might be a struggle - but I'm determined to see the best experience had by all who get involved.