Lore & War
A grid-based, 3D turn-based tactics game designed as a personal project to explore core mechanics of cinematics, animations, action bars, and board game-inspired combat. Players control a squad of units in strategic battles utilizing different abilities, attack types, and positioning.
- ROLE
- Solo Developer — Design, Programming & Technical Art
- PLATFORMS
- PC (Standalone Build)
My contributions
- 01
Turn-Based Combat System: Developed a grid-based tactical system with unit movement, attack ranges, and turn-order mechanics.
- 02
Action Bar & Ability System: Designed an ability cooldown system, ensuring strategic depth by forcing players to manage their unit actions per turn.
- 03
Cinematic Animations: Created dynamic attack sequences that transition from grid-based movement to close-up combat cinematics.
- 04
AI Pathfinding & Decision-Making: Implemented enemy AI that calculates movement, evaluates attack priorities, and reacts dynamically.
- 05
Environmental Design & FX: Designed battle environments and integrated particle effects, lighting, and sound cues.
Overview
A grid-based, 3D turn-based tactics game designed as a personal project to explore core mechanics of cinematics, animations, action bars, and board game-inspired combat. Players control a squad of units in strategic battles, utilizing different abilities, attack types, and positioning to defeat enemies. The game blends traditional board game mechanics with modern RPG-style elements.
Purpose
Developed as an experimental project, Lore & War was designed to test and refine turn-based gameplay mechanics, tactical AI, character animations, and cinematic battle sequences. The goal was to explore how different board game mechanics could translate into a compelling digital strategy experience.
Core features
- 01
Grid-Based Tactical Combat: Players move units across a board-like grid, planning attacks, defenses, and positioning.
- 02
Action Bar System: Each unit has unique abilities with cooldowns, requiring tactical resource management.
- 03
Cinematic Combat Transitions: When units engage in battle, the camera dynamically zooms in for cinematic action sequences.
- 04
Turn-Based AI Behavior: Enemies analyze positioning, targeting the most vulnerable units or objectives.
- 05
Status Effects & Buffs: Introduced mechanics for poison, burning, freezing, and buffs that persist between turns.
Challenges
- 01
Balancing Tactical Depth: Ensuring gameplay was strategic and engaging without overwhelming casual players.
- 02
AI Complexity: Designing AI decision trees that adapted to different battle scenarios.
- 03
Cinematic Transitions: Seamlessly blending turn-based movement with real-time combat animations without breaking immersion.
- 04
Grid System & Pathfinding: Optimizing tile-based movement for both player units and AI enemies.
Solutions
- 01
Adaptive AI Logic: Developed a hierarchical AI system where enemies prioritize weaker targets, objectives, or defensive strategies.
- 02
Camera Scripting for Cinematics: Created a modular camera system that smoothly transitions from top-down grid view to close-up combat sequences.
- 03
Turn Timer & UI Optimization: Balanced turn speed and UI responsiveness to keep gameplay fluid and engaging.
- 04
Scalable Combat System: Designed a modular battle framework for easy expansion (adding new unit types, abilities, and enemy behaviors).
Accessibility
- 01
Customizable Camera Controls: Supports both free camera movement and auto-follow options for better visibility.
- 02
Clear UI Indicators: Designed high-contrast action bars and visual markers for movement, attack range, and cooldown timers.
- 03
Keyboard & Controller Support: Integrated multiple control schemes for better accessibility.