Anyone want to try a tactics RPG game I've been working on?

[balthatrix]

Hi all, I've been working on a tactical RPG based on 5th edition D&D mechanics. It's a "gladiator" setting, where you control a squad of arena combatants.

I have a demo video here, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLneL_lP8ps, and I could send you a link to download the prototype I have so far.

Still pretty early in development, but anyone want to try it out to see the direction?

 

[Wayward Son]

I'll be willing to.

 

[balthatrix]

Awesome, I'll PM you a build. Do you use Mac? Or Windows?

 

[balthatrix]

Actually, looks like there's no PM'ing here? I'm going to just post links instead.

 

[Wayward Son]

Windows and Linux

 

[Zombra]

I don't have time, but I like what I'm seeing in the demo vid.

 

[Infinitron]

Actually, looks like there's no PM'ing here? I'm going to just post links instead.

Not for newbies there isn't

 

[Wayward Son]

Actually, looks like there's no PM'ing here? I'm going to just post links instead.

I'll PM you, reply to thatz

 

[balthatrix]

Alright guys, for whoever is interested here, you can download for your platform here:
Linux
Mac
Windows

Some things that are not really obvious:
Press space to wait in combat prematurely (it happens automatically if you've used all movement and actions).
Press "i" in combat to open the *placeholder* inventory/char sheet view, and "i" or "esc" again to hide.

Let me know what you think!

 

[CryptRat]

Well, you can thank the Evowok Breeder devs, I've got a game breaking bug and had some time to play your demo thanks to that.

The game should be fun. Some random thought :
- The UI is fine.
- It's weird that all your characters start on the same tile. I guess sometimes I fought an enemy on its starting tile that wasn't even visible or something. I assume it's just something that will be changed but I'm commenting about what I've actually played.
- On an aesthetic level, the field, character sprites and animations and icons are fine. I'm less sure about the font ; also the list of the characters on the right of the screen looks OK in your video and screenshot but it looks ugly on my computer with some weird layout, just look by yourself :

Spoiler

Good luck, will follow.

 

[balthatrix]

Hey CryptRat,

Thanks so much for trying out the prototype! Here are some responses/questions:

The game should be fun. Some random thought :

When you say the game should be fun, do you mean you see hope in the prototype? Or are you saying that the upcoming comments are detracting from the fun?

It's weird that all your characters start on the same tile.

Right, that part definitely needs some development. Characters settling on the same tile is actually something that is never supposed to happen.

On an aesthetic level, the field, character sprites and animations and icons are fine. I'm less sure about the font ; also the list of the characters on the right of the screen looks OK in your video and screenshot but it looks ugly on my computer with some weird layout, just look by yourself

Right, figuring out a more pleasing aesthetic in terms of the fonts, icons is currently top priority. About the character cue on the right, I'm not sure what happened with that. My guess is it's something with the resolution you played in. What resolution did you play the game in on startup? and what OS are you on?

Good luck, will follow.

Thanks so much! I'm not sure if you already did, but just in case, you can subscribe to this youtube channel where I'll be doing dev vlogs every so often:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYHLYqU1aAfzXn71mfFwtYw

 

[CryptRat]

When you say the game should be fun, do you mean you see hope in the prototype? Or are you saying that the upcoming comments are detracting from the fun?

I see hope in the proptotype.

 

[balthatrix]

I see hope in the proptotype.

That's great!

You seem to be good at finding bugs. Do you want me to include you as a tester when it's QA testing time? It would probably be in November/December. If so just pm me your email.

Again, thanks for taking the time

 

[Agesilaus]

That looks really great, keep up the good work.

What is the theme of the gladiator game? Historical period or pure fantasy?

 

[balthatrix]

That looks really great, keep up the good work.

Thanks a lot!

What is the theme of the gladiator game? Historical period or pure fantasy?

The current tentative theme or storyline is pure fantasy, outlined here:
seasonofarena.com/storyline/

I'm working with a writer for considering other ideas though. Oddly, I hadn't actually thought of making it historical period themed. That could cut down development time quite a bit, as we could just plan drama rather than lore + drama for the campaign. Only drawback is that the some of the assets so far might not fit anymore.

 

[Jimmious]

sser the man is looking for a writer

 

[oscar]

Sounds cool and I quite like the plot. Fantasy also lets you get away with a lot more than a more strictly Roman setting would permit (magic, races, strange weaponry, duel-wielding etc).

 

[balthatrix]

Hi All!

I've just published a video on the updates I did since last 2 weeks. I added a wizard class. Check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaLuvoiY2mE&feature=youtu.be

 

[balthatrix]

Hi all,

I've now added area of effect spells to my game-in-progress. Check it out here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZuYK1ueic4E&feature=youtu.be

Let me know if you want to try the game as it is so far.

Next up:
Create an overmap to allow for campaigns.

 

[balthatrix]

Hi everyone!

Just added cleric and rogue classes with a couple starter abilities each, as well as an overmap prototype. It's coming along nicely!

 

[Jaesun]

This looks pretty cool, and shows some promise. And a complex combat and character creation. Will keep an eye on this. Good luck to you sir.

 

[balthatrix]

Hi everyone!

Just settled on a kewl art style, and how the overmap will work between battles in Season of Arena. Thoughts?

 

[Razzoriel]

Really cool mechanics, and kudos for using the 3.5 engine, which is probably the best D&D will ever get. The unit and combat graphics, however, are a massive letdown. Hopefully you can improve that in the future.

 

[balthatrix]

Really cool mechanics, and kudos for using the 3.5 engine, which is probably the best D&D will ever get. The unit and combat graphics, however, are a massive letdown. Hopefully you can improve that in the future.

Hey, thanks for the feedback! Hopefully this isn't another letdown for you: I'm actually using 5th edition rules as a base, not 3.5.

As far as the graphics, they will not improve too much other than lighting and particle effects. I need to be able to ship something in the next year, and as I am just starting out, it's mostly me doing the game's code. However, I look forward to working with bigger teams in the future and being able to make something more fancy graphics

Warmly
-jeron

 

[balthatrix]

Hey stupid question y'all. What does the "incline" vote do or mean? I see I've gotten a couple votes on that, and it seems to be a positive thing, but not sure