More Low-Poly Scenes

It has been a blast making the low-poly scene I posted last week. And I've throw myself at it again this weekend. These are what I have for show:

Pine Forest

Desert

Canyon

Jungle

The first scene is very much a remake of what I have last week, using the improved, remake asset. The rest are new obviously new. I've spent a great deal of time working out how to do the rock and cliff. The result speak for themselves! Or so I think. 

Anyway, it's been a tremendous fun working on this. I can barely contain myself with excitement looking at how things turn out. Can't wait for next weekend to see what else I can come up.

Low-Poly Scene

Took the day off to try my hand on something new, just for a change of pace. This is what I manage to come up with:

So yes it's my feeble attempt to create a low poly scene. I create all the asset myself and that took most of my day. Obviously there are still a lot of room for improvement. It's my first attempt after all. But consider the amount of time I've spent, I'm pretty pleased with the end result. Maybe a camp fire would have add a lot more to the scene. The best thing is, I tried adding my modular unit asset to the mixed and they fit in perfectly (imo anyway)!

At any rate, I look forward to spend more time on this and see what else I can come out with. Maybe this will become my weekend project.

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.

Ancient Frontier

So this is a project that I've had the privilege of working on, and hopefully still be working on it until the release, Ancient Frontier. Taken straight from the official description, "Ancient Frontier is a cinematic turn-based strategy PC game with RPG elements set in the far future. You command the fleet with combat inspired by games like XCOM, Master of Orion or Age of Wonders. Players will explore, conquer, pillage, or liberate the frontiers of space. Take control of massive fleets of capital ships and support craft as you play through multiple campaigns."

It's not my project obviously. I'm just working on it on a free-lance basis, coding and giving some input to the design. Anyway that's beside the point, I'm making this post to let you know that the studio has just started a kick-starter campaign for the project. Please check it out and pledge some support if you like what you see. 

Link - https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/81834518/ancient-frontier

Thanks for reading!

Element TD free is out!

I didn't notice that it's been 4 months since I last posted something. So if you have been reading these regularly, no I haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I've been working very hard on MechCorp but I will take about it in another post. For this post, as the title suggested, ElementTD free version is out! Apparently we have a video:

The free version is similar to the full version in term of content. But there are features that are locked behind pay wall. But you can still play the full game in it's standard mode anyway. I apologize in advance for the ads but I'm sure you understand the team has to monetize this, somehow.

Anyway following are the links, please download and rate! Your support is much appreciated!

Android - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.SongGameDev.EleTDFree&hl=en

iOS - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/element-td-free/id1158693529?mt=8

Now more screenshots to get you intrigued.

Now released: Element TD!!

I never talk about this publicly but I've been working on this for quite some time. In case you don't know, Element Tower-Defense is one of the custom mod originated from Warcraft-III. It was very popular during the warcraft days and it still is, having being ported to Starcraft-II and Dota-II.

I've been contacted by the game creator some time ago to work on the mobile version on a collaboration basis. Obviously the game only existed as 3rd party mod for other game prior to this, so the prior team have very little experience making a full fledged stand alone game with other engine. And this is where I came in. For a long time I was the sole Unity developer/coder on the small team, which consists of two coder (one came in at a later stage of the project), an artists, two designers/testers. Since we can't use anything in previous version we have to build everything from scratch.

A glimpse of the towers

The development process is very challenging to say the least, we are trying to port a game that is originally designed to be played on medium/high-end pc to mobile device. To put things into perspective, the game has 30+ unique tower with unique abilities (some are beyond wacky and have crazy visual). Player could potentially build 50+ towers on the map. Not to mention the packs of fast moving creeps. It's a monumental task alone to make sure the game run smoothly on mobile device, let alone taking consideration of control scheme and UI. Which need to accommodate game usability and all its intricate mechanic. Needless to say, I've personally put a hell lot of effort into this, despite it being a part-time project.

Anyway, it's done. Personally, I think there are still some rough edges and certain lots of room to improve. The team do plan to keep working on this. Adding more polishes, more features and contents, etc. It will be interesting to see where will this takes us.

If you are interested, it's on google play store right now and coming to other platform soon. Feel free to give it a go - https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.SongGameDev.EleTD       :)

Edit: iOS version is out - https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/element-td/id1130157487?mt=8

You might recognize this. It's the map layout from the original warcraft mod

This is a new map layout though

It's the 5th Annivesary!

There has been a negligence on this blog for the past few months I admit. Not for the first time too I think. I was too caught up with other stuff. I've been keeping myself busy since the January to do some major update to all my AssetStore packs. TDTK, TBTK and TDSTK has all becoming a massive framework to maintain in each of their own right. Then I've took a much needed break to binge on some games. Before I know it, April had come and gone. Some game just kill time like not one else business. I'm looking at you, dragon age inquisition.

Anyway, I was just reminded that today is the 5 years old birthday for this little blog of mine. It also means that it has been 5 years I've been trying working as independent game developer. Well I should clarify that there are 2 things that are not true in the previous sentence. First, technically I've been working, not just trying. Second, I'm not really an independent game developer, am I? Well not until I release my own game anyway. Software/toolkit (as comprehensive as they are) doesn't count, even all of them are game related.

Truth is, I'm been trying to concentrate on getting a game done. It's very hard. But not for the usual reason why making game is hard as many other source would have you believe. This is going to make me sound a bit like an a** but bear with me. I want a game that any core gamer look at and go, 'well that is something I would gladly play'. Not some casual mobile or web game. I want to make something that I myself would be enjoy playing. Something someone would happily sit down in front of a pc and spend some quality hours with it. 

For that reason, it's been very hard to actually come out with something that I myself would approve. It's not secret that I've been working on MechCorp. I have come up with countless iteration of build, and scrap the lot of them because they doesn't make it past my own play test. In a nutshell, it's very difficult to come out with a fun, balance design that full fill all the criteria I'm looking for. With that said, I've gone back to the drawing board with the general design of MechCorp and currently rebuild it again, for the N-th time. At least I have a good feeling about this one, more so than all the previous iteration. I like to think this is the culmination of all the previous effort so they are not in vain. I've given myself two months (that end of June) to bring it up to an early alpha state. Then hopefully this time next year, I would have a playable game on my hand. Finger cross...

Now I should say that I've been very lucky to been the position I've been. Not many people have the luxury to do what I'm trying to do, with the way I'm doing it. Not to undermine the work I've put into it but I've been very fortunate to have stumble on UnityAssetStore when I do. Along with some freelance work, they has given me the most of the funding I require to do what I do. If you are wondering, no they not making me millions. Just enough for me to live on moderate life style. On that note, I'm not rich by any mean and I make laughable amount of money compare to many. But I'm just glad to do things I enjoy so I'm quite content with that. After all, I'm my own boss, I'm free to work however I like, and I'll take that freedom over any high paid job.

I suppose this is the time where I reflect on my experience and spur out some advise for being an indie game-dev or some deep philosophical stuff about life and universe. Unfortunately I'm not going to do that, as much as I enjoy lecturing people on life and universe like the old man I'm. I have a game to work on and that's exactly what I'm going to do.

Until next time. (Probably months later at the rate I'm updating this blog)