I first started in the Unreal Engine just doing basic prototypes and trying to implement some of the ideas I had written down on paper into the prototype.
However, I switched over to the Unity Engine as the scope of my game increased and I needed the help of the Asset store. At the time, I actually had a completely different art style and the game wasn't really even "medieval". It was more post-apocalyptic mainly because I needed to find a consistent art style. I knew I had to use 3rd party assets if I wanted to come close to achieving what I was after.
After a year or so, the asset store grew and I was putting together a list on the side of potential assets I could use that were more medieval and closer to the art style and setting that I truly wanted. I had also started to do more work on the UI, prior to that every time you wanted to move a unit, you had to go into the menu and click on the move command first. So, I made the transition to a more realistic art style but in the process, I had to scrap a year's worth of work.
By now, I had a rough UI and the basic combat framework was done, but there was one major issue, "elevation". I can't really recall playing a 3D turn-based tactical game with an emphasis on melee combat that also had an elevation system. After playing so much Battle Brothers, it was just something I couldn't do without. So my initial plan was to cut up the terrain and use terrain blocks. The problem was that the elevation just looked too unnatural for me to bear.
I tried and tried but just couldn't get anything to work and so I had to make the painful decision of leaving it out. The other issue was that my natural environments just looked terrible. So I made the shift over to "man-made" structures and at that time, I settled on doing a gladiator management style game. Basically, you would hire warriors then fight in tourneys.
However, it still just wasn't the game I truly wanted to make, yet I had already used up more or less all my life savings on development. For a time, I contemplated on just releasing the "gladiator-esque" game and calling it a day. Deep down though, I just couldn't do it, despite the financial pressure I was facing, I didn't want to release hot garbage. Then one day when I was fooling around with the Unity terrain system, I made a square brush to the exact grid size I wanted and poof, somewhat natural terrain that could still conform to a grid was made.
The look of the natural environments improved drastically as the terrain was no longer just a flat surface. However, the problem was that the terrain was static and it took ages to paint. Due to the static nature, I couldn't see myself manually painting in all the terrain. I had also been playtesting a lot and playing the same map got dull especially because the AI would always do the same thing. Creating a few more maps didn't solve the issue either, it was just prolonging the inevitable. Eventually it would just be me playing the same 5 maps over and over instead of just the one map.
During this time I was also facing internal family issues and I decided to sell my house and downsize and move back in with my family as opposed to living alone. The other reason was because I wanted to raise more funds for development. At this point, game development had almost become an extremely expensive hobby. Like Warhammer, only for people who really loved to live on the edge. I remember asking myself, should I take on 3 jobs just so I can get a couple sets of exclusive and custom armor modeled.
I knew if I wanted to push onto the next level, I needed the money. I needed it to hire freelancers, there was just no other way around it. I even considered kickstarter, but I didn't think I had the right to do it and I still haven't changed my opinion on that.
So I sold my house, decided to hold off on buying a car and put aside a sizable amount of funds into the war chest for development. I didn't want to settle on just 10 armors, so I scaled up, I didn't want to settle on 3rd party weapons, so I scaled up. I also wanted to implement some form of random terrain generation and combat with more than 6 units that utilised formations so I had to put a lot of money towards that. Random map generation was my solution to the terrain issue. I basically designed the individual tiles by hand and then used an algorithm to generate the elevations. What you see below is the result of that and also what the game currently looks like.
That more or less brings things up to the present day. I know it's almost like I'm doing my victory lap before the race even started, but I do feel like I have closed one chapter. There is no doubt in my mind that there is a lot more work ahead of me, but I am looking forward to it. I am looking forward to it because I now have a community. Even if this game never gets big, knowing that a few players are actually enjoying my game is enough for me. It's enough because I would have released what I really wanted to release instead of just serving half a broken dream.
If anything, the point of this story was just to tell you that I am truly dedicated to the development of this game. I have gone through too many headaches and heartbreaks to just stop now. The beauty of being a solo developer is that there is no real ongoing costs aside from when I need the help of a freelancer, to pay the bills or to get myself nourishment so I don't collapse. I can keep working on this game, continuing to polish it. The downside is that I may take longer than a team since I can't work on this full time.
I also know what it feels like to play a game that never seems to get finished. That is why I have designed Dead Monarchy the way it is now. That is why I decided to develop the world map separately whilst getting feedback on the combat system.
Even without a world map, there is still some form of freedom. You are not completing linear missions. You are selecting which missions to go on based on what buildings you want to upgrade and balancing the risks and rewards to build up your forces to be strong enough to take down the "Monarchs". In a way, it is a contained experience.
Again, I'd like to thank each and everyone from the ENTIRE community that has formed around Dead Monarchy. Not just the Steam community either, but the members from other forums like Rpgcodex, Rpgwatch, Iron Tower Forums, MnB forums and the Banner Saga Forums. Thank you for going on this journey with me and I hope you guys stick around!
Cheers,
Kevin.
