Dev Diaries: Traversing the maps of Cryptonia
A while back, we announced that quite a bit of work has been planned for the in-game combat mechanics that we envisioned. Lo and behold, we have finally dabbed into this with the heat and passion of Cryptonian Suns; if you listen closely, you can hear the passionate shouts of developers in the background. We assure you that making and breaking the game’s mechanics is a fun pastime activity!
Introducing the next Game Mode
Up until this point, Hash Rush has been taking up an acceptable RTS form. Now, we are looking into making it a genuinely entertaining and diverse RTS game by adding the first of many new layers to the gameplay experience.
The first step towards this goal is the implementation of dungeons, that’s right, we are getting ready to incorporate them into the game, giving you even more fun ways to pass your in-game time. Integrating the dungeon system will undoubtedly be a big undertaking, but such is the way of development, of course, in the end, it will all be worthwhile!
Difficult as it may be, as our developers have told us: ‘So far, so good!’
Dungeons
As you may have seen from some recent teasers, the initial dungeon mechanics have been set, and (touch wood) things seem to be working well. For those of you that haven’t seen, here’s what we’ve shared.
What you see here is the first layout of dungeon maps. Unlike the standard mode maps, dungeons focus on narrow passageways, with the occasional larger room, (can you guess what you will find in these larger rooms?) That said, this is the first map, so what you’ll see in our next play session will be different, so rest assured, we are going well beyond what you see to ensure that the entire dungeon adventure on Cryptonia is worth the time invested.
As our game designer told us, getting the first maps is fine, seeing the mechanics work is great, but now we need to make sure that everything is as fun as intended, yes, this is an actual quote from our Game Designer!
So, the initial foundation has been laid well, but we are taking extra care to create an engaging and rewarding experience! After all, what good is a working concept if it’s not fun?
Note: We’ll share more details on how dungeons actually work soon!
Improving the Standard Mode
It’s not just dungeons that we’re working on, the standard game mode is receiving a lot of work as well. From our recent playtest, we received a lot of feedback talking about the challenges of defending one’s base. What’s more, as the AI in the playtest was supposed to be our easy mode, quite a few players raised concerns about what normal and hard mode would look like.
With that in mind, this week we focused on adding defensive buildings, walls, and gates. Our intention is that these buildings will provide players with more defensive options, allowing them to balance offensive and defensive operations while they play. After all, no one likes to micromanage a brilliant raid on an enemy camp, just to find their base almost entirely destroyed.
The work was not just to provide players with these buildings, but also to create a system where they neatly snap in place once built, allowing players to plan their bases more precisely. Not only that, but we’ve solved a lot of the issues that caused units (both player and enemy) to get stuck behind towers. With all that in mind, we’ve got to end this section with a huge thanks for all your thorough feedback, as it helped us to see the pain points and really work on fixing them.
Can you see me? Work on the Vision System!
Regarding the extensive work on improving Hash Rush’s already implemented combat mechanics, this time, we are adding another layer (literally) of a challenge to the classic on-map combat and exploration. The vision system has been expanded and now includes the height aspect! This change will bolster the strategy of every combat engagement, so be careful — the difference in the height of terrain will impact what you see through the fog of war, and thus how a skirmish plays out.
Now add completely new map options to that, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for hours of diversified gameplay!
Planets, Biomes, and more!
Limiting players’ in-game experience to only a single type of biome is truly a shame, but (as we’re sure that you know) we have always planned to have multiple planets and biomes.
Because of this, we have begun sending Ernacks to other Cryptonian planets, tasking them with exploring planets that are home to biomes much different from those you’re used to. What will new biomes bring to the table? Well, we have to leave some good news for future articles. Sit back, relax, and we will get back to you about it.
One thing is for sure, however. The world of Hash Rush is on its way to becoming more vibrant — and detailed, too! While working on new environments, we are simultaneously adding some new textures and environmental set pieces to the existing maps, all with the aim of making the maps all that more visually pleasing.
To the Skies!
Let’s top off our first Dev Diary article with something very cool? In their time of outstanding development, the race that preceded the Ernacks (the Trinell) possessed numerous technological wonders. Unfortunately, in the aftermath of the Crystal Storm, much of this technology was (temporarily) forgotten. Luckily for the Ernacks, the ingenuity that they possessed before their de-evolution survived, and over time the Ernack commanders were able to re-discover many of their old technologies. These are now being added to the game, with two flying units being our first major focus.
The design for these flying devices was inspired by the world around us: One type of these units has been inspired by the light and clean shape of a balloon, while the other two present a more dynamic form of a bird — more accurately, a macaw parrot!
It’s question time now, and we’ve got two for you.
- Can you tell which type of macaw our designers used as inspiration?
- What sort of attack animation do you think these two units will have?
You are now likely thinking of ways that flying units (such as these two) can enrichen your gameplay strategies, after all, flying units offer you an all-new dimension.
However, if you still need a little something to get you really excited about this addition, here it is: One of the planned macaw-inspired units is a hero! Did we get your attention? Good! If anything, it will keep you guessing until next time when we will bring you more up-to-date news from the dev corner.
Until then, let us know what you think! Which update are you looking the most forward to?
