Developer’s Journal

It’s been more then a year since my last update.  I have been working full-time as a software engineer.  I spent about 6 months as a tech lead at a company that creates 3D simulations.  The commute was a bit too much, so I switched to a job closer to home.  I now work on network simulations.

I finally have some free time, so I decided to start working on a new game.  I have been looking forward to working on a sequel to my RTS for a while now.  I have a lot of ideas that I want to try-out.  For the past few weeks, I have mostly been writing my design ideas onto a notepad.  I have a pretty solid idea for the game, so I am now working on the code.

I want to keep the project simple due to my limited time.  Most of my coding will have to take place during the weekend.  Therefore, I will use most of the assets from my RPG for the initial prototype.  I am using the Birth of Shadows game engine as the starting point.  I can merge some of the RTS code from my first game.

Of course, it won’t be quite as simple as just merging the code between two games to create a new one.  Some of the RPG design just doesn’t mesh with an RTS.  For example, the “agro” code of my RPG will not work for an RTS, due to the much larger number of mobile entities.  Right now, I am trying to copy large portions of the RTS code to the RPG engine.  Then, I can start doing the “finer” coding, where I will go through the code and merge it.

It’s tough work, because I have to remember what each component of the game is supposed to do… and it has been quite a while since I even looked at my code.  I’m hoping to get a relatively bug-free prototype done before September.  If my RTS prototype is as fun to play as I hope, then I will focus on making it a real game.  I’ll invest some money in new art assets, improve the graphics yet again, and try to complete the game by the end of next year.

But, I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself.  For now, I am just happy to be working on a new game

I updated Pursuit of Power to version 1.3.7.1.  Most of the improvements were taken from Birth of Shadows.  In addition, I now allow unlimited time for one skirmish board of the demo.  The skirmish board can be played alone or over the Internet too.

I also released the new skirmish board for Birth of Shadows.  I was only able to do some limited testing for it.  The board is designed for three players (or two players at easy difficulty).

Please let me know if you encounter any problems with the RTS update or the new RPG skirmish board.

It’s been a while since I last posted so here is an update.  As you might have noticed, I finally got around to upgrading the forums.  They now support attachments and make it easier for me to deal with spam registrations.  I’m still learning about the features, so attachments are disabled for now.

I am currently working on a new skirmish board.  The general theme involves defeating a lich queen that inhabits a crypt.  I am designing it as a dungeon crawl with hidden areas and various items that unlock doors.  There will be tons of creatures as well as strongholds and bosses.  Portals are being used to offset the difficulty.  I don’t want to force players to defeat the same content upon each death.

My time is going to be less flexible in the future, so updates will be slow.  I still plan to periodically release skirmish boards and game updates.  The first one will be for my RTS and then eventually I will release one for my RPG.

I finished another small update last night. I mainly changed a few enemy abilities to improve gameplay balance.  The game should now be easier for a much larger number of players. Previously, demons, werewolves, and minotaurs were too unforgiving if you made mistakes, especially at higher tiers. The changes also helped make bosses more reasonable.

In addition, I was able to randomize when the “special” secondary abilities are first used during combat. I think the battles feel more dynamic now, since you will have to adjust your tactics for each fight. I did keep bosses the same as before to give players a chance to deal with the guardians first.  Otherwise, you could get hit with both guardian and boss abilities at the start, which would be tough.

Next, I will be working on a new multiplayer board as well as the forum update to allow attachments. I want to continue adding information about the game in the help section. At some point, I will get the movie and creatures page completed. I’m trying to make time for an update to my RTS game too.

Birth of Shadows is now ready for reviews. I will be contacting reviewers again in a few days.

I updated the full version of Birth of Shadows to address a few issues. The campaign game should flow more smoothly due to better progression of enemies. I added more gem rewards too. In addition, I tweaked some mob placements so players shouldn’t aggro respawns during the various events. I also tweaked a few other things with the game.

To obtain this new version, simply use the same download link. Please note that the new board data will only load for new areas. For example, if you load the game with progress to the second area, then all remaining areas will load new data. Therefore, you may wish to start from the first board (no changes) in order to get the full benefit of the improvements.

I just got done playing through the entire game again.  I wanted to check for any issues that need to be corrected.  I found a few minor typos and I would like to improve the creature distribution.  A few mobs lag behind too much, which can make some battles harder than designed.  I am planning to have this update done in a few days.

I’m still deciding whether or not I will bother with a press release.  I used a service for my first game and I got a pretty good amount of exposure.  I first want to make sure that everything is working as intended.  I’ll write more about the update when it is finished.

Also, I would like to thank everyone that has purchased my game already.  I really appreciate it!  If you have any questions, please let me know.  I am happy to help

You can now purchase the full version of Birth of Shadows.  If you have any problems with the order or game, please let me know.  I also uploaded the matching demo version.  In the near future, I am going to do some more work on the site.  I want to add a “creatures” page and I still need to create the HTML version of the manual.  In addition, I will upgrade the forums to allow attachments and I will eventually capture a movie of the net game in action.

But, for now I am going to get some rest.  I didn’t get any sleep yet and I’m pushing 30+ hours now.  I’ll follow-up with more details when I can think clearly

I am taking one extra day to test the final tweaks to Birth of Shadows.  I don’t expect any problems, but I prefer to play it safe.  I take great pride in releasing games that are bug-free and stable.  It also gives me another day to work on the skirmish boards.

I plan to have the full version uploaded around 7pm EST on January 4th (Friday).  The latest demo version will be uploaded too.  Thanks for your patience

I can now provide the release date for Birth of Shadows.  I will have the game ready for sale on January 4th, which is this Friday.  I was hoping to release BoS before the end of the year, but there isn’t enough time.  I’ve had something to do almost every day this past week, so it has been tough finding time to work on the game.

The good news is that I think the campaign game has turned out great.  I’ve been working with a friend (Ian Brown) on the content and gameplay tweaking.  I think the effort has really helped improve BoS.  I look forward to sharing it soon

The campaign content for Birth of Shadows is done.  I am just doing some minor tweaking at this point.  I will finish the skirmish game tomorrow.  As soon as I get a few more skirmish boards completed, I will upload the full version and people will be able to purchase the game.