Break the Siege

Independent Project

Break the Siege was my first independent project after graduating from DePaul. I ended the project in an alpha state, but I still learned a lot and consider it to be an important part of my game development journey.

Game Concept

My goal was to create a PC and mobile game that I could publish. The gameplay was meant to be a mix of Fire Emblem and Plants Vs. Zombies. The result is a turn-based RPG that gives the player control of a preset party of characters.

The story is set in a medieval fantasy world and revolves around a small village. A portal to a different dimension opens up, and hell-beats begin to assault the village every night. In order to protect their home, the villagers must repel the attacks every night.

What I Accomplished

Game Design

Designed hero RPG character concepts
Implemented heroes into game
Balanced and tweaked RPG gameplay based on playtests

Game Programmer

Learned to work with gameplay asset
Refactored existing programming to fit project needs
Implemented new mechanics with consistent style

Game Programmer

Core Mechanics Created:

Spawnable Groups of Enemies
Waves of Enemies
Character Leveling & Progression
Ability Cooldown
Custom Parameters/status effects

Using Gameplay Assets

In my first couple of gameplay prototypes, I programmed my own Turn-Based System. I was not as confident in my programming skills as I am now. I decided to use a Unity Store gameplay asset to try and speed up development after reevaluating the scope of my project. The “Turn-Based Strategy Toolkit” was the tool I used.

I one important takeaway from using the “Turn-Based Strategy Toolkit” is that using another programmer’s tools isn’t a get out of jail free card. Learning how to work with different programming styles takes time and effort. One challenge was that extra features I did not plan on utilizing could sometimes get in the way of features I wanted to add. I was able to successfully incorporate numerous mechanics into the toolkit, while maintaining a consistent programming style.

I am glad I took on the challenge I did. If I were to start this project again, I would skip the gameplay asset and make my own turn-based system. It’s likely to take longer, but I would have the advantage of knowing my own system and being able to tweak gameplay elements quickly.