Thank you for an elaborate response. I could not wished more.
Some answers and opinions below.
- I was a bit confused as to why I couldn't just "end turn" or move and then attack without it disabling my unit.
I was replaying AW recently and I felt that UI is a bit clunky. I thought that input could be more streamlined and number of button presses reduced.
Here is how I attempted to address it:
1. Reset move points as soon as unit is moved.
2. End turn as soon as there is no units with move points.
This allowed for unit selection and turn ending to happen automatically most of the time. I realize that this breaks conventional control scheme and some of the moves like swapping units, but it allows turn to be made in just couple of clicks. I have to keep an eye on this now, not to annoy experienced players.
Getting end-turn button back should be easy though.
- I had to actually "move" into my opponent to attack it. I couldn't move and then attack or attack and then move.
That is partially due to previous point. One can still move next to the enemy and then attack, unless it is an artillery. So attack points are separate from move points atm. and don't get reset with move.
As for attack finishing the turn - there is a number of games that do this (e.g. AW, Battle for Wesnoth), so I started there and have not explored other possibilities yet.
- I also didn't really understand why the ranged guy had circles on his range.
This is made to communicate the fire range to the player. Most of the people who tried it could not figure out why artillery doesn't attack units directly next to it. Perhaps this could be done in a more subtle way...
- Also, could I move through some units but not others?
One can move past own units, but get blocked by the enemy units.
- The levels were also not labeled so I didn't really know what was going on there.
I am not working on the campaign yet - still experimenting with the mechanics.
I think the strike back is really a balance decision. Fire Emblem strikes back and other games do as well. I personally think it adds more depth to strategy if you do include striking back, especially with units of different ranges.
I personally thought that not having strike back actually increases range of outcomes and gives more impact to your actions. Surprisingly, most of the people I asked prefer to have it. I also got some feedback from players unfamiliar with the genre who suggests that fighting back is more natural and expected. It is certainly something to try out for me now.
Again, thank you for your valuable suggestions.
Developer
