It’s been a long while since I updated this so I figure I’ll do just that. The Multiplayer has been implemented for the most part and I have moved onto working on the Single Player/Campaign mode. So what are some features I’ve worked on since last time?
- I’ve refined the Predictive aiming. AA-Missile Turrets now turn in the direction of the incoming missiles and fire.
- Added Rotational movement for Gun Turrets as well for firing mechs when they land.
- Mech Soldiers can now defend the base from enemy Mechs.
- With the addition of the Campaign Mode, there is also currently 5 missions. My plan is to have around 25. Every 5th mission being a harder boss stage.
- A Save/Load Progress mechanic has been added. Auto saves if latest mission is completed.
- Have a workable Computer AI Logic on how they launch missiles and mechs. I will probably altar the logic a bit for each enemy commander you fight against from easiest to hardest to create more nuances.
- Player and Computer can now rebuild back Mechs. player can also rebuild back from tagged buildings via shortcuts.
- Added a way to add pre-built buildings. This is mainly for the campaign mode where the player/computer starts off with buildings.
- Computer AI can build buildings based on its current warfunds and on an initial preview I setup in the Unity Editor. So basically, it won’t randomly build anywhere where it doesn’t make sense.
- Fiddled around with the Menu/UI for better navigation.
- Can now bulldoze and clean destroyed areas for a small warfund cost. Also cannot build on destroyed areas from missiles.
- Computer also follows the same logic of clearing destroyed areas before building.
- Further updated Fog of War and how it displays revealed things like destroyed territories/buildings..etc.
- Lots of bug fixes and probably other features I’m forgetting to add here.
So I would say the majority of major implementations have been added to the game so far. The only other feature that is missing at the moment is an upgrade system. I’m still thinking about how to go about this but I do have some ideas. At the moment, missiles shot at a destinations will destroy a patch in a 3×3 Area. But I do plan to change this. Perhaps start where the missile only destroys 1 tile until upgraded. Choose an upgrade where it destroys in a + or x shape maybe? the final upgrade will be the 3×3 I think. it will be similar to an old NES battleship game I played before where you can shoot special missiles. I also need to think about a mech upgrade system.
So Game Development isn’t all about coding. There’s so much time that also goes into thinking about mechanics and stuff. Also, researching and reading up on reviews that this game is based off of takes time. Like reading Metal Marines reviews and what people have been critical of and their thoughts. I want to build a better and more improved version of it so I want to cover the downsides of the predecessor. Also, another reason I started this project was because the PC version I remember so fondly is nearly unplayable currently. Either I need a virtual machine or I have to play on the browser from this abandonware website where the controls are simply too clunky to enjoy. And that’s where my initial motivation came from. This isn’t supposed to be a huge game/project was my initial thought as the mechanics looked simple enough, but as I started building… Game Development is just a grueling process as a Solo Developer due to all the intricacies.
And then I have the art assets which I need to improve on. I have to work on animations soon for missile trails and explosions. Mech Soldier turning directions/shooting etc. Buildings in progress of building and when destroyed.
Well… time to go back to the grind and hope to have major advancements soon!