Lordsworn: From Idea to (Barely Functional) Reality
Greetings, fellow developers and architects of interactive chaos!
A few weeks ago, I introduced Lordsworn, my solo-dev passion project that merges autobattler mechanics, hex-based corruption, and stronghold management, all wrapped in the undeniably fun fantasy of being the villain. Since then, I’ve wrestled with data structures, UI nightmares, and minions who refuse to hold their weapons properly. But progress has been made! So, here’s a breakdown of where the game stands and what I’ve learned along the way.
🎮 The Core Gameplay Loop is Alive!
It’s not just in my head anymore! You can now:
✅ Go on a venture (sending minions to do evil deeds).
✅ Return from a venture (and hope they survived).
✅ See and manage loot.
✅ Move between rooms in the stronghold.
✅ Click on things. (Surprisingly important.)
✅ Marvel at the sheer jank of it all.
For the first time, Lordsworn isn’t just a collection of systems—it’s an actual, semi-cohesive experience. And like any newborn villainous empire, it’s held together with duct tape, ambition, and questionable design decisionsDevlog8-2025-02-09.
🏰 Stronghold Systems: Room Transitions and Economy
A key focus has been fleshing out the Stronghold—not just as a hub, but as an interactive space that serves a mechanical purpose. The latest work includes:
- Implementing room transitions so players move naturally between the map room, throne room, vassal quarters, and storage.
- Refining the loot system: Loot now arrives in the throne room, and whatever isn’t equipped or stored gets automatically sold at the end of the day. This limits hoarding while forcing meaningful choicesDevlog6-2025-01-27.
- Basic "Sleep to End the Day" functionality: Progression now depends on the overlord actually going to bed. (Yes, even villains need sleep.)
The stronghold isn’t just a static menu—movement between rooms makes it feel alive, and watching it grow will (hopefully) reinforce the progression loop.
🛠 Tech Lessons Learned (a.k.a. What Broke and How I Fixed It)
1️⃣ State Control: Taming the Chaos
Previously, my UI elements were like amnesiac goblins—every interaction had its own unique, spaghetti-coded disaster. Now, I’ve moved all game states into a single management script, so whether you’re clicking a hex, opening a menu, or backing out of a venture, it all flows through the same logic.
Lesson learned? Centralize state changes, or suffer eternal debugging purgatory.
2️⃣ Data Structures Matter More Than I Thought
I had to rethink how I store minions, items, and game state. Lordsworn now separates data into:
- Static Templates (unchanging base stats for units/items).
- Mutable Lists (tracking active units, loot, and battles).
- Runtime Objects (actual minions/enemies in combat).
This modular approach means I can dynamically generate encounters and handle loot without hardcoding chaos.
3️⃣ Don't Reinvent the Wheel (Especially for UI)
I used to manually code every button’s function, which is like baking individual pixels into a UI. Not anymore. Now, buttons dynamically execute scripts, reducing UI complexity drastically.
🔜 What’s Next?
Now that the skeletal remains of the gameplay loop are standing (albeit shakily), the next step is to fully complete it: 🛏️ "Sleep to End the Day" needs polish—right now, it’s functional but soulless. 👥 Recruitment System needs proper logic, because a one-minion army won’t take over the world. 🔄 Full Gameplay Loop Completion—ensuring smooth transitions between phases (venture → loot → recruitment → preparation → repeat).
Once these are in place, I’ll have what I’d call a proto-alpha—not quite ready for playtesting, but a proof-of-concept that works end-to-end.
Final Thoughts: When Does a Game Become "Playable"?
As a solo dev, I constantly wrestle with the question: When is a game "ready" for others to see?
It’s tempting to polish systems endlessly before showing anything, but I’m leaning toward embracing the jank and iterating in public. That said, I’d love to hear from other devs:
- At what stage do you start sharing playable builds?
- How do you balance scope creep vs. depth?
- Any favorite tricks for keeping a solo project on track?
As always, thanks for following along, and if you enjoy villainous strategy games, come say hi! Let’s plot world domination together. 👹
Damon Itch.io: Lordsworn