Definitely agree with Shaq, the difficulty spike on level 4 is a bit much. However, extremely cute and well polished game! Definitely top 3 I've played from the jam so far.

Devlog #0: Game Design of Causa Project

Welcome to the first devlog for Causa Project, a guerrilla warfare strategy game. In this devlog, I will be going over game design plans for the game, and give the first insights into what the game will look like.

The Overworld Map

Maps in Causa Project will be split into provinces. Each province will have a terrain type, and will have a few different locations, most notably a provincial capital. For example, a jungle province might have two small villages and a provincial capital. Players will gain support by completing missions within the province (outside of locations) or completing missions inside of named locations in the province. The terrain of a province will play a large part in determining the amount of force that the junta will be able to apply to counter your operations. For example, performing a food distribution mission within a village in the jungle will be considerably easier than less risky to pull off than trying to perform an assassination mission in an urban provincial capital, or attempting an ambush mission in a plains province.

I plan on developing for two maps at launch. The first map will be a small map (just two or three provinces) that players will be encouraged to play for their first game so that it is shorter and easier to learn without jumping straight into a long game. The game mechanics will all be put into place for the first map so that they are working properly for ease of testing, and then the second map will be made and balanced around. The game is being made so that maps will be easy to add in future updates.

Game Length

I am aiming for each campaign of the game to take between 5 and 10 hours to complete. The game will have a high replayability factor due to the emergent gameplay from randomized elements and events, as well as different difficulty levels and starting locations offering different challenges.

Turn-based, mission-based format

Similar to sending your squad on missions in XCOM, the player will have the ability to send out guerrillas on missions every turn. These named guerrillas will gain experience as they complete missions, and can die permanently at any time. The maximum number for these will be 16 (starting at 4 and upgradable over time), so that the game is not too micro-heavy, and so that the game is not too easy. Your manpower (a separate stat that guerrillas can be generated from) can be used for garrisons and for taking locations only.

I decided upon this system because I really like the way that the player becomes attached to their squad in XCOM, and seeing one of your squad members level up is just as satisfying as it is heartbreaking to see one of them fall in combat.

That's all for this development update. Note that screenshots are just from the first day of development, and the graphics are guaranteed to change (especially the UI). These are just to give an example of what the game screen might eventually look like.

If you are interested in following the progress of Causa Project, feel free to join the discord at https://discord.gg/eZYACzUxtS

Causa Project is a game about leading a guerrilla army to victory against an oppressive military junta set in a fictional South American country with a cold war-era aesthetic.

Causa Project is currently in early development. If you would like to follow along with updates, you can find them at the Causa Project discord server at https://discord.gg/eZYACzUxtS, here on the Itch page or on my YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwVPFtvl5r5ajPYdfA7BkSw/featured

Gameplay

Imagine X-COM 2's overworld gameplay, but entirely focused towards strategy and logistics rather than on in-mission tactical gameplay. However, players will still have to develop their fighters over time, as for the majority of missions players will be sending out small forces of randomly generated guerrillas that will gain experience over time. Players will become attached to their best fighters, and will think twice about sending them on a risky ambush.

Strategy

Players will start with almost no funding, weapons or manpower, and will have to build their way up. The end goal is to have a vast number of activities that players can complete, from organizing protests, rescuing prisoners and placing moles to ambushing convoys and taking over cities by military means. The majority of funding will come from the support of the population in zones near your camps, or otherwise from taxes that can be levied on the occupants of a town that you have taken and currently hold. Be careful, however, as the military junta will try to take it back, and you will always be outgunned in a straight-up fight. Raids, ambushes and other hit-and-run tactics are essential.

Aesthetic

The game will be centered around a cold-war era aesthetic, mimicking society of the 70s and 80s in many Central and South American countries that were stricken by political instability during this time.

Planned Features

1. Overworld map in which player can send guerrillas out on missions, gain intelligence, and organize logistics for their movement.
2. Random guerrilla generator to make your fighters unique and memorable.
3. A military junta that will fight you back at every turn, and will hunt you down when you cause them too much trouble.
4. A reputation system in which your movement can gain international support or sanctions based on the actions you take during the game.
5. A cold-war era rebel aesthetic with vectorized art and typewriter newspaper headlines

Other Information:

Causa Project is being developed by a solo developer using the Godot Engine, and is planned being made for Android and iOS at first, with a PC, Mac and Linux release sometime after. The reason that it is being produced primarily for mobile devices is because the scope of the game lends itself particularly well to mobile devices, and simply because that is the way I personally would prefer to play it. Everything on this page is subject to possible future change.

Finally released First Place Gambler!

It is a retro-inspired game about betting on randomized stick figures running around varied and interesting maps to pay off your debt. It was made in a week, and I also made a devlog to accompany it. Check it out here:

https://mantequilla525.itch.io/first-place-gambler