Posted November 30, 2021 by Ericbomb
Hello everyone!
For the #CrunchlessChallenge I decided I would start working on TierraMon, and after a month of work, there is now a playable version of TierraMon! It's not long, but it shows off many of the core mechanics that will be present throughout the game and introduces you to the world!
Here is what you can do in this version!
1. Explore 2 different levels
2. Capture up to 12 different TierraMon with around 40 different moves and 4 types.
3. Level up TierraMon
4. Use 8 special items, all with unique effects.
5. Help me balance the game from an early stage
6. Auto save!
7. Navigate without any vision. It's an audio game, meaning all you need is headphones, a keyboard, and mouse to play!
So let's talk about what Alpha means to me! In this day and age, developers will release alpha projects as finished, use "early access" to mean anything, and released projects will be in permanent beta! So I want to be very up front with what "alpha" means!
I go by the definition of Alpha not having all the features of the completed game. So here are a list of features that are missing!
1. The TierraSmith - The ability to modify your TierraMon with special modifications that will change moves, base stats, and the like. These usually are not upgrades, but modifications. Replacing moves, making health higher, but attack lower, things like that.
2. Tutorial section - If you press "enter" you will be told there is a tutorial in there... that is not the case yet! Since mechanics are changing at this point, I decided to hold off until everything is set in stone. But there is a readme available to check that I will update as new features are added!
3. Ability to revisit old zones - as new zones are added, old ones will become available for revisit, and on each revisit mini bosses that provide a challenge to the current party will be there, as a way to capture more powerful TierraMon, find rare items, and encourage players to revisit old zones.
4. Empowering - Also called Evolution in other games, through the missions you will have the ability to take your TierraMon to brand new and powerful forms.
5. A total of 13 missions and their bosses - As part of alpha each level will need to be reachable, and their special effects need to be working.
6. Story cave - As you do missions, new NPCs will visit your camp, commenting on what you're up too, what's going on in the world, and offering hints into what may come later. This will hopefully help players feel like they are part of a larger world!
Once all of these features are added in, then I will move on to Beta! Beta stage will be all about fleshing out the mechanics, balancing mechanics, fixing bugs, and turning a very rough frame into a work of art!
But after this month spent focusing on this project I feel very optimistic for the future of it, and look forward to all your feedback and help!
Follow @TierraMonDev for daily updates!