Patchwork Battle - A new Crafting-Sim / RPG currently In Development

[jlach]

Hi everyone,

I had been working on a project called Vilotto which, due to life events, got put on hold (you can read about it here: http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=87197). Due to new time constraints I have decided that I would instead work on completing my "other" game idea. So with that said, I'm coming once again to touchArcade to talk about the new game, get some feedback, and generate some discussion around it.

Concept
The concept and design philosophy behind Patchwork Battle is "Build your party". Now, when I say "build your party" I don't mean chose from a predetermined list of 6 characters and go on your marry way. Instead, I quite literally mean build your party (more on this later).

Once you have your party built you then use them to enter the arena and fight wave after wave of baddies. The battle system is your typical Turn Based RPG battle system, utilizing an ATB (Active Time Battle, see here: http://finalfantasy.wikia.com/wiki/Battle_Systems#Active_Time_Battle) battle system. After each wave of baddies is defeated you can either continue on to the next wave or go back to your lab to upgrade and/or build more mimics.

Build Your Party
So remember when I said "Build your party"? Yeah, let's talk about that because it's a vital part to Patchwork Battle and is, in my opinion, probably the coolest part to boot.

You are in charge of assembling your party of mimics to defeat the endless wave of baddie mimics coming after you. This is done by collecting mimic body parts, hearts, souls, and memories and putting them together to create your mimic. Essentially, instead of crafting your weapons and armor you are crafting your party member. It should be noted that there is no equipment in the game. Everything is tied to the body parts, hearts, souls, memories, and upgrade crystals of the mimic.

Build-A-Mimic
So now that you have a brief introduction, let's get into a little more detail on this. Mimics require a head, a body, 2 arms, 2 legs, and a heart. Each and every body part has some stats attached to it (HP, STR, DEX, etc). The stats for your mimic are determined based on the sum of it's parts (plus any synergy points).

The heart of the mimic determines the mimics base class. There's a lot more to it than that, however. Each body part also has a Class attached to it. The 8 starting classes are: Mage, Sorcerer, Priest, Druid, Warrior, Knight, Rogue, and Archer. Each part also has a class value assigned to it (hearts are assigned a value of 3, body and head are assigned a value of 2, while arms and legs are assigned a value of 1). The higher the class value of a class the stronger that classes skills and bonuses will be.

So looking back at the previous paragraph you may have realized that you can mix and match classes. You're not stuck with having just a Warrior. You can have a Mimic with the heart, head, body, and legs of a Warrior but the arms of a Mage. So you now have a Battlemage, of sorts.

That was a great segue to the next nuance of the "Build-A-Mimic" shop, which is the ability to unlock an additional 8 mimic classes through building mimics. By combining certain classes together within your mimic you may unlock a new class (Example: Warrior + Mage = Battlemage). When you've unlocked a new class you will be informed and you will have to dismantle your mimic, losing all of the parts you used to build it*, in order to collect it's heart. Classes are sublcassed (ie: Battlemage can use parts from Warrior and Mage and get full bonuses from both).

My mimic is souless!
Actually, no he's not... unless you want him to be, that is. Okay, so that was a pretty bad segue. I apologize for that.

As you advance through the waves of baddie mimics you will, without a doubt, find some souls. These souls can be put into your mimics to give them a personality. The personality of your mimic will provide it with bonuses in certain situations. For example, a mimic with a "Courageous Soul" will get a +DEF bonus when put in the front line.

Souls are reusable, meaning you can have the same soul in multiple mimics. If you remove the soul from a mimic it's not lost. In simpler terms - once you find a soul it's forever usable. This is huge because it's opened up the door for a neat nuance to the battle system.

Mimics on your same team who share the same soul will be "Soul Linked". Soul Linked mimics provide bonuses to each other, depending on the soul. For example, two mimics with the "Courageous Soul" may share damage with each other, meaning when one mimic gets attacked it takes some of the damage and the other mimics take some of the damage (i.e: 2 linked mimics will take 50% damage each, 3 will take 33% each, etc).

Amnesia?
Mimics don't have Amnesia, silly! They don't have any memories because you haven't given them any memories, yet. You are in control of them, remember. What they have, or lack, is all up to you.

I have not fleshed out the memory system completely yet but I will say this - Mimics can be given memories which will determine which skills they have available to them. Memories can be unlocked by defeating baddies and/or leveling up current skills.

* I'm not sold on the idea of losing parts yet. Just something I'm tinkering with!


And there you have it, a brief overview of my new current project. As always, please provide as much feedback and ask as many questions as you'd like. The more I can flesh out the above details with suggestions from the community the more I can assure you guys that the game will be what YOU want, not only what I want.

I should note that the initial release of Patchwork Battle will be for the iPad only. I hope to follow the release soon afterwards with an update that makes the game universal. I'm currently targeting a December 1, 2011 release date but hoping I can finish it a little quicker than that! :)

Many thanks for reading!

[FelixGSTLA]

I really like the idea of the entire party building premise. I just hope there's a large variety of parts available.

A few questions:
-Is this game going to be more of a battle-focused game or a more story-focused one?
-How will battle encounters work in this game? Will the game have a random encounter style battle system, or are you planning a different type of system?
-What kind of graphics are you planning to use for the game?

Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing how this game turns out!

[jlach]

I really like the idea of the entire party building premise. I just hope there's a large variety of parts available.

A few questions:
-Is this game going to be more of a battle-focused game or a more story-focused one?
-How will battle encounters work in this game? Will the game have a random encounter style battle system, or are you planning a different type of system?
-What kind of graphics are you planning to use for the game?

Anyways, I'm looking forward to seeing how this game turns out!

Thanks for the reply!

Answering your "I just hope there's a large variety of parts available." comment is a prefect time for me to talk a little more detail about the parts.

But before I get into that I want to talk about "Memories", which were mentioned briefly in my original post. I have decided to scrap the idea of "Memories" and handle skills differently (thanks to a suggestion from my brother). I'll talk about this in the next paragraph or two.

There are a total of 8 parts available for use when building a mimic: Heart, Soul, Head, Body, Arm (x2), and Leg (x2). Each part has a class assigned to it and a set of stats attached to it that's appropriate for that body part and that class. What I mean by that is, a leg with the class of Rogue will have more Dexterity than the head of a Rogue. This makes sense because a Rogue uses it's legs for most of it's movement.

Parts also have skills attached to them. These skills are, once again, appropriate for the body part and the class. The leg of a Rogue may have the skill "Dodge" attached to it because dodging is done with the feet, while the arm of a Mage may have the skill "Fire" attached to it because Fire is cast through the staff being held in that arm. Make sense?

I'm going to sidetrack for a moment and talk a little about skills. Skills are your typical skills you see in every RPG. They do damage, heal, buff, etc. Skills in Patchwork can level up. The more you use the body part that has that skill (ie: the more you use the skill) the stronger that skill (and body part!) gets. Body parts can have multiple skills attached to them. Some skills will require certain conditions to be met before they become usable. For example, "Quick Reflexes" may require the mimic be equipped with two Rogue legs before it becomes usable. Likewise, the spell "Mega Flare" may require 6 Mage parts before it becomes usable.

Now back on topic of parts. Parts have quality not unlike you see in the average RPG - White, Gold, Blue, Purple, Orange. The higher the quality the better the stats on the part.

Part drops are semi-randomly created. The lower quality parts will be randomly generated based on a set of criteria I set. Once you start getting into the Purple and Orange colored parts, those are not randomly generated but instead set by me. I expect to have well into the hundreds (maybe thousands!) of different parts at release. The only challenge to this, for me, is going to be attaching skills. I cannot expect to have hundreds or thousands of different skills, which means each part cannot have a unique skill. Maybe only some parts have skills. Not quite sure on this yet.

So there's a little more detail on the parts. I hope that helped to answer at least some of your concern on the number of available parts to mess with. Now to answer your other questions -

- The game is battle focused (after the building of the mimics, that is). That way it plays out is not all that unlike Battleheart, except turn based. You build your party and enter the arena. From there you fight wave after wave of baddie mimics and collect loot. After each wave you can go back to your lab and tweak your party. You can always start off at the beginning of the wave you left at. Of course you can go back to the previous waves as well. I have not set a limit for the number of waves yet but I expect it to be high, maybe endless. Oh yeah, there will eventually be Multiplayer battles as well. This may not make it into V1.0 but def. V2.0.

- I think the above should have answered your second question as well. If not, let me know and I'll expand on it.

- The graphics will be 2D. I'm working with an artist to finalize the style. What we do know is that each class will have it's own material. Any part with the Rogue class will be made of brown leather, a Knight will be steel, a Wizard red cloth, etc. When you put your mimic together it will look like a patched together thing where nothing matches (assuming you mix and match classes).

I should have a small demo of the Build-A-Mimic to show off the next few weeks :)

[jlach]

Just wanted to share the first piece of concept art with everyone. What we see here is the Wizard class, built out of cloth.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Concepts/Patchwork_Concept_Wizard.jpg

As I mentioned earlier - the hat, arms, body, and legs (not visible) of this Wizard can be taken off and mixed and matched with the other classes to create some really crazy looking mimics. The other classes will also be made out of materials fitting for that class, i.e: Metal for Warrior, Leather for Rogue, etc.

I hope ya'll enjoy the first concept! Brian McDonaugh did a great job on this! =)

[Bitsandpixeltester]

Just wanted to share the first piece of concept art with everyone. What we see here is the Wizard class, built out of cloth.

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Patchwork_Concept_Wizard.jpg

As I mentioned earlier - the hat, arms, body, and legs (not visible) of this Wizard can be taken off and mixed and matched with the other classes to create some really crazy looking mimics. The other classes will also be made out of materials fitting for that class, i.e: Metal for Warrior, Leather for Rogue, etc.

I hope ya'll enjoy the first concept! Brian McDonaugh did a great job on this! =)

As an art instructor I am in love with this. Keep up the amazing work! I really love how this is developing in front of our eyes. Brian did such a great job portraying texture with vibrant colors. Beautiful!

[jlach]

And now for some more concepts!

Priest, made out of Cloth.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Concepts/Patchwork_Concept_Priest.jpg

Archer, molded with Leather.
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Concepts/Patchwork_Concept_Archer.jpg

Knight, ready to protect your party in his armor made of.... tin foil! rawr!
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Concepts/Patchwork_Concept_Knight.jpg

[jlach]

And one more.. A taste of what one of YOUR mimics might look like =)

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Concepts/Patchwork_Concept_Mismash.jpg

[nao]

This all sounds very cool and I love the concept of deep customization in party building. All there is left is to see it in action. I'm curious to see how the animation (attack / skill casting) would look on these characters made out of materials.

Be sure to add tons of weapons and accessories to further customize the skills of characters, and also make sure the skills provide some kind of a synergy between characters and items. ie. the addictive power of battleheart.

Anyway I wish you the best of luck in this project and hopefully it would look great. And also a Universal app would be good too :)

Cheers

[jlach]

This all sounds very cool and I love the concept of deep customization in party building. All there is left is to see it in action. I'm curious to see how the animation (attack / skill casting) would look on these characters made out of materials.

Be sure to add tons of weapons and accessories to further customize the skills of characters, and also make sure the skills provide some kind of a synergy between characters and items. ie. the addictive power of battleheart.

Anyway I wish you the best of luck in this project and hopefully it would look great. And also a Universal app would be good too :)

Cheers

I'm in the process of building the Build-A-Mimic system. I should have some early rough demos ready in the next few weeks. It's turning out to be really cool.

As for part drops.. I'm not going to get into the loot system I created but I will say that there will be PLENTY of drops. While some parts may not be completely unique there will def. be enough variety.

As for animations, you're going to have to wait and see on that. I have something really neat designed out but I'm not ready to talk about it (or show it) yet. It does, however, play off the strengths of the artwork and really adds to its charm.

Also, thanks for your suggestions and comments! =)

[denlor]

Man ! look great and i love the concept ! If you need beta tester i will be in! I am using an Ipad 2 =)

[jlach]

Man ! look great and i love the concept ! If you need beta tester i will be in! I am using an Ipad 2 =)

Thanks for the comment and offer! I'll keep you in mind when I'm ready to release my alpha and beta versions to testers.

In the mean time, here's another concept for you guys. This one's a Druid, who specializes in healing over time and buffs. One of my favorites thus far :)

http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Concepts/Patchwork_Concept_Druid.jpg

[jlach]

One last post to get the final concepts out for everyone to drool over =) Brian did a tremendous job on these, if I do say so myself! I'm so in love with the Sorcerer mimic. It's just.. money =)

All Classes
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Concepts/ClassesMarked.png

All Weapons
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l64/jaylach/Patchwork%20Battle/Concepts/WeaponsMarked.png

My next post (minus replies, of course!) will be a video of the Build-A-Mimic system in early alpha =) Stay tuned for that!!

[FitzKreiner]

These are gorgeous. If you manage to capture a scintilla of the artworks character were in for a visual treat. The concept sounds rather nifty too: a really interesting twist on the loot drop/equip system.

My one personal suggestion is that it needs a suitably strong story/campaign mode. Whether serious, or Tongue in cheek would be your decision. Marvellous if you could tie the story in with the visual look though. Medieval Toy Story or some such. Naff idea but the idea of the quest could encompass finding their true origins/owner/overthrowing the overlord. It would certainly fit with the 'Mr Potato Head' loot system.

But, grandmother, you know how to suck eggs. ;-).

I'm up for beta testing too. And scripting too, you'd think from the above. ;-). Silly earnest me, just the idea is, well, top! ;-)

Tom

[jlach]

These are gorgeous. If you manage to capture a scintilla of the artworks character were in for a visual treat. The concept sounds rather nifty too: a really interesting twist on the loot drop/equip system.

My one personal suggestion is that it needs a suitably strong story/campaign mode. Whether serious, or Tongue in cheek would be your decision. Marvellous if you could tie the story in with the visual look though. Medieval Toy Story or some such. Naff idea but the idea of the quest could encompass finding their true origins/owner/overthrowing the overlord. It would certainly fit with the 'Mr Potato Head' loot system.

But, grandmother, you know how to suck eggs. ;-).

I'm up for beta testing too. And scripting too, you'd think from the above. ;-). Silly earnest me, just the idea is, well, top! ;-)

Tom

Thanks for the kind words Tom! The ultimate goal here (of myself, and the artist) is to tie everything into this "hand-made" look. From the story, to the backdrops, down to the UI.

The UI, while not yet built, has already been conceptualized. We're going to basically be using a construction paper look (once again, using real construction paper) for all the elements. These elements are going to look glued onto the screen. It's going to be rather neat, I think =)

As for a story, I have sketched out a rough scenario that helps paint the picture of why you're fighting endless wave after wave of Mimics. The basic premise goes like this -

You are an aspiring Animator. An animator is someone who's been trained in the art of building Mimics (basically, dolls) and bringing them to pseudo-life. Mimics aren't really alive. They have a heart but it doesn't beat. It's only purpose is to provide just enough energy to the Mimic so that it can move (barely!).

Your Animator mentor has convinced you to compete in the worldwide Mimic tournament named, you guessed it, The Patchwork Battle. The game follows the animator through the rounds in the first portion of the tournament (the Arena, hence why the final game name will be Patchwork Battle: Arena). You will compete against people you don't know, your school bullies, and maybe even your friends.

The purpose of the Arena? To defeat each and every challenger while trying to come out with the highest score (you get points for wining a wave, lose points for being defeated in a wave.. simple really!). There are no rules about defeat. If you get defeated you must go back to the drawing board and figure out how to defect your current challenger (wave) before you can advance.

As I said, a simple story. It will be laid out in short dialogs and text cut scenes. It's only here to provide some motivation behind fighting Mimic after Mimic. That is, if the loot isn't enough motivation for you already :D

[jlach]

Just checking in. Development is moving along at a pretty good pace, which is good news :)

We've taken a slight breather the day to evaluate if maybe a technology switch is in order. We are looking at moving away from cocos2d and into Unity3d (though still using it for 2d). There are various reasons for our consideration of this, the foremost being the ability to easily target multiple platforms (iOS, Mac, Windows, Web, Android, etc). While Patchwork may never get out on any platform other than iOS, it's nice to know there's the ability to take over to almost any other platform.

I will continue to keep you all posted with progress :)

In the mean time, here's the Druid as seen in game :D

http://gafarcade.com/patchwork/images/druid.png

[ventonburste]

I'm all giddy with excitement about this. A couple of the replies to this seem to be from people who I think only skimmed your original post about the game. I really hope that you either do make this windows compatible because I only have a iTouch 2g and it doesn't sound like it'll be able to run your game being that your developing it for Ipad. I'm really hopeful that you go more in depth with the story than it sounds like you are because story is what tends to drive me to play all the way through a game. If your afraid of scaring off the more casual players you could consider making the story optional by way of unlockable pages (picture a pop-up book). Also this sounds like something with ALOT of room for expansion content. Lastly I'd say you could really benefit from throwing a page up for this on http://www.kickstarter.com/


I'm anxiously awaiting more news about this project!!

[araczynski]

definitely a unique concept, art looks great, especially when enjoyed on the bigger ipad screen.

can't wait to see some nice crimson red cloth blood spurting out! especially in different cloth styles :)

definitely will keep an eye out for this one. good luck!

[Squeaker]

Oh noooo, I'm going to be all over this game when it's out and spending all my time with it. Craft and RPG sound like a wonderful match and have struck a chord with the feminine part of me.

[DaviddesJ]

Sounds good, the most important/difficult aspect of this sort of game, in my opinion, is how to create the proper level of challenge for very different players. You have casual players who don't want anything very hard, and you have strategy gamers who want a challenge.

[araczynski]

Sounds good, the most important/difficult aspect of this sort of game, in my opinion, is how to create the proper level of challenge for very different players. You have casual players who don't want anything very hard, and you have strategy gamers who want a challenge.

could be just as simple as tying the difficulty slider to an HP multiplier, and/or health potion drops, or maybe even higher/faster spawns, and/or meaner bosses, or some combination.

[jlach]

First off, thank you everyone for the replies and showing interest! I was starting to wonder if the idea wasn't good enough (I was building Patchwork either way, even if it wasn't good enough! hahah) =)

... I really hope that you either do make this windows compatible because I only have a iTouch 2g and it doesn't sound like it'll be able to run your game being that your developing it for Ipad ...[/url]

The biggest reason for us (well, me, hah) taking the time to evaluate Unity is because of it's cross platform offerings. The same core code can be used across Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Web Browser, Xbox, Wii, PS3. That's not saying I won't need to make platform specific code changes, but Unity makes it a lot easier by giving you A LOT of reusable parts. No complete rewrite is what I'm getting at :P

This does not mean I'll be taking the Unity route out of the gate. We may see Patchwork released for iOS first and then later ported to Unity. I have not made a decision on this yet. However it's safe to say that, one way or another, there will hopefully be a non-iOS version of Patchwork available.

Sounds good, the most important/difficult aspect of this sort of game, in my opinion, is how to create the proper level of challenge for very different players. You have casual players who don't want anything very hard, and you have strategy gamers who want a challenge.

To be quite honest, I'm not aiming for both audiences separately. Instead my aim is really at the Casually Hardcore players. A good example of what I mean here is Dungeon Raid. The game is very easy to pick up and play. The game starts out pretty easy and slowly scales in difficulty. Eventually, the casual players drop out (gets too hard for them, they die, etc) and the hardcore players keep going. The casual players can always come back and play again.

There are two things that I think are really great about that approach - 1) You can get, and keep, the casual "I don't want anything too hard" players. They can still play the game for a while before it gets too difficult. and 2) Your casual fanbase slowly becomes better and better at the game, advancing further each game. This keeps them coming back and playing.

You're going to see this type of system and scaling in Patchwork. The first bunch of waves will be fairly easy. As you progress the waves will get harder and harder.

I do, however, plan on doing some things targeted for the different playerbases. For instance, Patchwork is def. going to have a difficulty setting that can be changed on the fly (unless you're in the middle of a battle). I am also working on designing out a "hint" system where you can have the game provide strategy tips during battles. These tips will either come from the system (i.e, it knows what it would do in this situation) or from a "Social Hint Service" that I'm debating building into the game. Haven't decided yet :)

Keep the comments, input, and suggestions coming. I love reading what people think and what they want to see.

[ventonburste]

I'm interested in some sneakpeaks of the enviroment art I'd like to see some stone textured stone walls, plastic wrap for water etc.

[araczynski]

I'm interested in some sneakpeaks of the enviroment art I'd like to see some stone textured stone walls, plastic wrap for water etc.

good idea. sounds like visually it'll be a winner. just that gameplay issue to deal with now :) curious how it all rolls together.

[jlach]

I'm interested in some sneakpeaks of the enviroment art I'd like to see some stone textured stone walls, plastic wrap for water etc.

We have not yet settled on a style for the backgrounds. We are 50% for using the same style as the characters and 50% against it, going with something a little different that still complements the design of the sprites.

Our concern is doing too much of the same thing may cause the sprites to really lose their appeal. We're testing ideas out though, so we should have a direction relatively shortly.

My goal is to get a couple short videos uploaded tomorrow to show off the animation system we're going with. I really want to get people's feedback on it. I love the way it looks but I'm not sure how everyone else is going to feel about it.

[ventonburste]

Yeah about ten minutes after I posted that I started thinking it might be overkill you going to probably want backgrounds less vibrant colors so that the characters will stand out.

I also want to say thank you. I'm a writer, not a video game writer just a writer and you've really helped kick start my imagination

[DaviddesJ]

To be quite honest, I'm not aiming for both audiences separately. Instead my aim is really at the Casually Hardcore players. A good example of what I mean here is Dungeon Raid. The game is very easy to pick up and play. The game starts out pretty easy and slowly scales in difficulty. Eventually, the casual players drop out (gets too hard for them, they die, etc) and the hardcore players keep going.

I don't really understand how this is similar, but maybe I'm not understanding your concept. In Dungeon Raid, you start over and over from scratch (essentially). So the difficulty is based on how far you get each time, before starting over. In your game, it sounds like you keep unlocking new stuff, but you never start over. Unless I'm really not understanding.

[jlach]

Yeah about ten minutes after I posted that I started thinking it might be overkill you going to probably want backgrounds less vibrant colors so that the characters will stand out.

I also want to say thank you. I'm a writer, not a video game writer just a writer and you've really helped kick start my imagination

You're most welcome!

I don't really understand how this is similar, but maybe I'm not understanding your concept. In Dungeon Raid, you start over and over from scratch (essentially). So the difficulty is based on how far you get each time, before starting over. In your game, it sounds like you keep unlocking new stuff, but you never start over. Unless I'm really not understanding.

You did not misunderstand. You will never start over in Patchwork. However, if you ever hit a point where the wave is to difficult for you to beat, you can drop the difficulty setting down. If you feel that you're getting better and want more of a challenge, you can increase the difficulty.

So while you will never start over (you're always progressing), you can tweak your difficulty settings to keep the game enjoyable for you and keep you moving forward. I should also note that the difficulty system I've designed out is more than just "Easy, Normal, Hard". This is a game about customization and experimentation, and the difficulty sliders keep that same feel.

[DaviddesJ]

So while you will never start over (you're always progressing), you can tweak your difficulty settings to keep the game enjoyable for you and keep you moving forward.

So you never run out of content? There's always more to do? Or you can keep trying the same challenges but at higher difficulties?

[jlach]

So you never run out of content? There's always more to do? Or you can keep trying the same challenges but at higher difficulties?

I'm hesitant to say you NEVER run out of content, because ultimately there has to be an end. However, there will be a fair amount of content to play through. When I said "You never start over" I meant in the way you start over, from the beginning, like in Dungeon Raid.

There will be about 500 - 1,000 waves to fight through when the game is released. You can go back and play any wave you've beaten again. This, combined with difficult sliders, creates a pretty big set of playable content. Add in higher difficulties dropping better loot and there is a lot of content to see and do. Sure, it all revolves around battling and crafting.. but that's the idea :)

[jlach]

As promised, here's an early alpha of the starting sequence for the caster attacks. The video is short, but it will at least you show the style we're going with.

I filmed this with my phone so please excuse the quality. My video camera is dead and a screen record of the simulator didn't work out too well (the iPad simulator is too big for my 13inch MacBook, and viewing it at 50% just wasn't cutting it, haha). I'll get a better quality video uploaded once I raid my mother's recorder tomorrow! hah!

Also - the slight "jitter" you see in a couple of the movements is the recording, not the actual animations. When viewed live on the iPad they run extremely smooth :)

w9jDdcahgvA

[araczynski]

very nice, just as i imagined it, although a bit slower perhaps.

a bit too slow?

[jlach]

very nice, just as i imagined it, although a bit slower perhaps.

a bit too slow?

It may be a bit too slow, it's something I'm going to have to play with and tweak as the game progresses. The time it takes the Mimic to walk out and attack is needed by the other player. He can use this time to dodge, block, etc.. so I can't make it too short, but I can't make it too long either. It's going to be a while before it's balanced =)

[nao]

looks very fluid and cute! reminds me a lot of battleheart (which is a good thing) looking at the 4 heroes on the screen.

also, does every hero's attack animation involve holding up their weapon? I would imagine a mage doing that but a knight would need some slashing action.

[jlach]

looks very fluid and cute! reminds me a lot of battleheart (which is a good thing) looking at the 4 heroes on the screen.

also, does every hero's attack animation involve holding up their weapon? I would imagine a mage doing that but a knight would need some slashing action.

Every attack animation does not involved holding up their weapons. I'm working on the melee attack animations right now. These will be a bit more complex then the mages.

Casters can't attack, in your typical sense. They can only cast spells. This is why them holding up their weapon makes sense. Melee (and the Archer) characters can physically attack, so they will have more fancy animations. You can expect those animations to follow the same style, however. You can only do so much when the character's don't have elbows! :)

[Liv Games]

Every attack animation does not involved holding up their weapons. I'm working on the melee attack animations right now. These will be a bit more complex then the mages.

Casters can't attack, in your typical sense. They can only cast spells. This is why them holding up their weapon makes sense. Melee (and the Archer) characters can physically attack, so they will have more fancy animations. You can expect those animations to follow the same style, however. You can only do so much when the character's don't have elbows! :)

Looks good, what program are you using to animate this? Looks like a fluid skelletal animation.

Looking forward to it!

[jlach]

Looks good, what program are you using to animate this? Looks like a fluid skelletal animation.

Looking forward to it!

Honestly, I'm doing it the hard way and not using any application. I'm coding all the animations by hand. It s-u-c-k-s but I haven't been able to find anything that wasn't either overly complex for my needs or too just didn't provide the functionality I was working towards.

I could have written my own tool but since there are really so few different animations (Staff, Sword, Shield, Bow for Attacks, Walking, and Death) that I need to animate through code (Spells and what not are particle effects, using Particle Designer for cocos2d for this) I figured I'd just hand code them. Of course, if I could find a tool to fit my needs I'd adopt it in a heartbeat! Any suggestions? hehe. Currently though, they are just custom CCActions within cocos2d that can be run on any of the different part sprites.

Thanks for poking into the thread, Liv Games. Keep up the great work with Legendary Wars. It's one of the few games on my iPhone that have survived the many resets :)

Also, for an update, I'll have some special information and updates to share with everyone in the next couple of weeks. I have my wedding this weekend so Patchwork hasn't seen as much development in the past week or so as I would like, but I'm still chugging along. Once all the crazies are done I'll be popping in with some updates and such. :P

[Liv Games]

Congrats on the wedding!

We went the hard route with no skelletal animations for Legendary Wars, which is why there was a wide variety of fluid animations We wont make that same mistake twice :). We are developing our own tool as well.

Someone really needs to develop a skelletal animation plugin for cocos2d!

A game like this would really benefit from some good quality animation.

Thanks for the comment and keep up the good work and looking forward to more.


Honestly, I'm doing it the hard way and not using any application. I'm coding all the animations by hand. It s-u-c-k-s but I haven't been able to find anything that wasn't either overly complex for my needs or too just didn't provide the functionality I was working towards.

I could have written my own tool but since there are really so few different animations (Staff, Sword, Shield, Bow for Attacks, Walking, and Death) that I need to animate through code (Spells and what not are particle effects, using Particle Designer for cocos2d for this) I figured I'd just hand code them. Of course, if I could find a tool to fit my needs I'd adopt it in a heartbeat! Any suggestions? hehe. Currently though, they are just custom CCActions within cocos2d that can be run on any of the different part sprites.

Thanks for poking into the thread, Liv Games. Keep up the great work with Legendary Wars. It's one of the few games on my iPhone that have survived the many resets :)

Also, for an update, I'll have some special information and updates to share with everyone in the next couple of weeks. I have my wedding this weekend so Patchwork hasn't seen as much development in the past week or so as I would like, but I'm still chugging along. Once all the crazies are done I'll be popping in with some updates and such. :P

[jlach]

Just checking in with everyone! Patchwork is still moving ahead a fairly decent rate. It's undergone some feature changes recently but nothing that has changed the core game mechanic. In fact, I think we've enhanced the "It's your game, do what you want with it" idea 10 folder.

I'm working on writing up these changes to post here, so please stay tuned :D

[nicoga3000]

The art you are putting together for this game is simply incredible. I really do hope for the best! Keep up the awesome work. :)

[Poogie]

This game looks wonderful! I can't wait to play it. I would be happy to beta-test should the need arise. I have the original iPad.

[jlach]

It's undergone some feature changes recently but nothing that has changed the core game mechanic.

It's about time I get around to posting the changes I spoke of. I'm not going to go into much detail because, really, I don't want to give away ALL our secrets up front :)

We have removed the notion of parts being dropped by your enemies. Instead, your enemies will drop materials and crystals. Materials will be things like Cloth, Leather, Metal, etc. Crystals I'll talk about a second. These materials, and crystals, will then be used to create your own parts in a simple (yet free) crafting system.

In order to craft a part for a Mimic you must have a recipe. These can be bought in-game with in-game currency (no IAP for these!). Once you have a recipe, you must have all the required materials needed to craft the part. The important thing to note here is that each material has a quality index (0, 1, 2, 3). The higher the quality, the better the result you get from crafting. Also, the higher the crafting skill you have the more bonus you get from the quality.

I should also note that recipes do not call for SPECIFIC materials but instead general ones. For instance, you my have found a Iceberg Leather piece and a Flaming Leather piece. The recipe for the "Rogue Arm" will require just Leather. You are free to chose which pieces to use based on which stats and bonuses you want that part to have.

Once you have crafted your piece (think WoW-style crafting) you are then presented with an Augmentation option. This gives you the ability to use the crystals you've found to Augment the crafted part with more stats/traits. The Augmenting phase will not be a simple button click but will instead require you to beat one of a few different mini-games.

The reason for the lack of updates to Patchwork lately has a lot to do with this new system being designed out. It actually required a lot of changes to already built code. We felt it was worth it, though, as this provides the player with even more ways of customizing their Mimics and their parties.

Oh yeah, we're also currently working on designing out a central Auction House type system where you can buy/sell materials and parts with other players.

[jlach]

It's been a while since I've updated here.

Just wanted to let everyone know that the game is still in development, and still moving forward at a good speed. I will have a big and exciting announcement to share in the next week or two so keep your eyes peeled :D

[TheUndertow]

Just checking in with everyone! Patchwork is still moving ahead a fairly decent rate. It's undergone some feature changes recently but nothing that has changed the core game mechanic. In fact, I think we've enhanced the "It's your game, do what you want with it" idea 10 folder.

I'm working on writing up these changes to post here, so please stay tuned :D

May be silly, but will/they have mouths? If they're intended to be built out of cloth, you could have appearance customization options (and unlocks) that were like cloth overlays to change your mouth/eye/nose...etc appearance.

Liking the Patchwork idea and a fan of Battleheart (though wish I could make it turn based sometimes).

[Yeater42]

May be silly, but will/they have mouths? If they're intended to be built out of cloth, you could have appearance customization options (and unlocks) that were like cloth overlays to change your mouth/eye/nose...etc appearance.

Liking the Patchwork idea and a fan of Battleheart (though wish I could make it turn based sometimes).

I agree appearance choices would give the game a lot more appeal.

[jlach]

May be silly, but will/they have mouths? If they're intended to be built out of cloth, you could have appearance customization options (and unlocks) that were like cloth overlays to change your mouth/eye/nose...etc appearance.

Liking the Patchwork idea and a fan of Battleheart (though wish I could make it turn based sometimes).

There are appearance choices already as you can mix and match classes. This will give your Mimics a distinct look based on what class parts you have equipped where.

There will be no mouths, Mimics cannot talk. However, I am warming up to the idea of customizable appearance. Maybe achievement rewards could be things like new Eyes, new Eye Brows, new Skin Color, etc. Something for us to think about.

Thanks for the feedback! :)

[wilflare]

just gave the thread a quicklook.
that's one very distinct (and beautiful) art style and direction :D
(hope we can change those costumes during the game since they are kinda like layered, will be awesome!)

-ps: just got my iPad 2 back, would love be part of the beta too!-

[jlach]

I'm just going to leave these here -

http://www.pocketgamer.co.uk/r/Multiformat/Ayopa+Games+news/news.asp?c=34374 (scroll all the way to the bottom of that article)

http://www.ayopagames.com/games/patchwork-battles/

... =)

[araczynski]

nice, didn't know it was also coming to pc and xbla, although i'm thinking it might feel better on the ipad, will probably stick with that version... pending some gameplay videos.

[jlach]

Just so everyone knows, we've finally got a developer's blog started and a twitter account going. You can find both at:

http://www.patchworkbattles.com/

and

@pwbattles

[Turkeydipking]

Whoa! This looks incredible! The art style and concept, you have an instant purchase with me for sure!
Will you be able to name your Mimics? That would be sweet and allow even further customization, some "serious" RP'ing or just teh lulz.
I'm really looking forward to this, do you have a set date planned? It's probably early to ask but like Q1 of 2012 or Q2?
One quick question as well, will you be able to craft your weapons? Now THAT would be awesome (and require quite a lot of coding and artwork I would imagine ._.)

[jlach]

Whoa! This looks incredible! The art style and concept, you have an instant purchase with me for sure!
Will you be able to name your Mimics? That would be sweet and allow even further customization, some "serious" RP'ing or just teh lulz.
I'm really looking forward to this, do you have a set date planned? It's probably early to ask but like Q1 of 2012 or Q2?
One quick question as well, will you be able to craft your weapons? Now THAT would be awesome (and require quite a lot of coding and artwork I would imagine ._.)

First off, thanks! :) Now, to answer your questions (and excuse the shortness, just woke up.. really tired! hah!)..

- You will be able to name your Mimics.
- We are currently targeting end of Q1 / Early Q2 of 2012
- As of now you will not be able to craft your own weapons. However, we've spoke about this and it's something we MAY implement in the future.

[Turkeydipking]

First off, thanks! :) Now, to answer your questions (and excuse the shortness, just woke up.. really tired! hah!)..

- You will be able to name your Mimics.
- We are currently targeting end of Q1 / Early Q2 of 2012
- As of now you will not be able to craft your own weapons. However, we've spoke about this and it's something we MAY implement in the future.

Well good morning to you sir! First for the replying before coffee haha!
Those are two things that make me very happy ;)
Craftable weapons could be tricky.. As they could turn out really well and interesting, or really simple. To be honest I wasn't expecting a yes, but just the fact that you consider it is great!
You know what else would be quite cool? Now this is a really whack idea that just hit me, I was wondering what "hints" or ideas to give you and so I was thinking of all the most successful games... and you said that people will be able to exchange their Mimics and some other online function...
How about, having a "quest editor" of sorts, where you could enter some quest text, make a Quest-mimic and either upload him to the interwebz, or share him with your friends? Your friend could then read the text (or not like most WoW players :P) accept/decline and then defeat the waves that the creator decided? This would give some bonus to both players (haven't quite thought of this one, but maybe special parts or some kind of benefit)
I know that this is kind of whack and maybe against the idea you have set out in your game, but it's just something that would make it really interesting!

[Turkeydipking]

Not first, thanks*
(I should learn to proof read)

[RenaissanceBoy]

Glad to see such positive feedback. We've just recently brought on another developer, a personal buddy of mine, Corey Westcott, so it's looking like stuff is gonna begin to get done much faster. We've also switched over to the Unity engine, so I'll be quite busy learning how to turn these little dudes into 3D with normal maps and whatnot to give them a really nice textured look. Anyway, for people that are interested, we've also just set up a facebook page so you can get up-to-date news and whatnot. I'm on there a lot, so the updates should be pretty regular.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Patchwork-Battles/250112048371307