Howdy interwebs!
I have no idea how long the paper prototyping phase is going to last, so I'm going to stop making additional parts to this episode. I have been able to learn a bit more about the game through the last two play throughs at UVic gamedev have given me a few ideas on how to simplify and improve the game and have also led to the first written changes to the rules.
Version 1 was imbalanced. Horribly. This isn't really a surprise as the original balance sheet was forgotten on my way out the door, so I had to throw a new one together before the first play throughs and I just kept using it. But now that I have recovered the original stats and have some data to compare them with I've made a couple changes. (Yay my first patch notes ever!!):
- Infantry orders have been restructured because they were enormously complicated.
- Raiders have had their HP slashed by 25% and their blade attack reduced by more than 50%. I hope they will no longer be stupidly overpowered.
- Archers have had their attack increased and their range doubled. This does mean that they can hit the entire test board at the start, but in game maps, which will be much larger, this should be less of an issue.
- Cavalry will no longer have attacks of opportunity against each other. OOPs are just an infantry thing for now.
- Archer's attack rules will be changed so that they all work the way "attack next" worked.
That's the gist of it. But there's something else I discovered in the prototype: I have accidentally created a foo strategy. What di I just say? Well, that might take a little explanation.
In every game with a multiplayer component, it is easy for newcomers to be overwhelmed by the complexity of the game at first. Often strategies will become popular with these groups which have a high ratio of power to effort/skill required. We've all come across foo strategies: the zerg rush, the noob tube, immediately grabbing the centre square in tic-tac-toe. Often these strategies can be countered by an experienced opponent and will fail if the newcomer is not able to adapt, but because the strategy exists, they can latch on to it and use it as a crutch while they learn the nuances of the game.
In stratagem, at the start of each order evaluation cycle, the first order will be executed before there has been any change on the board, giving it a 100% chance to hit. Cavalry (especially knights) can devastate a unit if they manage to hit them, often killing them in one shot. Their range also allows them to hit most units on the board. So on alternating rounds, each player has the chance to choose one enemy unit and easily destroy it. Thus far, this strategy has been a bit too powerful as the raider unit was overpowered. But with this fixed, I'm hoping that the first order cavalry snipe can become a manageable foo strategy for the time being.
Lastly, the prototype accomplished its most important goal: to find out if the game was fun.
It was.
So I'm moving ahead with development. I need to review my planned server architecture before I start coding, but I think I'm ready to start making a basic engine prototype.
Tata for now. I'd love to say more, but I have to go retrieve some laundry from the dryer. Such is life.
Au revoir.
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