Everpixel Tactics Devlog 7
With the campaign overhauled and the code refactored, I can get back to making swift progress. The game now has a sturdy foundation upon which I can tack on the three remaining "major" features: quests, mounts, and dynamic events. Quests are intended to give players a goal; a challenge they can overcome while also exploring their uniquely generated worlds. Dynamic events are intended to throw wrenches into that challenge - the sort of wrenches that make for interesting stories and unique playthroughs (to say nothing of how they may make for lesser or greater challenges!) Mounts are an excuse to allow players to ride giant wiener dogs into battle - or even dodo birds - while allowing yet further build customization of their mercenaries.
But before I get to working on the aforementioned major features, I realize that I need to circle back and touch up a few aspects of the game as well as deliver on my promised "Cryomancer" update. So, without further ado, let's discuss those plans.
Cryomancers
Cryomancers were promised around the Christmas time update. The game had other - more urgent - changes to be made (as in the campaign overhaul) and so the cryomancers got pushed back a few months. Fortunately, most of the assets and code to realize them are already in-game, so we won't have to wait long.
I focused very hard on differentiating every school of magic and every perk tree such that they were all unique and have useful synergies with other trees. Cryomancy is no different. As might be expected, cryomancers are adept at dealing cold damage (though they deal less damage than pyromancers.) They're also capable of some pretty serious crowd control, because their spells and abilities also have a chance to "chill" enemies, thus reducing the amount of actions they can perform in any round of battle. Some of these abilities include short-range auras - potentially useful for any frontline warriors that want to slow down the opposing front-line...
Compendium
Curious why slimes can't be injured in the game, or zombies never seem to lose morale even when grievously injured? Every monster you fight; every soldier you do battle against in Everpixel Tactics has their own perks, traits, and characteristics...even if it isn't (yet) obvious.
There are now over 50 "chassis" (as they're called in the game files) that determine what characters get what perks, at what levels, so on and so forth. I'd like to provide this information to players via an in-game "compendium" in an upcoming update. The compendium's primary purpose will be to arm players with knowledge to know what they're up against. They will be able to view the compendium to know what sorts of perks and equipment payloads their enemies may have. Every last monster and soldier in the game; every perk and trait they have, will be able to be viewed in this compendium. The compendium may even give players a few ideas for their own mercenary builds...
Cultures
Everpixel Tactics represents a bucket list endeavor cobbling together many of my own fascinations, hobbies, zany ideas, and interests into a single, (hopefully) coherent game. This includes cultures. I'm a student of history and have visited a great many places around the world (and I hope to visit more!) Naturally, Everpixel Tactics will incorporate these inspirations by having a great many cultures based on both real and fantasy cultures - but always taken to a cartoonish level. The end vision of the game is to have something like "Dwarf Fortress" in which these factions of different cultures interact in emergent, interesting ways. This is still some way down the road. First, I need to add the cultures into the game.
I don't know how many cultures Everpixel Tactics will ultimately end up with, but I intend for it to have more than its current 3. As of now, the current 3 cultures each have their own thematic soldiers, equipment, and strategies. There are currently two primary limiting factors to having more cultures. First, I don't have all of the sprites quite yet that I need to make a diverse array of cultures. Second, I don't have enough perk trees implemented quite yet to make each faction "thematic." That said, I'm going to add and modify several of the factions before the next major update.
Let's take a look at the cultures planned to be implemented by the next major update:
- Breton: The Breton culture already exists in the game, and it will ultimately receive a sprinkle of new troops over the course of Early Access. Thematically, the faction is intended to be heavily-armored and have serious staying power in battle. With the addition of the new Paladin perk tree, they're now mostly realized.
- Germanic: Intended to be somewhat of an "opposite" to the Breton culture is the Germanic culture. Whereas the Bretons will rock paladins, crusaders, angelic and healing magic, Germanic factions will rock a lot of necromancy. They'll bring into battle death knights, necromancers, and zombies. Like the Breton factions, they're heavily-armored and will have serious staying power...because they'll constantly be using necromantic magic to "reanimate" fresh soldiers.
- Gorkish: A silly culture based on generalized ideas of "Orcs" in fantasy settings, the Gorkish culture already exists - but it needs to be fleshed out more. Thematically, Gorkish factions are supposed to be hyper-aggressive. When the Barbarian perk tree is implemented, Gorkish factions will gain the lynchpin capability to buff their already-dangerous infantry. The last puzzle piece, then, will be to implement mounts so that Gorkish factions can ride gigantic wiener dogs into battle. Eventually, they'll even bring wiener dogs (AKA, "weens") into battle to supplement their forces. Unstoppable waves of weens will be a thing in Everpixel Tactics.
- Jomonese: The Jomonese culture already exists, but is only about half-realized. Thematically, Jomon factions are all about quality over quantity. They're all about diverse, exceptionally-dangerous melee combatants, many of whom also double as "hybrid" mages. Jomon factions already rock "Arcane Samurai" capable of teleporting into an opposing backline and wreaking havoc. But they'll also eventually have "Ice Samurai", "Rock Samurai", and "Water Samurai."
- Nipponese: The Nipponese culture doesn't yet exist, but most of the foundation to realize it does. Nippon-based factions will be somewhere between Jomonese and Germanic factions. Like the Jomonese cultures, they'll focus on quality over quantity with diverse, powerful melee combatants. And like the Germanic factions, they'll do so with a bevy of necromantic magics. Nippon cultures will focus a lot on "vampirism" - or buffing their powerful samurai with the ability to drain life from the damage they deal.
- Nordic: The Nordic culture also doesn't exist yet, but most of its foundation does. Thematically, it will be built around cold-themed strategies. They'll chip away at enemies with a constant barrage of cold magic while also leveraging knights committed to stunning particularly-dangerous opponents. Being a cold-themed culture, they'll probably even find a way to ride gigantic penguins into battle...
- Bonus - Celtic: The Celtic culture doesn't exist in the game yet, and it won't make it into the upcoming major update. But it will make it sooner rather than later. The celtic culture will be based on aggressive, light infantry with ample healing and buff support from Gaiamancers, Aquamancers, and Biomancers. They'll even supplement their light infantry with domesticated slimes!
- Bonus - Aztec: The Aztec culture also doesn't exist in the game yet, and it won't make it in for some time. But it will make it in eventually. The Aztecs will be all about diverse, light infantry who are also usually lycanthropes such as werebears, werecats, and wereslugs (you read that correctly - half-human, half-slug "wereslugs.") They'll bring into battle a diverse array of magic as well as dinosaurs, whom they'll focus on buffing with their broad array of magic until they're nigh unstoppable in battle.
Aquamancers
Speaking of Aquamancers, take a sneak peek at an upcoming Aquamancer. Aquamancy is a subtle school of magic revolving around "buffing buffs" and healing stamina. They excel when paired with other support magic and/or characters who burn through a lot of stamina.
