Update: Alpha 0.1.1-0.1.2

Sorry to say this DevLog was delayed a bit, got side tracked working on bug fixes and new content concepts. This build was a major re-work of the UI and UX of Project Daedalus. So what brought about this overhaul?

Well as the saying goes, I was too close to see the forest through the trees. Taking a step back and reviewing player feedback, it became obvious that my approach to the player controls and UI was much more suitable for an RTS than it would for my tower defense game, even with it's unique mechanics. It was overcrowded and over complicated. This seemed so obvious to me now, but didn't realise it before I took a step back to take a look and get some feedback. I then got cracking on the overhaul!

My first step was to simplify the controls. I decided to ditch all of the buttons and instead use mouse clicks directly. Now players will left click a build location to open the build menu and select an option, once built, a left click on the tower will add a power charge to it, and a double click will overcharge the tower (new use of the power, will go into this shortly). And a right click will open small menu with options to sell and in the future, upgrade the tower. Now all the buttons are not needed, and a huge chunk of the UI can be ditched. Even better, this new system is much faster to make decisions and supports the strategic management of power in the game.

Working on the cumbersome UI lead me to realise another system could be streamlined and would better support the desired game experience. So began the overhaul of the power system! Currently managing the power required you to turn towers on and off when needed, and overcharging required extra power and would disable the towers afterwards. This is slower and more punishing than it should be. Say hello to the new system! Now there are no limits on towers powered, no limits of overcharges, and no punishment for overcharging. Now the power simply generates "charges" that you use to power the towers for a limited time, overcharging requires no additional power but drains the towers twice as fast. The amount of charges is limited but generators still play a massive role here, building generators increase this limit and decrease the charge rate!. This overall improves two main things, first it removes even more UI!. Second it is faster to use and supports the strategic management. 

All in all I believe this update supports the game feel much better than previously. Which is a tower defense that requires more constant strategy, planning, topped with fast and somewhat chaotic gameplay to keep players on the edge. This will continue to evolve of course, but I feel we are on the right track!. Looking forward to feedback and fixing any new bugs, and more excitedly, more content for future updates.

Enjoy!

James