Another solid development stretch here. We’ve moved from menu and lobby work into the core systems of the game. Card interactions, AI, objectives, multiplayer flow, and a lot of the glue that holds everything together. Here’s some highlights:
One of the more important quality-of-life features is now in.
When a Deploy ability requires the player to choose between multiple cards (for example, looking at the top of a location or selecting from a set of options), the game now filters and clearly displays only the valid choices. This removes a lot of the mental overhead figuring out what you’re actually allowed to pick.
It’s a small system on the surface, but it makes abilities that involve choice feel much cleaner and easier to use. It’s also helped give us a foundation for several card effects and we will expand it as more abilities are worked on.
This is more internal, but we’ve built a tool that lets us rapidly iterate on the tutorial.
The goal remains the same as last time: a “less is more” approach. We want to teach the two core actions (Lead and Scout) clearly, then get out of the way so players can learn by playing.
This has been a major focus.
Around 30 cards are now fully implemented with working abilities. This includes a mix of straightforward effects and more involved ones. We’re planning to have at least 40 cards ready for the demo, and an update in October that will include another batch of cards.
We’ve continued to update the UI and visual effects in-game, with a recent focus on gameplay events.
This means things like card deploys, ability resolutions, and location bonuses are now triggering new animations, sounds, and fx. We love working on this stuff as it really helps the game feel responsive and satisfying to play
The AI behavior has taken a meaningful step forward.
We’re still early but the foundation is in place. The AI can already participate in full games and make decisions that feel more intentional. This will continue to be refined heavily as we approach the demo.
Several key screens have received significant updates:
Main Menu
House Selection
Board Screen
Settings
Objectives are now tracking correctly, and the game properly transfers players to the end-game / results screen when a match ends.
Alongside the visual and layout work, the score system is now more robust, and House abilities (including both Sovereign token effects and end-game powers) are implemented and functional.
We’ve been working on the main theme. Nothing is final yet, but we’re excited about the direction.
The track features bagpipes and a tuba alongside a synth bass, with electronic additions layered in. The overall direction is walking the line between folky and sci-fi orchestral. We think these classical elements keep it grounded within the space opera.
Card animations and visual effects continue to progress. More cards are being brought to life with the rigging and animation work we showed earlier
We’re working hard on the playable, and we’re still aiming to have something in players hands by early September. The exact timing will depend on how the remaining systems come together.
That’s it! A lot of it is the systems work that turns these features into an actual game. As always, if you have questions about any of this, drop them in the comments or email me directly at [email protected].
https://redrisingnews.beehiiv.com
Derek Day
Co-Founder, Emerald City Games