Balancing a tactics game like Mech Armada with lots of parts and monsters is not an easy task. There are some rules of thumb you can use during development to try to get things right but, at the end of the day, the proof is in the pudding. You need to look at how people…
I’ve written before about some of the origins of Mech Armada and some of the meaning behind the game. To really understand the game, I always refer back to a small set of guiding principles. This is what defines Mech Armada’s identity and they help me make decisions during development. In game development circles they…
It’s been a while since I posted. The reason is I’ve been busy releasing Mech Armada in Steam Early Access! You can get it here and this is the trailer we created for the launch.
Thank you to everyone who tried the demo for Mech Armada during the Steam Next Fest! It was a blast! Almost 7,000 people have downloaded the demo and 3,165 have played it as of today. About 2,000 of those played more than 20 minutes, with 159 players spending over 3 hours on the demo. I’m…
Welcome to part 3 on my series about running Lioncode Games. Here are part 1 and part 2. All caught up? We’re talking about scope today. What is scope? It’s not mouthwash. And you don’t use it in your sniper rifle. I mean, it is those things, but in our context scope refers to the…
Welcome to part 2 of this series. Check out part 1 if you haven’t already and are curious about how important money is. Today I want to talk about how I’m managing content for Mech Armada. But first, a story. Game engines are Good In the summer of 2004 I was working at Pyro Studios…
I was going to title this post “how to run an indie studio” but then I realized that I can’t possibly speak to that. I’ve only been running Lioncode Games for a little bit, and everyone’s circumstances are different. So I’ll just talk about my own experience. First, let’s talk about money Whether we like…
Just before I started Lioncode Games I asked a popular Indie developer for their advice: based on the idea for the game that became Mech Armada and my situation, would they start an indie startup to make the game, or look for a job at a well-established studio? He said don’t go indie. I’ve been…
Philosophy Many years ago, I was casually browsing a bookstore’s shelves when I saw a book titled The Simpsons and Philosophy and my curiosity was piqued. As you might expect, the book made several points about philosophy and ethics based on the content of the popular TV show. It’s real, you can find it here….
If it’s true that we are the sum total of our experiences, then Mech Armada should reflect that: as a solo developer I’m fully responsible for the design and all decisions, even if other people contributed to it. I’ve been thinking about this recently and I can recall some moments which I believe helped shape…