After being successfully Greenlit in April 2015
My game, Blood Sweat Gold is back on Greenlight.
It’s a pretty odd situation. I’ve never heard of a game that was Greenlit going back through Steam’s voting system. Let me explain…
In December 2015, I scrapped the entire design and a half complete game and went back to the drawing board. Originally, this was a traditional hex based tactical RPG, along the same vein as a Final Fantasy Tactics. And that was the problem. At core, the game didn’t feel like much more than a crappy version of a thousand other turn based games. It didn’t really do anything new or different.
A year later, I finally have something that I believe is really good.
But I didn’t feel it was right to launch under the same Greenlight campaign I ran over a year ago. The game has changed far too dramatically and almost nothing from the original remains.
Why should the game be Greenlit at all? Well, let me tell you about the design I worked very hard on:
Combat on a solid foundation: hybrid Real Time + Turn Based
Inspired by classic isometric games like Divinity Original Sin / Infinity Engine Games
Divinity Original Sin boasts one of the most innovative designs in RPG gaming I’ve ever seen. Most people think of the elemental combat system as their main innovation, and it is truly amazing, but DoS has smaller fundamental innovations beneath that, a combination of:
- Gridless Map (and the complications that come from this)
- Seamless Combat Transition
- Action Point Based Movement
It’s surprising how few (western) turn based games opt for the Gridless map, but there are very real complications and compromises that arise from it. The way that exploration seamlessly transitions into turn based combat in DoS is elegant, and the gridless system meant that they could build a rich world, with rolling hills and rich environment.
Something about movement in DoS felt liberating because of the map. I felt liberated, free to make my own choices unrestrained by squares or hexes.
I tried to take that feeling of freedom and lack of restraint to the next level.
A zoomed out camera in real time mode
Flexible control over the camera both at 3rd person and top town view.
Close up and personal
Analog style controls to make the player feel as connected to his characters as possible
Mordheim, City of the Damned was my main inspiration for the analog style WASD controls and use of 3rd person camera, Valkyria Chronicles also played a huge role in designing core system, and of course the Firaxis’ XCOM reboot in changing the sensibilities of turn based games in general.
My goal was to make turn based combat into something more visceral, more immersive and more fluid than you generally find in western turn based games.
Turn Based Mechanics are kind of Surreal
So I tried to build in a subtle, but surreal visual representation of time
I believe that turn based game designers have taken for granted the fact that most turn based players accept the bizarre mechanics of turn based movement. “You go, I go, you go…”. I felt that it was important that we as a genre start to address the idea of how time works.
But, truth is, time in turn based games is a very odd beast. You cannot truly make sense of the mechanics involved without really getting into crazy super hero stuff. So I compromised.
My approach then was not to entirely freeze time. Instead time is presented in a warped semi surreal state. Wind still blows through trees and grass, characters are allowed to move very slightly, but will often be frozen in place. I apply a partial desaturation to the camera.
It’s hard to tell here, but the primary character is moving his head - time isn’t totally frozen
Peasants frozen in place as they flee
Manipulating animation and ‘time’ like this was technically challenging
The development of this system was surprisingly technically complex. Animation is run using Root Motion 100% for movement, and handling very rapid shifts in animation speed along with navigation, animation, and responsiveness to attacks and other events got very tricky very fast.
AI movement had to run simultaneously in order to keep consistent with ‘time’
The player still needs to be presented critical events, like when they’re getting attacked. So these attacks and other critical events are clearly presented and never interrupted.
A side benefit of implementing AI this way is that the game can support engagements that are huge by turn based standards. I can introduce large scale combat in a way that I’ve never seen done in turn based gaming.
Here’s an early prototype of a larger scale AI vs AI battle running in realtime:
Very few turn based games are capable of presenting these kinds of scenarios because the turn time becomes absurdly long. I haven’t had a chance to build this functionality into actual scenarios yet, but it’s a huge area to explore, with potentially great gaming moments.
Combining all of this together in a turn based game posed real challenges.
Traditionally, most turn based games have very limited viewing areas. By allowing full real time movement and turn based combat with a camera that can be dropped over shoulder, there were problems.
Originally I had hoped to follow convention and dramatically limit the players view, I did research on Fog of War systems, and experimented with some very strange ideas.
Experimenting with Fog of War + 3rd person camera. Yikes!
In the end, I had to just allow the player a natural viewing area, and although I do use heavy fog, it’s for atmosphere, not to obscure the player’s view.
Instead of cheating by limiting view, I just allowed the AI and the player to interact at potentially long ranges. AI will begin to respond to you at ranges of up to around 100 meteres. This ends up creating some very unusual game play patterns.
Interacting at about 50 meters
Enemies visible at distance
Since enemies can rush in to reinforce each other from long range, combat can have a more fluid feel. You don’t have reinforcement timers or scripted events, instead, you just look at the reinforcements, try to judge how far they are and how long it’ll take to get to you. It ends up becoming fluid and has even very minor emergent qualities.
There are trade-offs here, you lose some of the distinct separation in having entirely disconnected encounters one screen away from the next as one combat encounter can bleed into another. But I believe in this case, it’s an overall positive as it builds a cohesive experience.
Not “A SUPER REVOLUTION IN GAMING”
But it is a unique spin on Turn Based Combat.
I worked very hard to contribute something to the genre and try to do something new.
Although nothing in BSG is revolutionary the total package is something that I’ve never seen done before in Turn Based games. I believe that there are meaningful contributions to the genre, things that really haven’t been done much (or at all), while still feeling natural to turn based veterans.
If you’re interested, you can view some raw game play footage here
Unfortunately, it isn’t doing particularly well on Greenlight.
It can’t break the all important 50% yes vote barrier and that’s a very real concern. The voting has flatlined and steam is not pushing many people to it. I’m worried about the games future, and more importantly, about the release I’m hoping for very soon.
The total voting flatline has me a little worried, I won’t lie.
I spent a tremendous amount of time and effort building this. I am proud of the work, I’m proud of the design, and I really think it deserves a little exposure.
I would really appreciate your help with a vote on the Greenlight page
maybe even sending your friend a link
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=835778142
Thanks guys (and girls),
Frosted
I can see that you tried adding some humor in textform and I think your game has alot of potential…and maybe I’m just not seeing what the goal is, but I have to say, making the goal more clear as example: Overthrow kingdoms, survive as hired swordsman, make a living, make morale choices (helping the poor or only collecting bounties on dangerous criminals or helping anyone who offers enough money with dire consequences) etc.