MechCorp v1.2.0 (More Content)

Remember when I talk about taking a break from MechCorp in my last post? Well I kind of lied. I change my mind a few days after the post. In my defense, I did have 2 weeks break prior to that post. Now remember when I talk about doing a major update with MechCorp in the last post? Well I'm here to make good of that talk. Behold, MechCorp 1.2.0, is now live on steam. Thanks for all the groundwork I've been laying down since the first release, this had taken a lot less time than I anticipated.

In this 'major' update, I have added a bunch of optional game modes. They are like the 'second wave' options in X-Com: enemies unknown, a set of rules and modifier that can be turned on to change the base game. Some of them change the game in a dramatic fashion. Just for a taste, here are some of them:

• Red Fog: Unit will suffer attack and defend penalty in proportional to damage sustained
• Long Voyage: Resupply between contracts has been disabled
• High Stake: Unit destroyed in a battle cannot be salvaged

Other new additions in this update include more crew perks but I'm not going to spoil them. You will just have to play the game to discover them. And of course there are fixes and small changes here and there based on the feedback I've been given. Finally, and probably not as important as the game itself, cloud saving is now being supported.

That is all for now. The next thing in the pipeline will be Grid Defense.

Updates and Coming soon

It has been a little more than 2 months since MechCorp is released.  The game wasn't a runaway success like I anticipated, which is annoying. And the 2 or 3 negative reviews that I've got is puzzling, to say the least. At least the rest of positive reviews still make sense to me, but I do expect there's more of them...

Joke aside, I'm happy about the way things have turned out. True, the sale is not what I would have called great but it could have been way worse. Besides, most people do seems to enjoy it. That's is good enough for me. Not going to lie, I braced myself for the worst case scenario before release. And trust me, the fear and anxiety that caused, you don't want to know.

The first month following the release of MechCorp has been very hectic. I spent day and night fixing bugs and making changes based on the feedback I've received. Not going to lie, releasing a game is extremely stressful, exhausting and exhilarating at the same time. But I'm very pleased to say that the game is now almost bug-free and a lot of better than its initial release.

I still have plans for MechCorp. A major update maybe, adding in more game mode. Something like the second wave option in X-Com. But for now. I need to take a break from the project, to clear my mind.

Which bring me to this, a prettified SpecDefense. I've been spending some very enjoyable time building various environment set for the levels. It's very therapeutic to see those simple models and color combination forms a pretty scene. Now that they are almost done, I've decided that I will get it on steam. I've even got the steam page ready at this point - https://store.steampowered.com/app/956210/. So go on and add it to your wish-list. It will be released later this month.

MechCorp has been released on Steam!

After months and months of work, a few years in fact, it has finally come to this. I'm so proud to announce that the little project that I've been working on is now available to the public.

It feels like finally releasing a child into the wild, after having it under your care after a long time. I can only hope it fair well in the harsh harsh world. As I'm waiting for what happen next, it's exciting and excruciating nerve wrecking at the same time. Knowing that it could fall flat on it's face. All those effort in vain. Finger crossed...

I know the work is not done. There's probably bug fixes and update that I need to work on. But it's huge weight off my shoulder. After so many rework and delay, to say that the thought of not being able to finish has never cross my mind would be a lie. But at least I won't ever have to worry about that again. 

Whatever happen now, I'm going to try get some down time, play some game. Gosh I so want a holiday.

If you are interested in funding my holiday - https://store.steampowered.com/app/838180/MechCorp/

MechCorp has got a steam page. And trailer!

The steam page for MechCorp is finally up - https://store.steampowered.com/app/838180/MechCorp/. And I've got a trailer to show with it.

This means the game is almost ready. I hope this also explains the fact that I haven't been making any major update or posting for a good few month. I've been concentrating my effort on MechCorp. Spent a great deal of time working on the writing and presentation. Things seem to be coming along nicely. I can almost see the end of the tunnel now.

Also, I've made the trailer above myself! I'm not sure how the public will perceive it but I think it's pretty good for someone who haven't got a clue when it comes to recording and editing. I'm damn proud of it if I'm honest. Please watch it and let me know what you think. I would love to know.

MechCorp has been Greenlit!

It has finally happened! The little game that I've been working on has been Greenlit! As cliche as it sound, I like to thanks those who has given their support to make this happen. You have my eternal gratitude!

Now the work begins to push it over the finish line. I can't wait!

MechCorp, Now on Steam Greenlight

Clicking this will take you to the steam page

This has been coming for a long time. But it's finally happen now. MechCorp is now live on Steam Greenlight. I've been dread this moment since it feels like throwing all my precious work into a pit of great unknown. At the same time, It's so exciting to see how it will unfold. I'm going to keep my finger cross and pray a lot.

Here's the complimentary media piece that comes with a major news release, in the form of a full gameplay video

The game is not complete yet of course. It's still missing content, specifically a main plot. And the gameplay balance is still need tweaking. But for the first time since the start of development I think I've got a rather solid core gameplay and mechanic. So much so that I'm confident that I'm not going to make any more major change. That's why I think it's time to put it on greenlight.

That said, there are still a lot of work left to be done. I'll probably still need to spend quite a few months on it. But it would be nice if it can be green-lit and given a place on Steam before the actual game is done. It would also be very nice to see what are the general response to it.

Anyway, enough rambling. The whole point of this post is to ask for your support. So if you are still reading. Please go vote for it. Here's the link again:

A million thanks in advance!

MechCorp Battle Gameplay Video

Finally, I'm back at work after a rather long break. It's why there hasn't been any post for the past one month.

Before the break, I talked about posting a gameplay video. Seeing the game is almost ready to be shown, I took the time this week to record a full battle and here it's. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to let me know what you think about it.

MechCorp Update (20th January 2017)

I've said I'm going to do a gameplay video in my last post. Well I'm afraid that is not going to happen. I've decided to delay things a bit until its more ready rather than rush it. Consider that I'm going to take some time off starting new week, I'm not sure when is that going to happen. But you never know, there's a chance I'll just do one out of the blue.

While there are no video, I do have some screen shots of the battle scene with the new environment. Enjoy!

MechCorp Update (11th January 2017)

Happy new year!

It's time for another development update for MechCorp. I'm now at the stage of getting ready for Steam Greenlight. So what I've done since the last update is a lot of polishing now most of the core component is now in place. Thing like UI and presentation has been given a lot of attention. The AI has also gone through a big overhaul with AI unit now using abilities. Most visual and sound effect has been put in as well. It almost feels like it's ready for release, except that there are still a lot more work needed to be done. Game balance is still off the wack, performance optimization are needed, more content need to be added, etc.

One surprise addition is that I've decided to make use of the low-poly scenery asset I've made over the last few posts to build the environment for the battle scene. I know it's not changing how the game play in anyway but visually this has given a game a big boost. It's making a huge difference in my opinion. Surprising the low-poly (and stylized) asset do goes really well with the existing setting. These are some of the settings I've for now. Keep in mind that it's still a work in progress.

Not going to lie, I feel pretty good about the project at the moment. I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel now. I can't wait to get it done and get it release. That said, I plan to do a game-play video showcasing the game in very near future. Probably next week or the week after.

MechCorp Update (7th November 2016)

I'm very surprise to find out that it's more than a year since the last MechCorp update. While I have occasionally took breaks to work on other stuff, I promise that I have not for one moment try to stop working on the project.

So what progress I have made since the last update? In a way, lots. But I have also taken a few steps back. The truth is I went back to the drawing board again, and done a bunch of redesign, for the n time. I have almost rebuild the whole game from sketch this time. But I believe all the changes has make the game a lot more better. 

First off, the battle system. I have ditched the directional attacking and replacing it with a shield system. Each unit now have hull and shield. Basically the shield must go before the hull can suffer damage. Naturally a unit can only be destroyed when the hull is depleted. Now each attack (based on ability or weapon) deal different damage to hull and shield. The strategy is to use the optimum attack to maximize the damage.

Another big change comes in the form of crew system. I have ditched the clunky pilot system. The new system is more intuitive and offers more strategic option. Without giving too much away it's a bit like a card system where you can put the card in different slot to gain different bonus.

Finally, the the starmap. It's now a free-roam mode with fog-of-war. Meaning the player is free to travel to anytime anywhere on the starmap. To make things more alive, I have throw in moving AI party that goes about on their business. It's still a wip this. The goal is to allow exploration, which can leads to finding treasure, or surprise attack by hostile AI party. These also allow more dynamic quest event that require more player interaction.

To sum it up, Each system is more closely integrated with each other. It certainly feel like a much better design game.

Sadly I don't have any interesting screen-shot to go with this post except the two (never shown before) mechs on top of this post. Well, guess I'll just post the ninth thousand iteration of the mech configuration screen.

Note to self: get someone to draw me some pretty artwork that I can post.

MechCorp Update (9th October 2015)

Before I start a wall of text, I've uploaded an alpha build. So if you are interested or have time on your hand, please give it a go. I will gladly accept any feedback. So here you go:

>> MechCorp Alpha Download Link <<

If you need some fancy stuff to convince you, take a look at this:

Now we got that out of the way, so what's new in this update. Well, as usual, a couple of a big change and a series of small tweaks, which feels like a lot to be honest.

For a start, a new contract system has been added. These contract will act as the objective in each section. The player complete a contract in one section, then move on to other section to pursue the next contract. The contract varies, some have multiple stages and objective and some are very straight-forward. The spice things up a bit, each of the contract has a set time. The contract is considered failed if it's not completed in time. This should give the player the dilemma to rush or to give the squad time to recover after each battle.

Then there's the new system where player can assembly their own mech, provided they have the blue print for the mech. The blue print can only be obtain via random encounter through exploration.  Building new mech will also require parts, which can be collected from various source. So instead of purchasing new mech from the shop at a cut throat price, there's another alternative.

Repair system has been changed as well. The player can choose to repair damaged mech at any time for a fee. However it takes time to do the repair and mechs going through repair cannot be deployed for battle.

Other than that, the main UI flow has been overhaul some what, to give the player more sense of traveling to another location and make a stop. Each location has random job listing, which are basically one off battle player can choose to engage in for various reward. Finally, player can now dock in station for a fee to past the time. This serve as a way to rest the crew to boost morale as well as waiting for the mechs to be repaired.

So basically these are the major changes. Now if you haven't give the demo a go. Do it now!  :)

MechCorp Update (27th August 2015)

It's update time again. In fact it has long overdue. Good thing that I've actually got quite a lot of stuff done. The game is approaching its beta state at this point

So, the most notable different between the last update is the visual. I have overhauled almost all of the UI. You will notice in the screen shot I have got custom produced asset now instead of placeholder. The star-map have been enhanced with some really cool parallax effect. Everything has been made to be more interactive in general. The difference is dramatic I have to say.

Moving away from visual, the most important stuff is I've made quite some change to the game itself. Apart from the existing resource that the player need to manage, a morale system has been added. The morale would affect how the units perform in a battle. They would have some impact outside the battle. Let just say it's not a good idea keeping the morale of the crew low. Of course the morale is affected by how well the squad is doing on a whole.

Then there's combat. A new flanking system is added so that unit's facing is taking into consideration in an attack. Attacking a unit from the rear will grant a bonus. So it's a good idea for the player to try to flank the opponent while keeping their own back covered. This is to give the battle another layer of tactical depth. There's actual reason now to try to move the unit around other than just getting them into attacking range.

To compliment the new system, a considerable amount of work has been put into AI. The AI will take advantage of the flanking. Some AI unit will actively try to flank the player while some will be very defensive. All in all, it makes for a more dynamic combat.

 

So I guess that's all the update I have for now, unless I talk about the less exciting stuff such as save system, or goes into detail explaining all the tiny detail and polish. So until next time.

MechCorp Update (11th March 2015) - Colors!

Feels like ages since I last post something. But this time I'm back with many cool update about MechCorp. Most importantly, there are eyes-candy.

First, more customization option for the mechs. By which I mean the colors on the mechs. They no longer stay grey. And also there are skins. Well there's only one for now. I'll see if I can put more in later.

Then there's the combat. Thing has been spiced up a bit by the addition of randomly placed obstacles on the grid. This should make line-of-fire a more prominent role in the game and making the game more tactical.

These two are the obvious visible changes since the last update but they are not all. There have been other progress as well. A simple plot has been added, giving the overall progress of the game more context. The pacing of the game has also been re-structured around that. So the game now has a clear objective in which the player needs to work toward with certain sense of urgency.

To put it bluntly, all is well at this point. I'm pretty pleased with the progress and how the game is shaping up.

MechCorp Update (4th February 2015)

A little gameplay footage, I didnt record the sound unfortunately

It feels like it has been an eternity since I last posted. I've been hiding in the mountains working on MechCorp and I've done an awful lot since. I think.

So I've ported MechCorp from to Unity4.6, rebuilding the UI from NGUI to uGUI, update the TBTK component from the older version to version2. In the process, I've done a major restructuring to the coding. I've also done some redesign to some major component the gameplay. It's quite an operation to say the least. And I'm quite glad I manage to get it done within 2 months. Considering I've manage to take the project past the point where it were before the update. The only 'but' is the new build hasn't got a save system like before. I figure that can wait.

The new gameplay offer more stuff to do and more reasons to explore the world. I feel like it should give a tighter experience. Basically all the major component is done at this point. There might still be room for one or two features that I really want to try but that's my feature creep sneaking in. I should be able to just focus on building content and it wouldn't be straying too far from my original vision.

By the way, I would like to have someone playing it and give me some feedback. So if you are interested in trying it out. Please let me know and I'll be happy to send you a demo.

MechCorp v0.2 (Early Alpha)

It's good to be back working at MechCorp. I've been working on other stuff *cough* AssetStore *cough* for way too long. The good news is, I've managed to get it working to a reasonably playable state before I got distracted, with most of the core aspects of the game working. In fact, I think it's that good that I've decided to share with the world about what I've done, and gather some feedback if there's any. So I proudly present:

MechCorp v0.2 alpha

>> unity webplayer <<

>> download standalone <<

This is pretty much the first playable build demo I released. Well, technically second, since I once made public a prototype build. On a hind sight, that was simply too imature to be consider a working game. So let's just ignore that.

As an alpha build, of course nothing in the build is finalized. A little bit of technical info, it's build with Unity4.3, with TBTK as the backbone for the battle scene, and NGUI for the UI. Now with the new Unity4.6 is out, and combine with the fact that I've rewrote TBTK2 (which is better than its previous incarnation in almost every single way), I'm tempted to port it to the new engine. And while doing that, I might redesign the map exploration and event encounter aspect of the game. Somehow I feel the current execution falls short of my expectation. It's simply not very engaging to me.

On the other hand, I'm quite happy at how the combat and to a certain extent, the mech customization system turns out. But I was hoping to hear other opinion about that. So any comments or feedbacks are much appreciated.

Screenshots from current version:

Mech Configuration

Squad Screen

Battle!

Exploration and loots

Shop

Tech Upgrades

MechCorp Update (28th April 2014) - Tactics

This is a milestone and I've been wanting to make this post. Let me just start by saying the project has comes along way, after many iteration of UI design and mechanic change. The game is finally at its alpha state, looking like.. a game.

Obviously the core concept doesn't change. It's still very FTL-ish, with squad based tactics and progression a la XCom. What I've done in the past 2 months is establish the base premises of the game and redesign the UI to match that game. My take? Game design and UI design are tough!

Anyway, given what I've done so far, I like to talk about the tactical aspect of the squad. It's by far, the most demanding elements of the gameplay in term of design.

From the get go, I wanted a fast pace turn based battle, as opposed to XCom where you really have to take time to decide a move. For that, the emphasise should be less about the player decision on the field but to the composition of the squad and the general tactical layout before the battle. So the grid which the battle take place has been simplified and shrunk greatly. There's no cover system and fog-of-war. It's all about the hostile unit composition and how best to minimize the their damage output while maximize ours.

There's damage type to consider, energy weapon deals energy damage will be absorb by shield. Ordinance based weapons deal kinetic damage that by-pass shield and damage the hull directly, but they have limited ammunition. Shield will recharged over each round so wearing down the shield doesn't make any difference unless you get to the hull.

Then we have the mech's class. There are 3 type of mechs: Assault, Support and Tactical. In a nutshell, their are tank, healer and dps. Assault mech has active shield system and is more capable of soaking up damage. Support mech can repair friendly unit and provide buff/debuff. Tactical mech, while less armoured and has low mobility, is capable of dealing aoe damage from long range. Each mech class has a signature ability or two which reflect their tactical role. For instance, assault mech can detonate a EM blast that damage all surrounding unit with a chance to cripple them for a round. Support mech can link up it's targeting with adjacent friendly unit, granting a bonus in attack.

And there's mech modification. Each mechs can be fitted with different modules to boost certain stats. Defensive modules to offer more protection for Tactical mech, offensive modules to boost a support mech fire power, etc. There's even a chance that you can add extra ability to a mech by using modules. An assault mech that can repair itself maybe?!

Well I think there's a lot about setting up a squad that can handle various enemy/situation in a battle imo. Hopefully that plays well in game. I'll probably talk about some other aspect about the game in another post.

MechCorp Update (Scrapped Progress)

It's really has been a while since I last posted. I've been working almost exclusively on MechCorp and I'm trying to keep it close to my chest until I feel it's in a more polished state. For now, I'll just show some stuff that I've tried but doesn't work out.

Basically there are two major gameplay phase in MechCorp. The exploration and adventure phase and the battle phase. When it comes to the battle, I've tried to go for a more dramatic feel a la XCom style, with fog-of-war and very tight action cam sequence through out. So a complete new ActionCam system was developed. It auto-centers on the selected unit, tracks units movement, highlight the spotted hostile unit, rotate and zoom in on attack instance, all in a very smooth and stylised manner. You can see the dynamic camera in action in the video below. Please excuse the jerky frame rate, the video was recorded only a rather crappy machine.

Also to accommodate the fog-of-war gameplay, I've readjusted the grid size and more significantly, change the grid to hex-based. A set of new abilities designed around tactical play for fog-of-war was also added.

The battle scene play rather well on its own, unfortunately when put together with the exploration phase, it just doesn't cut it. It works alright, but it lacks the tight, fast-paced, streamlined feel I'm trying to do for the game. And some how the battle felt disconnected from the rest of the game. So I can only do the reasonable thing that is to scrap the whole thing and try for a different approach.

The good thing is not everything has to be done from ground up. There are lots of progress that has been made and kept. The UI has been massively overhaul and redesigned as well as some of the core design. But all this is another post which I might do later this week.

MechCorp Asset Update (24th March 2014)

I know my update has been slow lately. Been trying to work on MechCrop as much as I can, while keeping up with the support and update of TDTK and TBTK. It doesn't help that I got sick for a few days. 

MechCorp has taken quite a leap. I've give the most of the game element a lot of thoughts and redesign, mech customisation, combat system, UI, etc... I thought I've done a lot but there's still so much more to do. I guess I will talk about it when everything has come together. Anyway here's some new mechs and weapons model.

MechCorp Asset Update (7th March 2014)

Textured the mechs for MechCrop. I'll just let the image do the talking...

Asset Update for MechCrop

Finally got the first batch of light mech model textured. Pretty good I say, with thanks to Tommy Wong, a totally awesome and talented guy who actually done all the hard work UV map and texturing it. Do check out his port-folio at cg-hub, there's some amazing work there.

It's been a slow week due to the fact that I've been distracted by other paid gig. But I'm steadily making progress. Currently I'm in the process of nailing down the mech modification system. After which I'll be moving on to the pilot's leveling and perk system. Overall, still a long long way to go...