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Create free accountAttack Mode & Upgrades - Ovus Nova
Key insights
6 takeaways- 01Ovus Nova has pivoted from a reflex-based action game to a tactical strategy title by replacing explosive unit mechanics with a persistent, turret-based combat system.
- 02Combat depth is driven by a tiered upgrade pool featuring specialized options like turret mode for duration, instant attack for burst damage, and attack eggs for defensive utility.
- 03The introduction of unit bouncing mechanics provides additional time for battlefield assessment, intentionally lowering the stress levels of high-intensity encounters.
- 04Tactical variety is further expanded through specific modifiers such as seeker missiles, which allow players to adapt their strategies to varying enemy types and environmental challenges.
- 05The new progression system uses research points, accumulated through idling, to force a strategic trade-off between immediate defensive unit detonation and long-term power-up acquisition.
- 06The removal of active, cooldown-based abilities in favor of passive upgrades has been implemented to streamline the user interface and reduce player cognitive load.
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Transcript
hey this is Jonas making games with you and I made some absolutely massive change so us no but it feels like a completely different game now let's have a look you can turn your units into turrets and this has two advantages it feels more like a strategy game and on top of that it also is a lot more understandable because people know our turrets work in video games it looks more like a usual attack it's not just poof and your unit is gone it's more like okay I'm placing a temporary turret here and you have to be a bit more strategical about where you place them because they keep shooting for a while but wait this is not all because if I let this bar at the top finish here I can choose between upgrades which is a big deal we have three different upgrades we can choose from now it's turret mode instant attack and attack eggs the names are not final yet and also the upgrades are not final yet it's just I just programmed this in real quick to see if this works if there's a Sun turret mode total attack duration of your units is three times as long but
the fire rate is reduced by 50% if you do the math that means they can do plus 50% damage and total instant attack units fire all the shots almost immediately that makes them go more or less back to normal almost like an explosion a little different it's a little more readable because they still go into turret mode for a little bit the last one is also really good attack x.x fire one shot in both direction when they're created if they're destroyed by enemies they fire another shot the return them into X now they shoot when I turn them into X which is really powerful it's very very powerful I can basically kill them by turning my creatures into eggs now let's choose a different upgrade this time instant attack on our way long I got the another upgrade who cares as you can see your units bounce from the screen now I have instant attack and secret missiles now because I got the second upgrade as well that should be really easy now and there's no time pressure at all my units just keep bouncing back and forth so this is
pretty much exactly the same as it was before all the damage is dealt almost immediately and actually these levels here with those fast creatures are a lot harder now because you don't deal all of the damage at once maybe can take turret mode here as you can see my units fire a lot more slowly but they stay there a lot longer they really feel a lot more like defense turrets now and I like this because you have some strategical options now if one of them doesn't work you can try it with another one let's try doing a tech X again they basically deal damage in both directions kind of good oh and I got seeker missiles as well that's nice it's a really different game now the boss feels so different now because you can't
deal all that much damage at once you really have to try to bait it the boss into your shooters as I said feels more like a strategy game the instant explosions was a pretty big action game element actually okay I did it very nice let's go for instant attack again we can clean this up nice and quickly [Music] okay let's go for a tech X bang bang bang let's actually pause for a second here I hope we're gonna be good attacks I
feel like the attacks are little overpowered compared to the app and their upgrades balancing is not important right now [Music] nice now I got seeker missiles but the liver is over what a pity oh no no no no no let's pick turns mode all this much has been the wrong decision [Music] come on you can make it [Music] yes very nice yes actually let me explain how this bar at the top here works because you see here Tier one so that's basically my upgrade level
whenever this bar is full I get to the next tier and I can choose an upgrade I plan on doing at least five or six tiers so you can choose upgrades multiple times and the way this works now is actually that these blue creatures here produce resources or research points however you want to call them and turning your creatures into X subtracts research points that means if you want to get the upgrades you need to idle for a bit you trust me to wait you constantly create new X then you won't get the upgrade so I hope this creates a little bit of a decision either you do what you're always doing trading eggs detonating your units or you're just idling around a bit if you can afford it then you get the upgrade so that's that's the basic idea behind it maybe we'll have to fix a change it up a little bit because I think at the moment this is a little hard to understand oh no it's so annoying when one of them gets through there this time I got them [Music] will that actually defend this one yes
see the bar at the top here is very low now because I read it so many eggs and that United so many units so if I want to get the upgrade I need to wait a little bit but I don't know if I can afford to wait here I want the upgrades give me the upgrades which approach should we take actually I think turret mode is really risky in this level because there are a lot of these little fast creatures you need to kill them quickly turret mode kind of slows your units down the attack rate is reduced but also they stay there for long as though let's actually go for turret mode create a couple of X let's create a turret here ok nothing as long as we have enough turrets this can work out oh we actually did it but you can see what I'm mad I mean you there are so many different strategies you can use now it's really cool and I haven't really shown you the last upgrade but it's also not all that interesting because if you wait all the way to tier
2 you get zeker missiles and they are basically those purple things that follow the enemies so even if I shoot in completely different directions I can kill all enemies which is kind of cool I think I'll have to change the resource system a balloon so it's easier to understand and as you can see I also removed the ability is down here you don't have any activatable abilities because I think the game didn't get enough out of that and the upgrade system I have now is a good replacement for that I think there is a really cool changes also that the units oops bounced inside the room now gives you a bit more time to think and should hopefully make this a little less stressful so yeah guys let me know what you think in the comments and peace out this is a youtube channel about game development and if you're interested leave your comment nulls or Olivia's up and maybe check out these videos right here thank you very much for watching
and I'll see you in the next one okay [Music]
Summary
The development of Ovus Nova has shifted from an action-oriented experience to a tactical strategy game through the implementation of a turret-based combat system and a tiered upgrade mechanic. By replacing the previous explosive unit mechanic with a turret mode, the game now requires players to strategically position units that persist on the field, providing a more readable and deliberate combat flow. This transition emphasizes planning over reflex-based gameplay, forcing players to adapt their tactics based on enemy types and environmental challenges.
The core of this new progression system involves a resource-based tiering mechanism. Players accumulate research points by idling, which are then spent to unlock upgrades. This creates a fundamental tension between immediate defensive needs—such as detonating units to clear threats—and the long-term goal of acquiring power-ups. The current upgrade pool includes options like turret mode, which extends duration at the cost of fire rate; instant attack, which prioritizes burst damage; and attack eggs, which provide defensive utility by firing upon creation and destruction. Additional modifiers, such as seeker missiles, further diversify the tactical possibilities available to the player.
Beyond combat mechanics, the game has undergone structural refinements to improve accessibility and pacing. The removal of active, cooldown-based abilities in favor of the passive upgrade system streamlines the user interface and reduces cognitive load. Furthermore, the introduction of unit bouncing mechanics provides players with additional time to assess the battlefield, effectively lowering the stress of high-intensity encounters. These design decisions collectively transform the game into a more nuanced strategic experience, prioritizing player choice and long-term planning over the previous reliance on rapid, explosive action.
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