First Tactics Game/Fangame

Project complete! If I do anymore updates on it, I’ll post here and on itch.io

holotactics on itch.io

Project for DK30 FALL 2021-

Holotactics is a programed-from-scratch (in game maker studio) project to create a tactics game engine using hololive assets. Original goal was a free, but complete game in a 30 day time frame. While mostly successful, it did fall short in several ways:

-uncommon AI pathfinding bug that teleports enemies to spaces they normally couldn’t reach (cause identified as open node that cannot be reached due to impassable objects)

-Even when working as expected though, the AI is pretty dumb

-rare crashes immediately after room changes

-no sound or music implemented

-not fully playtested to completion in regards to difficulty curve

Game Successes:

Multiple characters and enemies that can fight, level up, and travel to between maps using a grid-based, turn-based system. A complete campaign with 7 levels, Title, and End Game screens. Individual character abilities and a combat circle for advantages and disadvantages between different units.

All original weekly goals were in fact met except for the music one. Though looking back now, it’d probably be more appropriate to call those goals leading up to something more like a tech demo than a game. So by my standards, I think it may fall a bit short as a game, but it did do pretty much everything I wanted and more as a project.

I do hope to continue work on the game engine at least, if not necessarily the setting. Having a setting I didn’t have to think too much about though did help keep me on track to actually see the project through to the end. On the other hand, I’d also like to take the knowledge gained in this project and switch to a newer engine that can export to HTML5 for online play if possible.

I feel like this project is something I should have been able to do in two weeks, but couldn’t bring myself to actually dedicate that much time to it. I didn’t plan out nearly enough time for all the tedious work of setting up the graphics assets and creating the level rooms plus playtesting, and as a result I ended up with some remaining AI problems that I didn’t have time to address. Overall though I’m glad I got a significant amount of what I wanted to done and enough that it could be presented to others. Typically i end up with very abstract looking programming practices when I force myself to just do something but don’t have enough direction for myself in regards to theme or art. In that regard, I consider this project a pleasant success.

7 levels laid out, title screen done, victory screen done, saving character variables between scene transitions done

todo list for last day (tomorrow): implement leveling system, fill maps with enemies, beat the game at least once

I tried to include a video but for some reason the website will not display it. it can be downloaded and played, but not embedded and I have no idea why.

-Additional Enemies implemented

-Additional Terrain implemented

-“End Player Turn” function implemented (to end all remaining player characters’ turns simultaneously)

-Consolidated all right-click-confirmations to left-click (was a holdover from the tutorial)

-Removed multi-action system (D&D style) for regular move + action system

-Removed xcom-like node coloring scheme for a “shade everything you can’t interact with” scheme

Moved the planned ability system overhaul to post-DK30 plans as it was more than the scope of the project really needed. Spent the time instead working on improved UI elements and cleaning up the exisiting ability system code and various draw events.

Since we’re rapidly approaching the end of DK30, the remaining tasks are being trimmed down to: Title Screen, 8 Levels, minimal cutscene implementation, victory screen, functioning leveling system, 2 additional enemies, 2 additional terrain types, and a congratulations screen. A whole lot to do, and not much time to do it in, but most of the biggest bugs and code problems have already been worked out so it shouldn’t be impossible!

Remade the automatic initiative system into a team-turn system (all your characters move in one turn and you can select them in any order). Many soul-crushing bugs appeared and it took me a couple days to recover and re-tackle the problem. Finally crushed the last bug (related to this system at least) tonight.

probably going to to tackle the custom actions code tomorrow

Week 3: Revised goals met! 6 characters available, animation framework in place for melee and ranged basic attacks, updated sprites across the board (many not pictured yet). Will have a lot to work towards in week 4. Enemy AI bugs need fixing, and while doing that I plan to clean up some more code to make inserting new sprites, abilities, etc much cleaner. Will post this video on the hololive reddit to see if I can find a sprite artist who can make better hololive sprites, otherwise I’ll just remake what I have near the end of week 4. Then I’ll just need a menu screen, character level ups, and a short campaign (shooting for 8 levels) by end of week 4.

Generic gamedev graphical assets purchased previously ended up not being too useful. Started cleaning up the ones I can use, and creating very simple graphics and animations for what remains. On the bright side, my asset packs are now well organized for my next project (whatever it may be).

Might have to cutdown the scope a little, especially in terms of playable characters. Music and sound assets were great though, can definitely use those. Will consider week 3 a success if I can get graphics for 6 unique characters (including props) done and ready for animation coding for the final week.

Organized my gamedev sprite packs to in preparation of picking out some character and icon graphics. Started sorting through code to find redundancies to combine and extraneous code to trim

Week 2: all goals met! Engine is done and enemy has (very rudimentary) AI for moving and attacking. Levels end when one side is wiped out, and new levels load with transitions. Next week will try to organize the code more cleanly (while sorting out bugs, like the healing ability >.> ), and start personalizing graphics, abilities, and possibly story(?)

Unit stats and damage system implemented. Ability UI buttons implemented. Finished tutorial on multi-targeting and AoE damage/healing abilities. Started personalizing and cleaning up tutorial code for my specific use.

Still need unit destruction, victory/loss conditions, and also decided to add in buffs/debuffs (including turn timers) to “to do” list. Hope to implement by end of week (tomorrow)

Finished week one, met all goals: Have units that can path find on a grid.

Switched to Game Maker Studio for engine. Grid is working, pathfinding next

got in 3 more hours of tutorials, figured out the basic structure of my pathfinding grid programing

Chose an Engine (Construct 3) and did 3 hours worth of tutorials to familiarize myself with the system