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[pakoito]

Hi Tigsource!

I'm developing a pet project in my spare time that I think fills a niche that's overlooked. The idea is to make a skill-centric arena game trying to emulate what would be a PvP experience between two D&D parties. It has been done on boardgames before (Mage Wars, Summoner Wars) but I want a version with automation, mods and other videogame goodies. I'm developing in libgdx and testing on Windows and Android. A mod API to add your skills is already in development so you can write your own characters/skills.

Here's some info about the game:

General info
Genre: Turn-based tactics
Platform: PC & Android (iOS/Mac/Web potentially)
Target group: RPG, Tactics, TCG, Dota and fighting game players.
Rating: Teen?
# of Players: 2+

Features
 • Pick your character lineup from our character roster
 • Battle your friends in local with just one phone
 • Board any size you want!
 • Mod in own characters and their skills
 • Look at the code and laugh at my noobishness



Repository: https://github.com/pakoito/WartricksProject

[pakoito]

RULESET

DISCLAIMER: All numeric values are provisional for any part of the game. This is just one iteration of several that have happened before and will after.
 
The game is played on a rectangular board with a to be decided size. Right now I'm leaning towards 10x7, with hexes having flat side up.
 
Every player gets to choose 3-5 character from a roster. Every creature has a life value, gauge regen value and a set of 3-5 skills. Movement is considered a standard skill.
 
We have a new per-player stat: gauge meter (or energy, or pills, or mana, or action points, it's just a number). Every character adds an amount of gauge to the meter at the beginning of the turn. Maybe the gauge already has a base value when the game starts.
 
Turn sequence:
- Each character adds its gauge regen value to the pool.
- Each character gets 2 personal temporary gauges.
- The players choose secretly which skills to play for every character. The cost can be taken from the temporary and the meter. A creature can have any number of extra actions per turn at the cost +1 for the 2nd, +2 for the 3rd, +3 for the 4th, etc...
- Once the planning is done, actions are resolved respecting initiative, in steps. All characters resolve their first skill, then all creatures resolve the second skill and the third or fourth if they paid for them.
- Some skills put projectiles on the board. Projectiles like arrows or fireballs are considered of initiative 0 so they are moved at the beginning of every *step*.
- In case of "collision" (several characters trying to enter the same hex or similar), the highest initiative gets to do the action. Both players spend their gauges and their skills are put on cooldown, but the loser cannot take more actions this turn and loses any other gauges he has spent for further actions. Any other actions he could have done are not put on cooldown.
- At the end of the turn, all unspent temporary gauges are taken away.
 
Extras:
- Extra gauge can be paid to increase/decrease initiative by an amount.
- Extra gauge can be paid for any skill for extra effects, if the description says so (i.e. extra range, extra duration, extra damage, in-action delay)

[pakoito]

TO DO LIST

UI
Add buttons for undo. // DONE BUT UNUSED BECAUSE IT'S ONE MOVE PER CREATURE ATM

TURN SEQUENCE
Allow undo. // DONE BUT UNUSED BECAUSE IT'S ONE MOVE PER CREATURE ATM
Allow multiple actions to be queued per creature.
Make the whole projectiles logic.

 MOD API
Start scripting my own skills to see which methods could be needed.
Get someone to script more skills and add methods to the API on demand.

 Graphics
Make UI decent to look at.
Add hex types for flavor.

 Skills
Allow adding enhancements.

Many other things I cannot remember now

[pakoito]

HOW THE STUFF IS GOING (17/06/2013)

WARNING! PONY PLACEHOLDERS

Turn sequence is done, at least for one action per creature. http://i.imgur.com/jZjC3sQ.gif

Internal architecture allows the creation of creatures and skills as separate entities. A creature has a skillset provided on creation so skills are linked to creatures.

Skills have some values like cost, initiative and such, and an effect loaded from a script. Scripts are currently stored in the internal storage folder for Android's convenience. You can write your own skills only if you know the code structure. You can modify a creature's values, like HP and such. You can also queue other skills to be activated at the beginning or end of every turn, even if they are in other files.

Range calculations available for skill effects with minimum and maximum range.

Circular http://i.imgur.com/FfTw8ME.gif
Lineal (fixed now) http://i.imgur.com/8k6YFPd.gif
Flower http://i.imgur.com/YcpG8lM.gif
Reverse flower http://i.imgur.com/xtKrNxL.gif
Cone http://i.imgur.com/YLlgSAP.gif

[pakoito]

First draft of modding API available.

Example:
http://i.imgur.com/as8DwNJ.gif


New format for scripts, more user friendly and doesn't require internal knowledge of the application, just the available documented API methods (that I can increase on demand).

Creature

Code:

int creatureId = -1;

// CREATES THE CREATURE WITH CUSTOM VALUES
create()
{
    name = "apple";
    health = 100;
    energyPerTurn = 3;
    skillSet = new Array();
    skillSet.add("move");
    creatureId = game.createCreature(name, health, energyPerTurn, skillSet);
    return creatureId;
}

Skill

Code:

int skillId = -1;

Array affected;

// CREATES THE SKILL WITH OWN VALUES
create() {
    name = "move";
    cost = 1;
    minRange = 1;
    maxRange = 2;
    initiative = 600;
    cooldown = 0;
    skillId = game.createSkill(name, cost, minRange, maxRange, initiative, cooldown);
    return skillId;
 }

// SHOWS THE AFFECTED HEXES
 affected()
 {
     affected = game.skillGetHexesForArea(Shapes.CIRCLE, 0, 0, origin.x, origin.y, target.x, target.y);
     return affected;
 }
 
// INSERT SKILL EFFECT HERE
 execute() {
     return game.creatureMoveTo(caster, target.x, target.y);
 }

// BEGIN AND END OF TURN EFFECTS HERE
// ACTIVABLE WITH game.skillActivateBeginTurn()
OnBeginTurn() {
}

OnEndTurn() {
}
 

[pakoito]

Menus added, plus victory condition.

The only thing left is removing the creatures from the field when they die and it would be fully playable.

http://i.imgur.com/GivM1Z9.gif

[pakoito]

Made player turns easier to read, and tested with multiple creatures:

http://i.imgur.com/Q0zpslH.gif

[pakoito]

New tokens substituting ponies, prettier general colors.

http://i.imgur.com/P2ImIQe.gif