Nice, reminds me a lot of the original graphics, but in a slightly more sci-kitsch Forbidden Planet style.

Being tile based, I simply have a differing number of tiles on the screen according to the resolution, with the screen centered on the current unit. Of course I think that unfortunately 48x48 pixel sized tiles might of been too large, and I probably should of gone with something a bit more divisible like 32x32.

So come on then, lets see your etchings? 

When I saw your game it reminded me of playing this in my youth.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanatos_%28video_game%29

"Play by cloud" sounds more intriguing and cool than "play by email" IMHO, although they could easily be the same thing.

I've improved the dynamite/area explosion routine to do more realistic damage to areas, and cause cave-ins.
Buildings without basements now have foundations, and now there are buried corridors underground as well. Also I've started creating the special rooms underground that you can discover or excavate.
Fixed and improved the AI Digging routines, and tweaked and fixed the NPC A* pathfinding as a result.

I've reluctantly decided to go with the "sandwich" layer-cake approach to the levels, rather than a contiguous space between levels (up and down), as to save this for the next version, and concentrate on getting what I have done to a proper playable state.

For me saving is partly tried into the difficulty level. On "cockroach" you can save|load when and where you like. Then as it gets harder there is a increasing minimum of turns between saves|loads until on the hardest level the game is saved (and overwritten) every turn.
For me losing is an integral part of the gameplay (and life).

I guess it depends for your game on where the "centre of control" lies. Are you a "disimpassionate observer" controlling your squad from the safety of the HQ, or are you the actual leader of the squad etc. Certainly there should be a balance between getting the level completed, and the number of surviving members of a team. Maybe the experience is divided equally between the survivors, so more survive, but less XP for each, against one who survive but gets loads of XP to spend. Also a time limit on some levels might ensure a tradeoff between the mission and survivors, making one sacrifice a few pieces. Ideally though you should leave the tactics upto the individual rather than forcing them to adopt to optimal method on each mission.
Also like the football analogy, if there is sometime between mission, you might get injured and sick players. So a squad member might survive, but take X amount of time to recuperate meaning they miss a mission or two.

The reason I went for a higher number of action points, is that in my game I currently want to hide the "statistics" to put more emphasis on strategy and tactics than maths, which in my opinion coming from a pen and paper RPG background, killed RPGs. In fact it makes me want to slap people around the face with a very large wet fish when "people" reduce CRPG to leveling up, experience points, and skills, with +67 adamantium power rocket launcher of the golden mages. Tbh, it is quite clear that these people seem to me, to know little about roleplaying, or rather are just abusing the RPG term in its marketing sense, to "sell their product" to a certain audience.
Hence there will be some "stat" representation, but I want to make it more vague, or rather less numerical, than take 2 hit points and you die, and little bars to show much health the enemy has left.
I also personally believe that you end up with artificial constructs such as "healing potions" and their ilk, which make mathematical sense but too often destroy the roleplaying element in the game. For example just the idea of "morphine" instead of the standard healing potion, opens up a whole gamut of game possibilities to add depth, and flavour. OD'ing on health potions?

That isn't to say that "number watching" doesn't have its place in the plethora of games out there, just not mine. Of course this might alienate and put off some people, as I know plenty of people who love the whole stat thing, and back-in-8-bit-day I too loved such things, but it was the roleplaying that I loved more than what used to get called "power" or "rule-playing" gaming.

I also brought a copy of Laser Squad Nemesis which I have never played before, so I am also looking forward to plundering that for inspiration, as JG's game have been a massive inspiration to me.

I do want to add like you, I think it is fantastic there is so much "home-brew" talent at the moment and I am looking forward to giving your game a go soon.

In my game I use a far higher overall number of action points, with a cost of 3 to make a turn 45 degrees, and anywhere from 10 up for forward movement, depending on other factors such as terrain. Diagonal and cardinal movement are treated the same.
This thread has provoked to me to think that I need to change the FOV of the units from a 90 degree arc to an almost 180, for unit that aren't wearing gasmasks/helmets. Infact you just provoked me to realising I need a variable FOV arc in my game for various situations, and units.

Started to implement the AI digging routines, and fixed lots of bugs that this caused as they appeared. Currently the AI will dig corridors, stairs, and small rooms.

Also improved the lighting, and put in climbing through windows.

All sounds excellent, can't wait to see how your words translate onto the screen. :D

I like your use of elevation, will I be able to "climb/jump" up and down a single elevation, like doing a leap down over the railing down the stairs as we see so often on TV. Obviously it would use up/more one's action point, and perhaps a chance of a little damage, or stun too.

Anyway keep up the great work.

Thanks, now stop slacking and finish your game. 

Thanks eclectocrat, high praise considering your game (or at least your dev-log here and elsewhere) has been a source of inspiration and silent envy (but a positive type, in a "setting the bar", sort of way) to me for the past year. :D



 

I never played X-Com, and thesedays I never have the time to play games much, due to small children demanding parental attention.
But I am looking forward to maybe breaking a habit for this game. :D

Hopefully it won't be as complex as Dwarf Fortress, or rather more accessable if it does manage to share some of DF's depth. Interaction with the game environment is largely done through context driven mouse menus, with keyboard shortcuts as well. Hopefully everything will be largely self-explanatory with a tendency towards ignoring the manual, and clicking and seeing what happens.

The game is written in standard 'C', using Allegro 4.4 (though I intend to upgrade to 5.1 when closer to completing the game), so there should be versions for as many flavours and devices as I can possibly port. But definately for Windows, Linux, and Macs (simply I don't have a Mac or access to one, to do a port, but this isn't essential till the game is near a proper Beta release), and hopefully for Android and Ipads as well.

Once I have finished the rudimentary digging and building AI routines, I intend to spend some time over winter and the new year making the UI look more polished, and putting in some animations for movement and actions.

Reserved for Latest Stable Download

http://www.justanotherturn.com

Reserved for Game Media - Screenshots, Video etc.


April 2013 Screenshot of Ground Level. game @1200x800



April 2013 Screenshot2 of Ground Level. game @1200x800

Bunker Mentality -

I have been working on this game for over three years, initially it started off as a fantasy rogue like game, with multiple units and movements points as opposed to the one action one turn system of classic rogue-like games.
However in the course of time it morphed and mutated into a post-apocalyptic dungeon keeper style game, where you carve out your bunker/underground base. However you aren't alone in this dystopian underworld, apart from radioactive denizens wandering the upper levels, and mutated creatures hiding in the depth, you are just one of four factions all vying to become the dominant force in this brave new underworld. Also there are just enough resources left to ensure only the survival of just one faction.

Features/mechanics of the game are thus
*   It is squad turn based
*   Units have encumbrance, no unlimited carrying, but backpacks and item can expand the amount you hold. Holding stuff reduces your movement points.
*   Units have movement points to expend per turn
*   Factions and individual units have personal interrelationships, not just Faction vs Faction.
*   There is opportunity fire like in Laser Squad (you can save movement points to fire at enemy units crossing your line of sight in their turn)
*   Keep your units happy/inline (food/morale), or they will desert you. Or just built a cyberkanics laboratory and lobotomize them into an army of loyal organic robots.
*   The entire game world is "live", units/creatures/actors carry on even if you/they aren't local, with their own agendas.
*   The map isn't just in two dimensions but three, upto 10 levels deep.
*   The map is generated randomly/ procedurally using various methods (cellular, BSP and more)
*   You explore and expand by carving out your own bunker, and making rooms like in Dungeon Keeper, as well discovering other abandoned.buried rooms in the depths.
*   chest, crates and containers etc, are permanent, you can store stuff in them, drag them around, stand on them etc, smash 'em up and use them as firewood.
*   Beware of radiation especially as you get closer to the surface, but also lava as you go down, and don't tunnel into that underground river and flood your base!!
*   It's underground, it's dark. You have to manage your light resources, whether it is flashlights or burning torches, maybe build yourself a network of electric lights.
*   Stuff to research, and discover.
*   Age is a factor of the game. What to do with that bunch of orphans you found, maybe they could be your newest and youngest recruits, or maybe used to flush out the mutant rats or scout enemy territory. How about a feast of long pig for all your troops.


Stuff currently being done
* Digging/excavating AI
* Customizing the code to run on the theoretical target device (Raspberry Pi - 700Mhz 256Mb Linux)


To Do
* Faction AI "personalities"
* Animations
* New graphical assets
* Foley and background music
* Mac Version

I will take your advice and start a DevLog in the next few days, rather than hijack the thread for your also wonderful and inspired game. :D

P.s. I have an older DevLog over at the Game Developers Refuge (GDR) Forum with some old screenshots, however I will add some new ones soon when I start the TIG DevLog

If its not Rebelstar Raiders then I am not interested...

Good luck with it.

P.s. I have been working on a top down rebelstar raiders style game for the past few years, unfortunately it does involve tunneling, and carving out rooms like Dungeon Keeper.