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Jonas Tyroller25 Feb 2018

Ovus Nova Dev Log - More Control Over Your Units - [Improving the Gameplay]

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
Ovus Nova is shifting from a passive experience to an active real-time strategy framework to increase player agency over unit movement and combat.
02
A new directional cursor system replaces random unit behaviors, allowing players to control unit orientation and attack trajectories.
03
Technical refinements to the mouse-driven control scheme focus on reducing input jitter and scaling visual indicators for improved clarity.
04
Developers introduced directional cues during the unit hatching phase to enable strategic deployment and improve combat efficiency.
05
Unit detonation mechanics have been updated to project attack particles toward the cursor, enabling targeted damage against specific enemies like bosses.
06
The transition from purely random projectile dispersal to a hybrid model of aimed and randomized fire increases the game's overall strategic depth.

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Transcript

hey everybody in this video I'm working on my game almost over and what I want to change is that you have more control over the movement of your units because this is something that you guys have told me quite frequently so what I painted here is some sort of a directional cursor we can use for the mouse a few moments later okay that should in theory already work that's what I love about game maker it's just super quick so we should see a mouse that rotates in the direction we move the mouse in I feel like the mouse jiggles a little too much a few moments later yes now the mouse has a little bit less jiggle personally I want to make the cursor a bit bigger so let's just at the scale of this one to two and then we also need to make the X react to our mouse a few moments later so that was only a couple minutes of work and I hope it works the cars has a big bigger now okay and it's a bit of a problem that the X are rotating now because that adds too much randomness let's just get rid

of the rotation yes that works it's kind of stupid though that when you turn them into X you don't really see in which direction they're oriented okay you can do some really cool strategies with this I think for example now I can send my creatures directly into the middle and while that makes it just so easy to kill the enemies it really bothers me that you can't see the direction they'll hatch them at the beginning when you turn them into X don't really get any good feedback on which direction they're facing in so that needs to change because that field should will do something placeholder II painted deep into the paint a few moments later

hmm let's make this connection here a little longer yes that's awesome all this opens up so many new possibilities that's so cool let's do this Reggie again where they all go to the center [Music] yeah oh that's really fun I think this is a really good change feel so cool let's see what we can do with that in a harder level what if we spread out this in the those directions way it gives you

a little more control but honestly doesn't make it all that much easier damn now what we should try as well is when you detonate a unit that some of the attack particles go in the direction of your mouse a few moments later okay holy holy I'm so curious okay they're flying way too slowly and then what about we do 20 aimed projectiles in the direction swipin and then we keep like 20 random projectiles in a random direction maybe the speech should be a little random you know let's remove those that

are going in random directions again let's go all in you can deal a lot more damage like this sometimes it doesn't really go in the direction you want [Music] but we can fix that what if we decrease the spread even more now we're gonna upgrade this game so much nice so now I can control in which direction both eggs hatch and in which direction they

explode as well yeah can we not maybe have a couple of projectiles in a random direction the boss will be probably so much easier with a mechanic like this you can deal where damage from a distance okay about a detonator too many of them how does this help us here no good this level should be way easier as well because I can focus those things down much easier right I feel like a place actually pretty similar still but you have more control but I think there are some some cool things you can do with this how do you like these changes what do you think about them was a really short video probably what a cool one because we implemented something cool have an amazing day thank you very much for watching make the world your playground

and see you in the next one [Music] [Music]

Summary

The development of Ovus Nova focuses on transitioning the title from a passive experience toward a more active real-time strategy framework. The primary objective is to grant players greater agency over unit movement and combat actions, moving away from random behaviors to allow for deliberate tactical positioning. By implementing a directional cursor system, the development process prioritizes player-driven input, ensuring that unit orientation and attack trajectories align with user intent rather than automated patterns.

Technical iterations involve refining the mouse-driven control scheme to minimize input jitter and scaling visual indicators for better clarity. A significant design challenge addressed is the lack of visual feedback regarding unit orientation during the hatching phase. By introducing directional cues, the game now allows players to strategically aim unit deployment, which directly impacts combat efficiency. Further refinements include adjusting the mechanics of unit detonation, where attack particles are now projected in the direction of the cursor. This shift from purely random projectile dispersal to a hybrid model of aimed and randomized fire significantly increases the player's ability to focus damage on specific targets, such as bosses.

These design adjustments demonstrate a commitment to iterative improvement, emphasizing that small, focused changes to control mechanics can fundamentally alter the strategic depth of a game. While the core gameplay loop remains recognizable, the integration of directional control provides a more responsive and rewarding experience. The findings suggest that providing players with precise tools for unit management effectively bridges the gap between simple interaction and complex strategy, ultimately enhancing the overall engagement and tactical potential of the game.