Alpha 0.32

Star Fort Defense

Devlog 1

TL;DR: Alpha 0.32* features a completed user interface, including a tutorial... thing, and a mostly-completed game map, and represents the first publicly-accessible representation of the project.

* The build number is based on percentage completion towards the goal for each Alpha build, based on how much total work I estimate needs to be put in and the amount of frustration I imagine it will cause me. 0.32 represents 32% of the way to a playable, if still largely incomplete, game worthy of being called Alpha 1.

Focus

The main goal of this build is to get a set of features that begin to show what the game will ultimately be about, in a way that I don't have to mess with much going forward. Most of the work so far has been getting the GUI working as intended. Other features that have been implemented to this point include movement and pathfinding, a tutorial / hint system, and creating the main game map.

In the image, you can see the GUI as it currently exists. All twelve units currently on the map are selected (the one highlighted in the readout on the right is indicated with a yellow circle, all others in blue), and a pair of hint cards are at the top of the screen. Also shown is the equipment system, allowing the player to change the weapons their units are using.

Project Background

This game was heavily inspired by Holgersson Entertainment's Fortify, first released as freeware in 2010. In Fortify, every day cycle marks the start of an attack by ever-stronger, increasingly-numerous fantasy creatures, starting with goblins and working their way up to orcs, dragons, and more. Star Fort Defense is based on the same idea -- defend your fort by arranging your units on the walls to fight off each, increasingly challenging, wave.

Further Goals

The next step is to get enemies to defend the fort from, and to allow the player to acquire more units as time passes. I also intend to fix certain UI problems, like the hint cards not properly scaling as the player scrolls out. Before the Alpha development phase ends, players will be able to construct simple traps to passively hinder approaching enemies, and also get their first glimpse of the game's eventual story.

Technology

Star Fort Defense is built using Game Maker Studio version 1.4.9999.