Hi guys!
My name is Keith and I just got a bit hyper-fixated on a new project of mine after completing my semester and realizing I actually have free time. I have little to no idea what I am doing, but I am about to graduate with a CS degree, so I figured I should be experienced enough in programming to figure things out as I go along.
I have recently realized that my entire life I have enjoyed deck builders more then most games, from the Club Penguin card battles to Hearthstone or Runeterra.
After beating Inscryption, I was inspired by the ability to make a fun deck builder with a small team. I've occasionally messed around with game development, but I always start with projects that are too ambitious and I tend to give up. However, I decided that a pixel-art deck builder would be a great project to slowly build on, without losing too much motivation on difficult issues.
The general idea at this point is a bit all of the place, but it will be a 2D pixel art game, with bosses based on the major arcana of tarot cards. This means there will be 22 bosses + levels for each major arcana. The reasoning behind this is I loved Inscryption, and I could have played through many more levels. I want to develop a long campaign, with the ability to generate enemies and maps for an infinite mode.
For levels, instead of a view of a map, I want the player to be in a 2D pixel world, where they walk into the path of their choice. This will add more mystery on the long-term effects of paths, and make it a bit more immersive.
So, I went ahead and downloaded Godot for the first time as it ran on Linux and seemed to be a lot more stripped down then other engines. This would allow me to not be distracted by Engine features and get to work.
Here is where I am at after several days of work:
I have a very simple setup for a card-battle system. Cards are hoverable and selectable, with very simple attack animations that either remove the opposing cards health or remove the opposing players health. I took some time to fine tune certain animations and make everything feel smooth.
I currently do not have any unique mechanics, card designs, or cards, which I think will be a long but fun process. I aim to have 78 playable + collectible cards.
For my next steps, I am working on continuing to develop the battle system. I would like to get any early bugs out of the way before I start cards with special abilities. Then I would like to have my combat unique from standard deck builders, and figure out some unique mechanics that will set this game apart.
As for pixel art, I am no artist, but I tried to choose a low enough resolution to give me some leeway. I can make the visuals look good slowly as I go along, though it'll be one of the hardest parts about this project.
For music, I have been a freelance music producer since high school, so I am very excited to start writing a soundtrack. When I lose motivation, I will play with some soundtracks to regain inspiration, and post them here! Generally, I am going to give the soundtrack an ambient, dark, and relaxing mood.
I will continue to update as I make progress on the battle system and card development. I am excited to get this part out of the way, so I can start thinking about the world + story.
If anyone has tips or ideas as I go along, please let me know! This is all very new to me.