A Better Map Editor and Clearer Battles
Threefold Dev: A Better Map Editor and Clearer Battles
Just a small Threefold: The Last Stand update this time.
Most of the recent work has been behind the scenes, specifically on some of the tools I'm using to actually build the game.
A Better Map Editor
The Threefold map editor has gotten another overhaul.
As the game has evolved, so has the amount of information that needs to be stored with each battlefield. Rather than continuing to bolt things onto the original editor, I spent some time cleaning it up and giving myself more control over individual maps.
Also, some features that were previously just part of how the game worked can now be configured independantly.
Board rotation, for example, is now optional.
That gives me a little more flexibility when designing levels.
It's one of those changes players probably won't think much about, but having these options available in the editor makes it considerably easier to experiment with different level ideas without writing special-case code every time.
Whose Paladin Is That?
There has also been a small but important visual change on the battlefield.
The opposing sides now have more distinct colors.
As the graphics have gotten better and more effects have been added, I've found that it's increasingly important to make sure you can glance at the board and immediately understand what belongs to you and what belongs to the enemy.
It sounds obvious, but readability matters a lot in a game where you're constantly evaluating which pieces are threatened, which pieces can capture something, and where you want to move next.
The selection glows, capture indicators and crossed-swords warnings already help with that, and making the two armies more visually distinct is another step in the same direction.
Mostly Little Things
Nothing particularly revolutionary this time.
No new classes.
No giant new gameplay system.
No Priest suddenly discovering another collection of spells.
Just better development tools and some visual cleanup.
But we're at the point where those little changes matter.
The easier it is for me to build and configure battlefields, the easier it becomes to experiment with new ideas.
And the easier it is for the player to understand the board without thinking about the interface, the more they can concentrate on the actual strategy.
Small update, but another step in the right direction.
