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Games *Massive progress update* Fort Triumph - fantasy XCOM

Discussion in 'Works In Progress - Archive' started by Ehnn, Feb 10, 2015.

  1. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    20/4/2017 Edit: **Massive** update this time -

    Kickstarter!
    https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/forttriumph/fort-triumph-tactical-rpg

    We just launched and it's progressing great. 5% in the first 4 hours

    There are so many new images and texts, not going to update the relevant materials here. You can see them on the KS page :) I think they're pretty awesome

    Please support us. Happy to answer any questions anyone has




    (previous edits)
    Edit: We're on greenlight! You can see a lot of updated videos and images there
    http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=731893430

    Fort Triumph is like fantasy XCOM, with very dynamic environments. It's inspired by XCOM and Heroes

    Video, screenshots and the playable build available below. Would love to hear any and all feedback, much appreciated and necessary



    We wanted to recreate the amazing tactical gameplay from our favorite tactics games, and adds ideas that improve on it. Battle in dynamic environments, analyze your situation and outsmart your enemies again overwhelming odds using only your wits.

    What we intend to do with Fort Triumph
    - XCOM in a fantasy setting
    - Dynamic environments. Knock down pillars, collapse walls, burn trees, push enemies
    - Deep tactical gameplay encouraging smart plays and thinking outside the box
    - Campaign with several characters
    - Multiple environments. Battle in Forests, Castles, Ancient Ruins, Villages, Dungeons, Caves and more
    - Unique art style
    - Deep strategic layer influencing and being influenced by tactical missions
    - A variety of characters with different abilities, and a leveling system making them more powerful and unique











    Animated gifs



    And the playable build
    <Edit.. Playable build removed for now, debating if to bring it back. Post something if you want me to, I'm easily persuaded/bribed :p>

    Always looking for feedback.


    Some more links. Like us and stuff! We appreciate it, and will shower you with affection should we ever meet in person

    https://www.facebook.com/FortTriumph

    https://twitter.com/AdamZeira
    @FortTriumph


    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2017
  2. Schneider21

    Schneider21

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    Impressive work so far! I only played through the first campaign mission (I'm at work, so I can't be doing much more just yet!), but here are my initial thoughts:

    Liked
    • Dialogue - Felt very natural, and I like the atmosphere you're creating with it.
    • Controls - Sure they need more polishing, but a mouse interface like this is tough to create, and you've got a nice system underway.
    • Movement system - Easy to understand terrain.
    • Level Map - Hexes!
    What to improve
    • In dialogue windows, if the text goes past the container, I couldn't figure out how to scroll and read the rest of it. So I'd just click through and miss the rest of what was being said, which was disappointing because the dialogue is actually pretty good!
    • Was a bit unclear on how movement points were calculated, and where I could move. Maybe I just need to spend a bit of time with it, though.
    • Maybe throw in a
      Code (CSharp):
      1. Screen.showCursor = false;
      to hide the system cursor while playing, since you have your own.
    Unsure
    • Maybe just because it's the tutorial, but I didn't attack anything. Just kicked boulders into them. I do feel that this is maybe to get the point across that you should use your environment to your advantage, though, so I'm not indicating this as a criticism.
    I'm excited to see this game going forward! Great work so far!
     
  3. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Thanks for the feedback!

    - fixed the dialogue size bug! if it shows up again could you let me know?
    - movements points: units have 1 movement point and 1 action point, moving 4 tiles costs 1 point, and it converts the action point to movement if there isn't enough... realizing as I'm writing this, yeah, that's too complicated :) need to find an easy way to explain it in the UI. or change the mechanic. the idea behind it was that with a movement point you would always be free to move then act, thus making the game more.. dynamic? than for example shadowrun returns where you're better off shooting from place with all your action points a lot of the time
    - mouse cursor: not seeing the cursor on my end, at least when the focus is on the webplayer, if it persists or if anyone else has this problem please bring it up

    thanks again
     
  4. Schneider21

    Schneider21

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    I'll definitely dig in more later. Because I genuinely want to play the game!

    I like the way you described movement/actions. Reminds me of the new X-Com style of movement. I guess maybe just try to explain it somehow for dum-dums like me. :)
     
  5. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    thanks! sounds like you know the genre. looking forward to your feedback

    uploaded a new version with a bug fix or two, including the dreaded tiny scrolling edge
    so far on the list of things to do from feedback
    - movement/action points explained better
    - indication of where objects will fly towards/hit
     
  6. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Updated with a completely new version, testing out basic gameplay fun. feedback always welcome!
     
  7. 1HpLeft

    1HpLeft

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    Hello

    I tried really quick, and it's the kind of game that I could like ( but I'm not a fan of heroic fantasy game)
    There is one thing that always bother me with this type of game, it's the random part, like an enemy do a critic attack on you and kill you or you miss an attack and F*** up all your strategy .

    I know a lot of people don't care about the random stuff , but I do. choose the direction you want , there always be player that won't like it .

    good prototype , keep at it
     
  8. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

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    Hey Ehnn - played the demo.
    I like the smooth animations of the characters, for an artist I'd like to have a zoom feature to see the characters better. Possibly on a character select screen you can show the character models in all there glory, and maybe a bestiary to see the creatures in better detail as well.
    The controls are solid, though I didn't know to rotate the view until I read the OP, so some of the enemies were obstructed and I didn't know what was going on when the hidden enemies were attacking, until one of my characters went down from an arrow to the throat! :)

    I'm probably in the minority but I like to see command buttons show up - like gui buttons near the character. The funny icons that showed up above the characters didn't feel interactive or responsive. Maybe having subtle rollover sounds and highlights would improve these elements.

    I know there's a lot of things to work on so the lack of music/sound fx was expected, but the one thing that I didn't like (not sure if this is even possible to change) was the world scrolling when the mouse neared the edge of the window. It was super fast and happened unintentionally several times.

    The fighting and movement mechanics are sound and worked as expected, so just a little polish, a couple sound fx, some story and I think you'll have a solid project to move forward with. I concur with 1HpLeft, good prototype! keep it up. And thanks for supplying via web player.

    Edit: After subscribing and confirming via email, I clicked on the "continue to our website" button link, it went straight to a google error page. pasted below
    404. That’s an error.
    The requested URL / was not found on this server. That’s all we know.

    The requested site is http://www.adamzeira.com/
     
  9. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    1HpLeft - thanks, I agree - the randomness is too much at the moment, particularly because you don't have a lot of ways to make smart plays - so even if you use the terrain and your units perfectly, there's still a chance of losing. I'll need to tweak it

    theANMATOR2b - thanks! at some point, probably in the nearby future, I want to add cameras that zoom into the action when your character scores a kill or an enemy shows up - it's one of the things XCOM did brilliantly, and I think that relates to what you're describing about zooming in to see the characters better, it makes the player connect to them so much better

    the window scrolling is too fast - I've been playing the game so long I didn't notice that :) slowed it down by a good 30%, if you get the chance let me know if it feels too slow now. it's funny, I like the little psychological aspects of these decisions, and I think by slowing it down it gives the player more of a chance to take in the scenery :)

    really debating what to do about the UI.. nobody likes it (myself included), but I'm not sure what to do that'll work best. if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them

    thanks so so much for letting me know about the email thing, that could have gone unnoticed for a long time




    uploaded a new version with a small UI fix, some changes to the terrain, and a troll!
     
  10. frosted

    frosted

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    So I'm working on another tactics rpg with some similar influences. So honestly, I've really struggled, very intimately with some of the problems you're dealing with.

    You're taking a very smart approach in the open demo for feedback. One of the problems though with rough prototypes or demos is - it can be hard for the person using it to understand what they're doing and what their options are. As a player of xcom, and a developer of a similar game, I should know how your game worked. But it took me a few minutes to figure it out - even basic things like: "how do i attack?" and "is my guy ranged?". I would suggest firstly adding at least some basic HUD overlay that says if your ranged or not at minimum. Tutorials and stuff take a lot of time, but maybe just a little label in the top right that says "right mouse to attack" or whatever.

    Making it so people can actually understand easier will improve the blind feedback rate and quality.

    Likewise, some of the responsiveness in world needs to be clearly explained - I as an xcom player recognized the AI triggering overwatch (I think). But you need to make some of these basic mechanics 100% clear if you want feedback on them. You need to pop text over their head that explains - personally I think it'd be better if you add some personality, "he's here!" then the guy runs, or "they're coming!" "let's get them!" or something. With your art style being kind of playful, imo, you should press that angle with a lot of personality in the characters.

    The UI itself is tricky. It really depends on how you want the game to play. For my game, I modeled the tactical environment/scale after the King's Bounty series, so smaller scale - and very quick. For the interactivity I copied xcoms "act and confirm" system with a few twists to make it smoother for a melee oriented game. I think it's fast, fairly clear and feels good. It was also tons and tons of work. My goal for the UI feel was first and foremost that I wanted it to feel 'fast' - i hate waiting for stuff in TB games, especially wading through menus like in Blackguards.

    You need to choose your priorities for the interface depending on the gameplay you're looking for. My game wanted 'fast' your game might want something more thoughtful and informative (but obviously still smooth).

    I'm willing to share some stuff with you if you want - at minimum i have a simple 'rotate to face camera' script you can dump onto your healthbars! :)

    EDIT:
    Just wanted to add a note: spend the absolute minimum amount of time possible to clearly communicate whats going on. Don't bother showing all the stats, or a solid well thought out HUD. Just add the -absolute minimum- to clearly communicate to the user what his options are and what's happening. I made the mistake of trying to add these things with too much detail and attention and wasted tons of time on some iterations.

    Your goal at this point is to collect feeedback and test stuff - so make sure people can do that for you. Anything more than that is a waste of time until you've got some firm directions in mind.
     
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2015
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  11. frosted

    frosted

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    ive been sort of thinking about your demo (maybe some kind of procrastination - maybe just trying to earn some good karma so people give me more constructive feedback as well).

    So in terms of collecting good feedback, you might also want to try to guide them toward the kinds of things you want them to do. Give them primary / secondary goals sort of like you might in a real scenario:
    "Primary: Kill the ogre"
    "Secondary: Kill 2 or more goblins"

    It's pretty likely you will want that code anyway, and if you put it there it'll help guide the user feedback.

    As a person hitting your webplayer demo, I had no idea what exactly to do. "Sandbox" is a good thing for a mature, fleshed out world game like Skyrim - for a test platform to help narrow your design priorities, you need to point people in the directions you need to go towards.

    You also need to set their expectations "You will win if you use cover, please try it!" - the 'discovery' process for players only really works when you have something fleshed out - nobody wants to explore or experiment with a game before it's got all the bells and whistles.

    You may want to set up a little notification box just for your testing process to ask testers to look at or consider specific things. Again, doesn't need to be fancy.

    Again, these are sort of a mixture of my own experiences from my own project and some random thoughts. YMMV.
     
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  12. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    frosted - thanks! Implemented a quick few of the things you suggested - a quick tutorial for control and objectives to make things clearer. kind of meshed the points you brought up - it's a small box saying 'use cover' and 'kill all enemies', gonna see what the feedback is and change it accordingly. if you wanna add something about it, please do!

    I could definitely see how there needs to be some indication as to what unit is selected. I'll implement it hopefully before tomorrow

    in regards to responsiveness, I love that idea! I think clarity of actions and understanding what's going on is extremely important in these types of games.. was wondering what to do about it, and you gave me the solution. I'll have the AI have a hover over with "HISSS" or "Oomans!" or something. I think right now the disction between "your turn" and "their turn" is a bit blurred and needs some work.. trying to think of how to do it elegantly. I think music will contribute a lot to this


    Haha, I know exactly what you mean about the slow UI thing - I say the exact same thing, and the same blackguards example :) (though check out warmachine tactics if you really want to see a game where you deal with UI half the time). I think making the player play a UI menu game every time he wants to do a simple attack kills the flow of things. also if you obscure very little of the screen, the player has more of a chance to "take it all in" and start living in it. it's why most of my UI I try to put in the game world itself (though that point still needs work..). the more I work on games the more I realize how ridiculously important UI is to the feel of things


    uploaded new version, a few bug fixes, melee overwatch and short explanation
     
  13. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    New version uploaded - most of your suggestions are in, and I think it's vastly improved
     
    Last edited: Mar 17, 2015
  14. frosted

    frosted

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    Oh dude, way - way better! The responses are fantastic and work perfectly.

    You can really do quite a lot with that.
     
  15. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    thanks man! any more suggestions are gladly welcome. there are actually 4 more levels, a strategic layer and some more classes/abilities, but I want to make the first level as fun as possible to make sure the 'baseline' of fun is there before adding a bunch of content. Also in regards to the code sharing thing, I'd love to - add me on facebook, Adam Zeira.

    I have some questions about your game, will post them on your thread
     
  16. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    new version uploaded. some experimental UI changes, got rid of all the not-unity-gui

    tried playing with the camera so the monsters appearing you is more dramatic.. not sure it's pulled off yet though. lemme know what you think

    also not as many replies lately. wondering if it's time to put in the strategic layer and class system and other levels ( they're kind of just sitting there) or keep trying to make the 1st mission experience better. I feel it's not nearly as exciting as XCOMs 1st mission, and that bothers me. wondering what to do to get there.. better AI? fighting destroys terrain? more mobility? tweak balance?
     
  17. -Singularity-

    -Singularity-

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    Looks really good - it's not unusual for replies to be slow early in development from what I can tell, don't let it discourage you!

    More pictures seem to keep people interested!
     
  18. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    New version uploaded, archer AI better so it tries to flank you, and small UI changes

    next up is making it so ranged shots can hit and destroy cover (and adding more destructible cover)
     
  19. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    New version uploaded, lots of changes, I think it's a lot more fun now! though I'm a bit biased :)

    one known bug - the warrior has his selection halo completely messed up. what the hell, unity 5? anyone have any idea what that is?

    Made a lot of changes and migrated to unity 5, hopefully nothing broke. I think mission gameplay is finally fun enough, gonna add the strategic layer next, have a bunch of cool ideas about it
     
  20. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    based on feedback, (hopefully) improved the understanding of the gameplay

    I think cover still needs a bit of 'good UI' work, and maybe some damage bonuses

    Hopefully moving on to the strategic layer soon
     
  21. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Oh dear. last version had a few major bugs to do with animation and UI that snuck their way in with the unity 5 upgrade

    Fixed 'em, and added a very very preliminary strategic/additional levels/class advancement systems. they won't necessarily work in the meantime (you can go on other missions after the first, but not sure they're winnable without the kick and leap skills which were enabled in previous builds)

    the systems were in when I noticed the bugs needing fixes, and I don't wanna revert the changes.. so in the spirit of 'release early and get feedback'... why not. hopefuly you guys understand the current mechanics of it aren't the real goal of the game. and I should have a more decent system by tomorrow or the next day
     
  22. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Changes to the way run works, re-added the Leap ability. almost added the Kick ability, which will be a big change (can see the old gameplay with it at tbc-pre-alpha.appspot.com/game-campaign/game.html), but I think it's best to leave it out for now. tomorrow I'll add some additional levels that let you use the leap ability for good gameplay, aswell as dynamic levels, then tie it in with class advancement.

    still need to decide what to do with the strategic layer
     
  23. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Uploaded with randomly spawned levels, enemies, new strategic map. class advancement and mission difficulties

    planned changes-
    UI changes -
    make enemy types clearer (especially goblin archers and goblin warriors)
    UI unit information -
    some kind of indication to when units are going to level up
    indication as to unit stats (they have strength, skill, power, it's just not shown) so you can choose what path to promote them in
    strategic map- missions to have more depth - specific mission hexes, farm, gold mine, etc. offering different challenges and rewards

    right now as a very simple mechanism a new peasant is given each mission that stays with you (if he makes it out alive). going to change it to 2 peasants with random stats, and at the end of the mission you can choose to pay gold to have the unit stick around, or not
     
  24. Schneider21

    Schneider21

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    I haven't played again since the first time I tried it (actually, I've been avoiding the WIP board for a while now... not sure why), and I didn't even notice you had updated. I've been super busy lately, but I'd love to try a recent version of the game and see how my opinion has changed.

    Also, don't be disheartened by the lack of responses. That's sort of how things go around here, I find. New projects get attention, then interest sort of fades for a while until things are REALLY coming along. I'd imagine you'll get more feedback as things get nearer to completion.

    However, I would also recommend posting more screenshots, videos, etc. I often check the boards while I'm at work and am just refreshing my brain from staring at code for long periods of time. A lot of people can't (or won't) bother to click out to play (though it is great you provide a web player demo!), but may be inclined to respond to a screenshot.

    Keep up the hard work!
     
    theANMATOR2b likes this.
  25. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Thanks man! The words of encouragement mean a lot. Gave me the motivation to put in a bunch of work today

    I think you're right about the video.. will get to it in the next day or two

    New version's up with some end mission UI changes, the ability to purchase peasants (super basic version). also able to send up to 6 units on missions now instead of 3
     
  26. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Pretty big update, while working on making the video I got to play the game again and again and changed / improved a lot of things. Also converted the web project to webGL, which surprisingly works well enough as far as I can tell. except for some mouse scroll insensitivities, but that's minor

    edit: wow, just noticed the folder is 200 mb.. wonder if it's even playable. lets see if anyone can play

    currently working on some more improvements, and making the video
     
  27. Schneider21

    Schneider21

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    Hey, man. Game doesn't load for me. Here's my console output.

    Screen Shot 2015-04-21 at 11.29.13 AM.png
     
  28. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    I think that's an issue with the webGL export, doesn't sound like any of my code

    I think the WebGL version doesn't work yet, it runs very nicely locally and lets you full screen (which I love!) but that's because the 100MB size is transferred quickly. In the meantime until I resolve it, re-uploaded the webplayer version with some more fixes

    uploaded a video of some gameplay, I feel like there's a ton to improve in it (forgot to mention a bunch of elementary things. and it ends abruptly and awkwardly because of a bug, heh. also why is it in 360p?? I recorded in 1080. there's no way youtube minimizes it that much), very new process for me so I'm gonna upload another one with all the lessons from it soon
     
  29. Schneider21

    Schneider21

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    I think YouTube just makes the 360p version available as it's the first to render as your upload is processed. In time, the 1080p version should be available as an option as well.
     
  30. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Alright, lets give the webGL version a real shot. Fixed the file problems, App Engine had some issues with it being 60mb and a long workaround had to be found. should work now

    Still need to put out a new video
    Had the idea of sending a PC build to a youtube streamer to play it, possibly one of the many who play XCOM, and just post their video
    pros:
    won't have to spend time on it myself
    will be much more professionally done than my muffled mic with terrible accent
    free advertising

    cons:
    he probably won't be as passionate and well informed about the different aspects of the game as I would be
    advertising at this point is.. scary stuff
    is the game ready for this?

    should I do it?
     
  31. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    New version up, webGL fixed for real this time. after all the screwing around with app engine, ended up just narrowing down the file from 86 to 27 mb. Back in the day when the flash export was a thing (aka 2 years ago, I'm not that old) I'd do the file shrinking thing 3 times a week for a bunch of odd apps to make them fit on iphone 4s and flash.. who knew that skill would come in handy

    other changes
    - camera movements
    - strategic layer! 20% prettier. still ugly though
    - rocks destroyed more easily. fun gameplay!
    - kick works better
    - new archer model! go mixamo

    started playing with camera movements to emphasize "unit has detected you", "X is attacking Y", "enemy moving". I feel like it's a bit much now, looking for opinions
    the reason for going into camera movements is I'm gonna go with the send streamers the game plan, and I want it to be reasonably easy on the eyes. and ears. gonna to find a sound artist soon I think
     
  32. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    new version. working towards making the game presentable to streamers so they'll make the video instead of me. but it has to be more fun first

    Changes
    - improved camera movements (still needs work, but better than before)
    the idea behind the camera movements is to make it clearer when enemies are activated. I think it's getting there.. maybe could add something like the enemy type when they're encountered, as it's not clear if they're a warrior or an archer
    - fixed stuck bugs (there's still one, but I'll get 'im)
    - dropbox version

    Small practical things to add
    - add a simple "take cover" ability for everyone that reduces chance of getting hit / damage. can also be used to convey using the action menu
    - difference between goblin warriors and archers shown when they activate
    - explain how attacks of opportunity work (when you move next to a melee character, they get an attack of opportunity, but this isn't explained anywhere)
    - explain how overwatch works (hold right click on an archer character -> select overwatch)
    - explain cover is necessary (there is text but people ignore it)

    More novel changes, things I need before sending to a youtuber or something to make a normal video
    - better AI - I think will make the gameplay much more fun. have lots of ideas but this takes a little while
    - Sound
    - showing sight range, move range, and overwatch ranges in a cleaner way - the more I think about this the more the xcom system is pretty perfect (just a non-intrusive line). it's doable, but if I do this the resemblence will be so big the game might look like a chinese ripoff
     
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  33. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    - Added the Brace ability to mitigate damage for the melee types
    - Added an info window / tooltip over abilities when hovering over them in the abilities menu. Now to figure out how to explain how to open the abilities menu..
     
  34. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    - Changed the way cover works so enemies can be seen when cover "blocks" them from one direction, as if they're "peeking" over to fire and be seen. still needs work, has a few bugs
    - Rotation is now smooth
    - Hover explanation for icons on the bottom left. hopefully it's understandable they're not pressable
    - A bunch of background fixes
     
  35. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    uploaded a new version with a tutorial explaining a bunch of things.. it's not the best solution, I think a tutorial level that takes you through using actions in stages, similar to xcoms tutorial, would be better, but that takes a while and involves a lot of difficult decisions that I see taking days. the current solution of an accessible screen with text/pictures is an acceptable solution considering time limitations and, I hope, at least improves things

    made the AI act super fast if it's not visible. it makes gameplay more fluid, but does kill a bit of the suspension. I think overall it's better
     
  36. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Have been hard at work on the sight system algorithms all week. It's honestly one of the hardest algorithms to crack that I've encountered yet. Initial version of it is up, but it's not perfect yet

    I feel like one of the most significant effects on the gameplay will be when the sight algorithm works 100% - so you can see enemies from behind your cover (as if you're leaning over), see them behind their cover (as if they're leaning over), if you see them they see you, and it's all done flawlessly.. which is something I'm not sure even XCOM achieved perfectly (and having struggled with it for an entire week I can see why)

    also fixed a bunch of bugs, made shortcuts, tutorial, etc
     
  37. frosted

    frosted

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    Hey man, so a couple notes on sight angles and stuff.

    XCOM at core did not use any of this stuff. It just calculated coverage based on 90 degree angles.
    They added "aiming angles" which basically just did some very simple adjustments based purely on angle.
    They also had a very simple line of sight system that was more about a radius around a character with certain objects blocking vision.

    I did a really complicated LoS system once, so I know the math can get pretty hairy, especially considering you have all kinds of special cases for 'peeking around corners'. Further, in terms of displaying stuff - if you're doing precise 'shadows' for areas outside of correct LoS - guys in cover might not make sense, normally their square would be in shadow, but since the guy should be visible you would want to brighten it which might make the sight lines seem weird.

    You may want to consider going simple here and copying something more like xcoms system.

    On the other hand, a full on LoS system might be pretty cool and really add some tension with guys darting between visible areas.
     
    theANMATOR2b likes this.
  38. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Coverage is beautifully simple in XCOM, sight is the worse problem

    and specifically, like you said, the enemies "peeking" from cover and your own units peeking from cover

    if it was in 2d, it could be done by shooting rays and checking angles. not easy, but doable
    in 3d it gets worse, the current system looks at blocks in space, starting with the unit's head rays go out to the nearby blocks. if a block is filled with terrain or a placeable (not a unit), it doesn't go any further. if it's empty, rays are shot to other potential blocks in the direction, checking angles. there are a bunch of edge cases as well

    and then on top of that there's, like you said, the enemies behind cover that you need to show anyway, as well as your own units being able to "peek" behind their own cover

    is XCOM's system simpler? I've thought about simplifying by making everything "2D", which would let you ignore the Y positioning and make things easier and more accurate/reliable.. maybe XCOM does this, going to watch some videos to see if you're in a "higher" position and angled correctly you could see units behind cover "beneath" you

    I guess the reason I hadn't considered that is they also have structures where you can stand "above" characters, which should mean a system that involves the Y axis. but it's possible they made special exceptions for that case. going to find out now

    I'm a huge believer in simplicity, if a simpler solution can be found I'll gladly throw all this away in favor of it

    lastly, what may be the case, is they've kind of "blurred" the obviousness of an imperfect algorithem. there are cases where you're shot at by enemies who can see you and you can't see them, and times when you see aliens and they can't see you. the players somehow kind of accept it. in this case the problem in Fort Triumph is that when this happens, it's very obvious and in your face
    I've considered giving the enemies a slightly smaller sight radius by 1 tile, it's not nearly as big a deal for the player when you see a monster and it doesn't see you, compared to the reverse
     
  39. frosted

    frosted

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    Can I ask what kind of logic you're using? Are you doing raycasts and stuff or are you just doing trig on a pure data representation?

    Have you seen this: http://www.redblobgames.com/articles/visibility/ ?

    That guys site was like a bible for me when I was working on LoS stuff. Was still very tricky for me since I'm terrible at math, but he's got some amazing resources. This stuff is also extremely dependent on how you work with the obstacles and terrain in a map (as in, if you have a complete representation in data, or if you're doing it based on actual scene geometry).
     
    Last edited: May 16, 2015
  40. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Oh that's awesome! I know that website from their hexagons and A* posts, didn't know there were more gems like this. That's a really thorough explanation of things. Have some new ideas to try now

    I'm doing trig on data
     
  41. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Uploaded a new video

    Really need to work on making more professional videos.. I have such a hard time concentrating with so many thoughts that it ends up being very clunky. and other reasons. Going to try finding a friend without these issues, and has a more natural accent and tone of voice to do it. If anyone would like to volunteer I'd pay back with programming/whatever help I can offer in return

    My laptop broke down so coding isn't an option for the next two weeks and I'm gonna be doing only videos and looking for collaborations. Should be interesting
     
  42. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    New version uploaded, UI changes and a few animation changes
     
  43. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    New version's up, changed the terrain's colors. need to make a proper tiled texture still, but color-wise I think it's an improvement. Have a few collaborators working with me now
     
  44. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Updated
    - Minimalized UI. looking for feedback on whether it still makes sense (one of the "risks" of it is that people will think they need to click on the buttons in the bottom, which they can't)
    - Added very initial ideas for strategic layer
     
  45. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Updated with some new UI elements and a beginning of a strategic layer
     
  46. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Aug 27, 2012
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    Uploaded a quick gameplay video
     
  47. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Added new strategic layer elements
     
  48. Ehnn

    Ehnn

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    Haven't updated things in a while. Here we go.. can't even list the number of changes
     
  49. Schneider21

    Schneider21

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    Holy S***. I wish you hadn't removed the original screenshots, because it is amazing how much progress you've made!

    Is the current version playable anywhere? I think you accidentally removed the link, if so.

    Great work!
     
    Ehnn likes this.
  50. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

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    Hey Ehnn - been following your progress silently.
    Is there a new demo build available? Can't find the link.
    And a link to (I'm assuming) your youtube channel would be nice as well.
    @Schneider21 - jynx! ;)
     
    Ehnn and Schneider21 like this.