do you plan on including DM-like controls for the host player? the attacks and stats would be impossible to reconcile (unless you included an ability builder, which i think is overkill), but that can be handled outside of the game. i could see myself using this in conjunction with a group skype and dice rolls, know what i mean?
I can see how that would be a useful application of this grid based engine that I've got going - sort of a simple computerization of a tabletop where you can setup your own rules. However, as you can imagine, that sort of customization is quite difficult to implement, and also not in line with the vision I have for this game. I may at some stage release a level editor so that people can create their own scenarios, however the map editor tool that I've made so far is... not user friendly at all, it's a bunch of keyboard shortcuts and pretty closely tied to the internal game engine too. The enemies are all controlled by AI/the computer, so there's no DM-like controls.
Stats like weapon damage, strength, agility, monster health, etc. are just simply numbers, however I'm going to have to implement each skill in code manually. They can't be customized external to the core game.
Turn based online co-op? It will be very interesting to see how you'll get around having to wait for three other people.
You still have to wait for other people to move their characters, however the fast paced nature of the game means it's only ever a few seconds until it's your turn again, unless you all discuss what to do next!
Also, the UI in the first post looks much cleaner and easier to read than the overlays. Transparent UI elements generally just clutter the screen, imo.
By transparent do you mean that it no longer has the grey backing behind it? I could reintroduce that backing easily if more people think it looks better. I'm still iterating on the UI design. I want to make it as simple and relevant as possible, and not a screen full of numbers.
I hope combat will be very varied and interesting, because quite a lot of dungeon hacks become repetitive and boring quite fast because of it.
I completely agree! That's why I'm aiming to do a few things to make this lean towards more of a strategy game than a hack n' slash. Firstly, since I'll be making each level individually I'll be able to give them personality and (hopefully) they will require a little bit of thinking from the player. Some levels will have like floor switches that activate certain doors, or activate floor traps, or reveal secrets, etc. This sort of connectedness between entities is something that random dungeon generators aren't so good at creating. I hope that each level feels quite unique and memorable.
Secondly, I'm trying to balance the weapons and characters so that they all have certain abilities which are useful in different scenarios, and there isn't simply a weapon which is always going to be the best. For example, there may be some chestplate armour which gives you great defense, but reduces your movement points, or there may be a staff which shoots fireballs and is good against "ice trolls", but costs a lot of mana and has a weak normal attack against other enemies. Balancing the combat is going to be one of the big challenges however.
Thanks to everyone for your interest and comments. It's very motivating
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