Status: Aug 2023
Although I only just recently announced Flaregate Network, I’ve already been working on it for quite a few months now. So I thought I would share a bit about how far along things are, and what I’m currently focused on.
The core systems for playing singleplayer matches are done. This includes RTS-autobattler-style unit combat and card game mechanics. You can shuffle up a deck, draw your hand, then play cards against a (very dumb) AI opponent. Then you can watch the battle phase play out as units move out and attack one another.
Unfortunately the art is mostly placeholder right now, which is why I won’t be sharing screenshots or videos for a bit.
I’m currently working on singleplayer content, which will be a major focus for Flaregate Network. There are two big reasons for this choice:
Multiplayer requires the creation of a ton of features and infrastructure, from player account management to managing (and paying for) live servers. As this is my first stand-alone game I think it makes sense to delay that complexity, at least for a while.
I want Flaregate Network to have a rich universe that I can draw from when creating cards and expansions. Working on singleplayer forces me to flesh out story and setting concepts in a very natural way.
My main goal for singleplayer is to make something with a lot of replay value. I’m looking to the roguelike genre for inspiration here.
My current thinking is to use campaigns to tell stories, then have a mode that lets you replay them at varying difficulty tiers with scrambled (and extra) content. This whole concept is early enough in development that it could change drastically though. A common phrase thrown around in early-phase game development is “follow the fun”. If I can’t get this singleplayer idea to be fun, but it leads to a different idea that is fun, I will change course.
Also, it is possible I will release a game that is only singleplayer, at least initially. The jump to multiplayer will take a lot of time and money, so trying to make that jump with no revenue may turn out to be impossible. This decision will also depend on how much the singleplayer content feels like a complete game.
Ultimately, though, my long term goal is to build a multiplayer experience similar to KeyStone. It may just take a while to get there.