Month Twenty One This month the team finally resolved a significant technical challenge, and have (so far) fixed network determinism. This is the proud (and nervous) conclusion of over a year's work on multiple interrelated systems: lockstep, movement, combat, fog of war, user interface, etc. Additionally, Jamie has integrated weapon art (and many other animations … Continue reading Devblog 32: Synchronisation Solved (for now) →

Month Twenty Tomorrow is the first day for our newest employee (James McDermott). James, Jamie, and I will get together, introduce James to the codebase, and review working practices. In doing so we'll also need to review the codebase and note any necessary refactoring. James is a much needed addition to the team, as a … Continue reading Devblog 31: Hiring Again →

Month Nineteen We often worry about time. Usually it's a gnawing anxiety that we aren't spending hours wisely, or that we might be a few minutes late to something important. But have you ever worried about a millisecond? One friend is a professional athlete, and even he measures success in seconds. Not once have I … Continue reading Devblog 30: The Stopwatch Strikes Back →

Month Eighteen The User Interface (UI) is a critical component of any digital product, whether a website, mobile app, or game. It must be inviting and intuitive, and sometimes what is necessary goes beyond functionality. As an immersive experience, games need to create an ambience for the player. Disco Elysium does a wonderful job of … Continue reading Devblog 29: Manifest Good Vibes (With Good UI) →

Month Seventeen Unlike John Carpenter's movie, this blog post will not be about Ghost Pirates. Chess players have total knowledge of the game state. They know where their opponents pieces are and can plan accordingly. In RTS games it is important that this is not the case. Players must be allowed time to build their … Continue reading Devblog 28: The Fog →