anime game

Building A.I.’s, Virtual Currencies, and Collection Mechanics

Building A.I.’s, Virtual Currencies, and Collection Mechanics 1080 1080 andrew

For those who have been following our social media, you may have seen some posts about a side project that we started working on over New Years. MemoryWars: TinyWars is an android game which we built as an experiment, but ended up releasing as a full fledged anime game. You can download it here.

What is this project all about?

Don’t worry, we have not given up on TinyWars. What this project really means to us is the ability for our programmers to work on new features and ideas that we would otherwise not be able to work on with the main TinyWars project. There is no interactive A.I., and up until this point, we had never even considered any sort of collection or virtual currency method for repeat gameplay. (I still don’t think it would be appropriate for TinyWars, but we had the opportunity to experiment with these features in our mini project.)

This is the first A.I. we have ever programmed; it’s quirky, stupid at times, but it works and is fun to battle against!

Now we can’t show off all of it (Not that it’s worth seeing anyways) but admittedly this is some of the sloppiest code we’ve done! …it works… and this is especially good practice for us! Having used some techniques in this project, I have looked back at the original TinyWars Tower Defense Engine and seen some very specific lines of code that could totally be optimized!

Collecting

While the primary objective of this project was to gain experience programming an A.I., collecting was added to the project for the very same reason: experience. We wanted to experience what it might be like to add virtual currency and collecting mechanics into the project. On top of that, the project currently had very little replay value. Play the A.I. a few times and get bored of it (Early players who tried the original android app testified to this in their reviews!)

So we added the collection method to increase replay-ability of the game.

Here’s a screen of the collection room. Currently one of these cards, the most common one, does serve a gameplay mechanic for the game. Now we have had all sorts of ideas on how this game could really be revamped and improved, but we must return to the main TinyWars project. I admit that the downloads of this project on the GooglePlay store are slightly disappointing, and this is probably an indicator that we need to get back to the main project. If people really like this, then we might resume adding the updates and new features to this game.

The “Beat All Levels” card can only be obtained after beating all the levels in the game.

Mysterious Menu

This was a chance for us to experiment with some other interesting elements such as a mysterious looking menu design. I believe when players are first presented with this menu, they will immediately recognize that these are levels which need to be played through. The red cards at the end should spark some curiosity and it might be obvious that these levels are supposed to be “hard” or “boss” levels.

Regardless, there was a good amount of effort and thought that went into the UI design of this mini project in order to present this game as a full fledged project and not just some side project that nobody should care about. We’re not interested in releasing “throw away” projects to the public.

Should I Play It?

Yes. Even though we refer to this as a “side project,” it is still a fully featured, full game worth putting some time into. I feel like my memory has been greatly enhanced simply from playing this game over and over again. And those levels at the end are truly a challenge.

We would be very sad if nobody plays our new game, even if it isn’t the main TinyWars project!!!

Download it here.

TinyWars Demo Production Begins

TinyWars Demo Production Begins 1920 1080 andrew

Today marks the beginning of the TinyWars Demo Production. Previously we had completed our gameplay prototype, which was not 100% representative of the final product. Now we are beginnig to develop the TinyWars Demo which will be as close as possible to the final product, this includes: finished animations, enhanced controls, story cutscenes, and the implementation of the first four levels from the proposed final project.

Starting Development

So what did we accomplish on day 1? Utilizing the project files from our prototype as a base for the final build, we went through and began refining the code and fixing a lot of inefficient code in the game. It was a very tiring and frustrating day and there’s a few more days to come. So while we have not produced any new content to our game, we are refining and bringing it to that higher, commercial quality level of code that one would expect from an ambitious project such as ours. Unfortunately, I foresee these “refining” days as taking up the rest of 2016.

While the prototype might seem like a simple piece of software, there is a LOT that is happening. All of the features have been currently built out, so we aren’t looking to add anything new at this time in terms of technical features, just improving what we have already assembled as our “template” for the final project. I strongly do not wish to add new content to the project until we can refine the technical features of this game as much as we possibly can.

Fan art from Starlipop.

I spent the past few nights, drinking coffee and staying up til 3am ~ 4am improving the prototype as much as I possibly could! Most of it was spent just remembering what some of this code was even doing. Going by, feature at a time, doing my best to convert some functions into reusable scripts and just refining a few other things. I am basically just going down the list of things one at a time, starting with the most pressing issues such as the “summoning circle glitch” which still has a few holes in it. We will get through this phase! It’s for the best!

As we continue to develop and improve the project we will release updated packages for the TinyWars Prototype which was released on PC and Android. (It has not been published to GooglePlay yet, but we have added the highly requested, “double tap to summon” feature.)

Any New Content?

While we have not added any new content to the project build yet, we are still simultaneously working on gathering the assets for the final build. Most of the music for TinyWars has already been established, we will not be spending any more funds on music at this time. (I know a lot of musicians and composers have been messaging us lately since the reception for our prototype was very high on the music side of things.)

This is a WIP of our new menu design by our primary background artist, Chibionpu. This reflects the new “book theme” which I briefly discussed in previous updates. If you notice on the left page, there are various objects taped to it. The leaf with tiny footprints on it is the most obvious, the theme for TinyWars menu system is that of somebody who is obsessed with the “tiny people” and is trying their hardest to gather any scrap of evidence they can! As you unlock new characters, that page will begin to fill up with items associated with the newly unlocked character.

The key with this new demo is to get it as close to as final as possible, and this is why so much time is being dedicated even to the menu system!

*You might have seen an interesting option in this new menu design, a “Multiplayer” item which we will discuss in a future update.

New Character

Who is the “tiny people” obsessed freak who spends her days gathering clues and proof of the existence of tiny people? It is this girl!

This is how much we care about the menu system of our game. This girl, who will not appear in most of the TinyWars main story (in fact she isn’t even alive at the same time, obviously, she is guiding us through the events that happened in the tiny people’s past.) She will be useful in helping to tell the story from the perspective of a “big” person. Since the game will mainly be played by big people, we needed to make sure we had an appropriate “guide” to take us through the game and make it a little more appealing to the average audience.

People who I have pitched this idea to has received it with enthusiasm. I think it’s really going to be a great story telling mechanic.

Where Are Our Priorities?

Some people might look at this, totally revamped menu design and new character exclusively for the menu system, and think that we do not have our priorities in the right place. I hope to alleviate those concerns by reminding everyone that we already built out our gameplay prototype, and rather refined compared to some other early prototypes I’ve seen in the indie game world. The core mechanics and system of the game have been put in place. While we spend time refining them a little bit, I do think it is important to start dressing up this game in a way that is commercially viable.

Bear in mind that there is a lot of small details and things in this game that we are working very hard on, right down to the menu system having its own story! This does not mean our priorities are not in the right place, rather we hope people will see that we are passionate developers who are putting everything we can into this project and not skipping over any details!

Demo Development Timeline

There are a lot of things I can not account for, or predict accurately. TinyWars is not a one man development team, we have many talented artists working every day on this project and, depending on the type of art, it is very difficult to predict accurate completion dates. What I am able to outline for you are our general development goals.

  • Refine the Prototype
  • Implement New Menu System
  • Implement New Interface
  • Implement Overworld Map
  • Build Out Tutorial Level
  • Create First Cutscene
  • Build First Level
  • (Repeat previous two steps for the rest of the levels)

That’s it! The demo should feature 4 highly polished and very refined levels! These should be the first 4 levels from the proposed final project. I can not accurately predict any deadlines for these items at the current moment, however I am hoping that this will be completed around Q3 of 2017. I know it sounds like a long time to develop 4 levels, but there is a lot going into this project and it’s not going to be MPV status, we’re talking about pumping out the most refined demo we possibly can.

Thanks

Thanks for keeping up with the development of TinyWars. Be sure to LIKE our facebook page for smaller updates and posts!

TinyWars Theme Song is Released

TinyWars Theme Song is Released 1920 1080 andrew

This weekend, we have released the official theme song for the game. We hope to begin the transition from our gameplay prototype on to more substantive content relating to the game’s incredible story that will hopefully be a memorable journey for everyone.

However, TinyWars is not all about cute anime girls fighting cute monsters. As you listen to the song, imagine not only the cuteness, but also the journey the characters will go through. Imagine the loss and hardship and the beautiful things they will discover along the way and try to remember that there is a lot more beneath the surface of this game.

Album Cover Artwork

The album cover artwork depicts Mary standing on the sheet music. You can very clearly observe by the sewing needle in her hand (as the conductors wand) and the size of the sheet music, that Mary is a tiny person. We tried to make this cover artwork something that would look very simple and processional, something we could envision as a CD cover for an official music CD.

conductor-mary-2-cc-jpg

The TinyWars Official Soundcloud page can be found here.

conducto-mary-lineart-2

We have a lot more to discuss regarding sound design and how it will help to tell the story of our game, but for now please enjoy our theme song! Be sure to get the latest updates, follow us on Facebook!

TinyWars is NOT Easy! Unit Explanation + Tips!

TinyWars is NOT Easy! Unit Explanation + Tips! 653 579 andrew

Some of the beta testers have noted that the prototype is much more difficult than expected. There are several reasons for this:

  1. Technically the prototype is supposed to take place as the 3rd or 4th real level of the game. It is not supposed to be a “first level” type of level, that would be boring.
  2. TinyWars in general is designed to be challenging! (more details below)

price-comparison

Unit cost difference. Melee is much cheaper!

TIP: There is a reason melee is cheaper, take advantage of it!  

Unit Explanation

Suzu (Melee Unit)

melee-swing-gif

Suzu is one of two units featured in the gameplay prototype. Her attacks are melee, which means:

  • Limited attack radius
  • slow attack speed
  • powerful attacks
  • cheap unit
  • effective against shielded units
  • weak against fast units

melee-range

It is advised that because of her limited range, she should be utilized more often than the range unit (which can cover larger areas of space.)

Unlike Kim, the fire witch unit, Suzu’s range does not increase when she is upgraded.

meleeeeee-range-fully-upgraded

The orange icon on the right side of the unit shows the unit “level.” There is no key for this, when you upgrade the unit and see the icons it should be very intuitive.

TIP: Position Suzu close to the beginning of the path so she can inflict damage to shielded units early in the the wave. You will need to utilize more melee units than range units! 

Kim (Fire Witch – Range Unit)

GIF animation 250px

Kim is a ranged unit, her attack radius is larger than Suzu’s and will increase with every upgrade.

  • Fast attack speed
  • long range
  • high price
  • ineffective against shielded units
  • weak attacks > when upgraded extremely powerful

witch-range

At first, both Kim and Suzu’s range are similar, however after upgrades, Kim’s range will soon span the entire map! (For this prototype level at least!)

witch-range-fully-upgraded

It is advisable to have Kim placed somewhere in the center of the map, so that her ranged attacks can cover the most amount of area.

TIP: During the “TinyWar” segment of the prototype, be sure to put as much resources into upgrading Kim as possible! 

TinyWars is a difficult game!

The game is not designed to be easy. (Though the first levels of the actual game will be more catered to new comers and the next demo will actually have a tutorial level.) This prototype in particular is not designed to be easy: because easy would be boring. However, we hope not to create a game that is frustrating, it should have the right amount of challenge so that it is fun and feels good when you beat it!

This is why beta testing is so important, so we can test the game on technical features, but also receive feedback on the content of the game itself!

TIP: TinyWars is an “active” game, do not think that the units you place at the beginning of the wave need to be set in stone! React, buy/sell during the wave accordingly! 

Retry Wave: The Most Important Feature

Perhaps the most important feature (and glitchy) is the retry wave feature. Because this feature exists, it allows us to create a game that is significantly more difficult than other tower defense games that don’t have this feature.

retry-wave

Games that do not utilize this feature face a dilemma: make the level challenging and if the player fails they have to start from the beginning (frustrating) or make the game easy and it becomes boring after a while!

When the harder waves come up, it is totally acceptable to “retry wave” and try a different strategy! This is what we want. Players can experience the wave the first time around without having to commit to their decisions, as long as they “retry wave” before the wave ends, then they have a chance to replay it and get it perfect!

TIP: Utilize this feature if you are not satisfied with your performance! 

Beta Giveaway

We have received positive feedback on our proposal to enter volunteers who complete the beta testing process (within 2 weeks) into a raffle for a steam gift card. I think it is the least we can do to give back to those who put their time into beta testing our game!

TinyWars Challenge!

If you can beat the gameplay prototype (without using cheats) and capture it on video all the way through with PERFECT HP (10/10), we may consider you for a special prize. Yes you may achieve this by utilizing the retry wave feature! We want video proof though, and if we get an epic reaction or web cam that would be even better but not required!

Good luck everyone!

Gameplay Prototype (Closed Beta) Has Officially Begun!

Gameplay Prototype (Closed Beta) Has Officially Begun! 1004 1075 andrew

The TinyWars gameplay prototype is finally in the hands of beta testers! Wave 1 or “phase 1” of the closed beta testing has begun. This means that the beta is not publicly accessible, but as a trade off, when the beta is released to the public it should be polished and ready for everyone!

Beta Testing “Waves”

How appropriate is it, for a tower defense game, to be tested in “waves?” These waves are divided up based on the volunteers who signed up to be beta testers!

wavvv

Refer to this incredible chart to see the difference in wave sizes. (Sorry, pulled all-nighter to finish the prototype…)

Because there may still be game breaking bugs present in the current beta build, we want the first wave to have a small number of people. We want to inconvenience the smallest amount of people in the event some horrible bug comes up and renders the experience unplayable.

Wave 2: Will have a moderate amount of people, if all game breaking glitches and bugs are taken care of, then we will be primarily concerned with “fun factor” and ways we can address that! (approximately week #2)

Wave 3: After considerations from wave 2 and wave 3, the largest group will be able to play the beta and provide feedback. Minor bugs and visual glitches may be addressed at this point before the gameplay prototype is released to the public! (approximately week #3)

Public Release: If all the game breaking bugs are taken care of and we feel that the fun factor is there, then we will release this exact prototype to the public immediately after Wave 3 is finished beta testing!

Have You Played It Yourself?

Of course… I’ve played it so much that I’m sick of it. What? I can’t be sick of it? I guess the game isn’t perfect unless I can play it a million times without getting sick of it right?? Give me a break!

battle-reportttt

This is my battle report. (I have censored out the map because I do not want to reveal my unit placement.)

I have played through the beta one final time before releasing it to the beta testers and have proved that it is indeed possible to beat the beta with a perfect score!

10/10 means that I took no damage. We only grade our players on the final castle health. We don’t rate your gameplay on units, unit diversity, or spending efficiency like some other tower defense games. In TinyWars, the ends justify the means. Do whatever you have to do to end up with a perfect 10/10, you will get your 3 stars!

How do I sign up?

Message TinyWars Game on the official facebook page with your name and email address and you will be added to the beta testing roster! The roster has filled up quite quickly, so you may be added to Wave 3 until Wave 3 becomes so full that we might have to reject some signups.

https://www.facebook.com/TinyWarsGame/

 

TinyWars UI and Animations Update April 2016

TinyWars UI and Animations Update April 2016 1280 720 andrew

Back in February, we teased this gameplay render (pictured below). A lot of people thought the witches were cute and the lighting effects were on par.

This is a test level containing various objects and a basic path structure for testing various features.

Bright World Render 1D

Of course deep down inside, I always had this anxiety that I didn’t really know what to do with the game’s UI. (buttons that appear around the screen.) And a huge problem when working on a project is not knowing the next step!

Clearly it was in a testing phase (look at that potion bottle), but the truth was that I had no idea how I was going to make the UI cute and unique, and not generic like so many other games.

Not that the game’s UI is going to revolutionize it or anything, but having a UI that “fits the theme” really helps make the game more recognizable, iconic, and less “generic.”

New GUI

It is now the middle of April and we finally have a presentable UI and much improved graphics! (Those enemies are test dummies don’t worry!)

Test Lvl1 Composition

TinyWars Test Level Update 4/15/16

I think with this new look we accomplish two things, namely:

  • Cute GUI that fits the “tiny” theme.
  • It is easy to understand without explaining it. Language barriers are minimal!

But that’s not all!

Animations

Yes we have implemented an animation system that really brings the game to life! The video above is a funny glitch we came across when working on this feature.

What’s that ladybug in the corner you ask? You’ll find out once we’ve implemented it.

Demo Coming…

Thanks for staying up to date with the TinyWars development.

We’ll have much more exciting announcements once we get closer to launching the fist gameplay demo! When will it be ready? I don’t know… I don’t want to release it until it’s absolutely presentable to the public.