The Progress of Evil - June

Hello, and thanks for stopping by the dev log!

June saw leaps and bounds of functionality progress, as well as the implementation of first-pass placeholder art. Check out the sections below to see what's been added and get a better idea of where the game is headed:

Buildings

Placeholder art beyond simple colored boxes were added to test systems for structure placement, changing from a simple blob-shaped check area to instead match the shape of the structure being placed. This will allow new structures to be implemented more quickly in the future, as well as allow more compact and intentional placement. 

Systems for all kind of upgrades were added to buildings, with the ability for certain upgrades to lock out other upgrades. The new system takes into account global upgrades, specific-building, and even local or temporary upgrades that can be completed multiple times. To exemplify this system and how you'll interact with it, take the Barracks structure as it currently stands: the Barracks can be upgraded to level 2, which both increases the amount of workers that can be stationed there as well as unlocking two training specialization upgrades - one for attack damage and one for defense. Only one of these specializations can be active at a time, but will impart the aforementioned buff to any unit created there. Options such as these keep with the central theme of Pact, which is to continually ask the player to make meaningful choices that affect their playstyle. 

Structure upgrades will be a major draw of the various Factions you encounter in the game world, as aligning with each will give you unique new upgrades to apply to your structures, units, and spells.

Combat

Status effects were implemented, with framework for heal and damage over time effects, slows, buffs, debuffs, and on-death effects. These broadly-defined status effects will be a major source of complexity within Pact's combat system, with different Factions frequently specializing in certain effects.

AI behavior was given a second pass. Units will now more intelligently chase each other around, and also run away when they get below certain thresholds depending on what kind of unit it is. Peasants, not known for their combat prowess nor bravery, would rather flee than be captured by a nefarious band of Kobolds, Orcs, spiders, and more that they might have the misfortune of encountering. 

UI

UI saw the greatest number of implementations, with most of that being focused on usability-related items. New displays were created to show the cost and contents of structures. Displays for status effects, upgrade, and info selection were created. Finally, the diplomacy menu saw its first iteration, although does not presently function yet.