"Waaaaake me uuuup, wheeeen September ends"
Feels like it only just begun, but yet here we are, and it's now time for the September edition of Dinolords Monthly!
It has been a month of progress at what feels like a staggering pace, as more and more parts of the game crystalizes and becomes locked in, we are able to focus more and more on making content; levels, buildings, units, improving graphics and visual effects, UI is mid overhaul, and all the while something pretty big is brewing but that will not surface for a few days still. Can not say what it is, other that stay tuned!
One of the major things going into the game is a new way to play a series of levels. Current name is 'Campaign', but that is like everything else subject to change.
The base idea sprung from a desire to create a progression through different levels, but it had to be purposeful and be interesting to interact with. We envisioned levels as a series of pearls on a string, with one or multiple ways to modify or manipulate how a level would play out as you make your way through them.
Introducing the campaign map screen:
The screenshot is of a campaign in-progress, the blue regions are ones the player has conquered and two with red fill are the ones available to choose from to make their next step through the series of levels.
Each of the available regions have unique unlocks in the form of new units etc., and reward amber on completion. When you select a region you get some info on what type of level it is (what game-mode and objectives, along with a letter from the King about what the level is about).
Amber is a resource used to make unlocks for the active campaign, similar to talent- or tech-trees one might be familiar with from other games. How specific details work in terms of permanency vs a more rogue-lite approach is yet to be determined from testing.
This is also where some of the cool building upgrades and unit changes live, along with additional abilities for the player. A Triceratops Lumberyard, a Jobaria Stockpile, an Atrociraptor Hunters Guild and Pterosaur Towers are among the building upgrades that can be unlocked through the Amber Charger.
As we get more and more content added to the game, we also discover new and interesting things that the Amber Charter can be used to unlock.
Another cool thing is the UI is getting a fresh coat of paint, which has both functional and visual implications. Pablo, one of our awesome artists, have been busy making UI elements that fit the fantasy of medieval dinosaurs way more, and so far we got a new minimap and health/ability bar implemented which you can see here:
The minimap has become square and now shows the entire levels (the map itself is a functional placeholder, we are experimenting with having more artistic maps that need to strike a balance between fitting into the aesthetic while remaining deeply functional).
UI is such an integral part of the experience, as it is the one thing that will be present all the time, and the stone-relief and carved dinosaur motifs really help set the tone for how this world feels. While also being, of course, 110% historically accurate!
We've added more dinosaurs to the game! After all, with a title like Dinolords, we got to have as many dinosaurs as possible!
One of the ways we are introducing more dinos is by having an upgraded tier of some buildings, which adds a Jurassic helper to increase production substantially!
Before wrapping up this monthly, let's have a look at three of them, one of which was shown before but is now more polished.
It still feels juuuuust right, the mighty triceratops able to yoink trees right out of the ground and bring them back to be processed at the Lumberyard. What can we say, it just makes sense!
We like to imagine the training that went ahead of the Atrociraptors being able to be hunting companions must have been pretty intense and probably have caused some prey to get eaten go lost. But seeing these magnificent creatures hunt down prey is so satisfying! And they are a lot more efficient than a human hunter!
Carrying materials to construction sites is heavy work, and requires a heavy unit! So the Jobaria seemed like a perfect fit! The fact that it has a long neck that could maybe work as a ladder seems like a handy addition to an already cool function. And having the big sauropod walk around the base is so cool.
I'm sure it's up for some scritches!
That was all for this edition of Dinolords Monthly. It is now October, aka Spooktober, and there's some exciting stuff in the pipelines, ready to be announced very soon so stay tuned!
Until then, hope you all have a nice transition to fall (or spring, depending on your hemispherical alignment).
Catch you in the next one!
-panxter