Extension . Now we will not talk about the concept, but how we are from this
those. the classic version in which the playing field itself, the elements on it, the damage tokens were represented by "cutting" out of cardboard and it was "expensive and rich" they made a card "engine" and filling and reduced the number of "non-card" components to a minimum. In the terminology of computer games, these are “level design” and “character design”. But we also have an IT game about programming robots.
So in order. If earlier I already talked about command cards in the Scratch language, now we will talk about replacing other components.
playing field
Since in the game we have the arena itself, as well as three types of obstacles (indestructible, destructible and water), it was decided to separate them. What was supposed to move and collapse (barrels) we came up with to make in the form of round acrylic tokens with stickers (at the same time it will be more convenient to move and turn over). The remaining components were distributed on 24 double-sided cards.
I had to sacrifice only stairs (they now work as universal portals and entering one “door” you can exit anywhere where there is the same field. Now players can collect both classic square levels 3x3 or 4x4 and more complex and intricate configurations, including multi-storey (or room) ones.The photo shows an example of the level and the appearance of the prototype, on which we work out the final nuances before sending the game to print.
New (because of the ability to use barrels and the "flying" chassis of your Steam Bots) will be levels that were not possible in previous versions of the game. For example, a duel on the bridge of two wheeled robots, where a blow can destroy the bridge itself or the opponent, or you can disassemble it.
Steambot Golems
In previous versions of the game, the Golem robot cards looked like this
And the damage was taken into account by special tokens of "broken" gears, which were laid out on top of them.
In the card version, it was decided that golems and their damage would "work" according to completely different mechanics. For a long time we puzzled over the balance (in order not to give the player "cheating" opportunities by combining the coolest components). Wherein:
1. The player must assemble his combat robot before the start of the battle, combining it from three components (and in the future we may add other "spare parts"): chassis, upper part - "brains" and weapons. It was decided to leave each robot with three "lives", marked with whole gears. We have developed two types of chassis, upper part and weapons for each player, which will differ in properties. For example, a rocket chassis will allow you to “fly” over water, and the Armored Brain, although it does not accommodate a large number of teams, is less sensitive to damage.
2. When Hits are missed, the player will have to decide how much of his robot will be damaged and what he is willing to sacrifice: the number of commands executed, additional weapon capabilities or movement.
To display damage, the player will only need to flip the corresponding card (or cards if you missed 2 Hit points) to the side with the broken gear. When he turns over all three cards (3 missed Hit units), and the last chance remains, his robot will not survive the next Hit.
These are the decisions that were made to go "card" format, and whether they will be successful or not, the players will already say. Game now and I hope by the end of the year (or at the beginning of the next) it will see the light of day and we really hope that the children will like the new Steambot Golems.
PS You can ask questions in the comments about the game, game design, etc., I will answer with pleasure.
Source: habr.com