Game 2 under development. Heroes and Monsters 2 on the way.

Hi everyone,

I've been really hard at work on the second installment in the series. "Heroes and Monsters 2: A past that haunts" is in development.

First, a rundown of some of the major changes that have either been completed, or are in the works.

1. Startup time massively improved
2. Startup screen added
3. Open world gameplay added.  Huge improvement.
4. Hero training added. Can save under leveled heroes.
5. Crafting added. More variety to the game.
6. Guild added. Can now hire new characters.
7. Expanded possibilities for spell results, such as lowering attack bar, and stealing mana.
8. Mission system being completely redesigned. Explained below.
9. Battle AI improvements in the works.
10. Battle tatics planned.

Most of the above are pretty self explanatory, so no need to talk about them. I would like to draw attention to #3 (open world), and #8 (redesigned mission system), as those are the two biggest changes.

The open world system was a huge upgrade that will improve gameplay greatly. It is also an important piece of functionality for my codebase, as I plan to release many more games in the future. It will allow revisiting locations including missions. I do plan to make replaying missions part of the game, but I won't make the game to grindy.

And now the really big change you have been waiting for. The mission system is being completely redesigned. 

The open mission system has been replaced with a board game system, inspired by the Mario Party 4 levels. The new restrictions increase strategy immensely. Limited paths, and the inability to turn around, really add to the depth of the gameplay

There are advantages to attacking a squad from the side, and an even bigger advantage for attacking from behind. There is also an advantage for attacking a squad multiple times before it moves again. This is a gank style attack.

Squads and castles take actions based on a cooldown system. Squads may move, use a potion, or wait. Castles may dispatch a squad or wait.

items and presents are scattered around the map for you to collect. Presents are a new mechanic which are basically random items, but you don't find out what is inside until after the mission is over.

So, how much progress have I made and what exactly have I done? First I went over the entire project, removing, upgrading, and adding as I went. Then I ran the project, testing and completing the menu, world, shop, story, guild, trainer, and crafter. Then I started throwing the new mission system together. I figure I need 3 or 4 days to finish the mission system, and the battle system, thus completing another cycle.

But it's not done yet. I'm going to take another pass through the project upgrading and improving the various parts of it where possible. This should take a few days at least. I may continue to work on the engine a bit more, but I can't say right now.

Then once the engine is done, I need to do the content. The content is a massive task, on the same scale as the engine. This includes adding monsters, characters, equipment, components, recipes, and so on. This also involves improving the game balancing, team synergy, and character building. And finally, it includes adding a campaign. 

As for the campaign, my current thoughts are that I may do two campaigns! The first would be the original campaign from the first game remade into the second. This would be much easier than creating an entire campaign from scratch, but would also require that almost the entire thing be rebuilt. The second campaign would be an entirety new campaign. All I know, is that I want to call it, "a past that haunts".

Wow that was a lot! I one finger typed everything on my phone, so sorry for the poor quality.

Thanks for reading,

Stay tooned,

Cheers,

Matthew