It’s no secret that I’ve been less than happy with the combat systems in my released games. While they are serviceable, a combination of technical and design inexperience, as well as time pressures, meant that I was unable to make them what I wanted them to be. But that’s to be expected, after all, game development is a learning experience.

I’ve said a few times during the development of Memoirs that I was refining the combat in that game to be more fun and open, but that came at the cost of challenge, and in many ways, it was a crude system that lacked mathematical elegance.

Of course, what I want is a combat system that could stand alongside any of its peers, both video games and tabletop RPGs, and still hold its own. A system that provides a crunchy simulation of turn-based combat, one that is simple but still contains depth, and above all is fun to play.

A lofty goal for any game designer. Veteran RPG devs, people who have been working in this field for years, are still striving towards this goal. It’s something that I’ve personally desired for a long time too.

I certainly wasn’t going to achieve it in my first two or three games. But on my fourth, I’ll give it a shot :D.

This isn’t a system designed in a vacuum. I spent months contemplating what RPG enthusiasts really like about turn-based combat, as well as my personal preferences from both tabletop campaigns and the cRPGs I’ve enjoyed. Low numbers vs high numbers, types of damage mitigation, RNG vs determinism, build balance and tactical considerations.

In the end, what I have can neither be described as unique nor startlingly complex, but hopefully as something that is robust and fun.

I am very excited to unveil the Memory Battle System 3.0 with the Early Access launch of Baldr’s Squid Isekai next month, my low-effort parody game that is getting decidedly more high-effort every passing day. The same system will also be present in Vampire Syndicate and That Which Rises, although possibly with changes.

I hope you enjoy it, and as always, I appreciate your feedback.

Hi everyone!

Hope your new year is going off to a great start! I personally haven’t made any resolutions for 2024 since I have a ton on my plate :D.

Like, look at this insanity of a to-do list:

• Release 2 new games (Baldr’s Squid Isekai, That Which Rises) by year’s end
  
• Continue development of Vampire Syndicate
  
• Secret project related to Vampire Syndicate
  
• Content update for Memoirs of a Battle Brothel

I’m used to working on multiple things at the same time (Tactics Arena and Memoirs shared overlapping dev time and I also wrote a 175-page lore book). But even for me, this is ambitious. But don’t worry, I’m not overworking myself, even though my future games are going to be on a hyper-accelerated schedule.

Some of the most time-consuming parts of gamedev is caused by lack of experience, whether it’s technical issues, mechanical balancing or content/writing. Being an inexperienced developer is a lot like being blindfolded. You’re groping in the dark, hoping you’re going in the right direction.

Now that I’m reasonably experienced, it’s like the blindfold has been removed. And there’s also one large benefit of being mostly solodev: you have a complete picture of what you need. Combine these two things, and you get an incredible amount of clarity. It feels like I’m playing Tetris, but I intuitively know the blocks that are coming and how to place them.

I understand that I am in a unique position compared to most other gamedevs, and that I’m lucky to be here. That being said, the training wheels are coming off, and I’m looking very much forward to what I’ll be calling the “Main phase” (or maybe “Make it or Break it phase”) of my gamedev career.

I’m especially excited for Baldr’s Squid Isekai, which will introduce my completely overhauled RPG system. For my future games, I want mechanics to be more thoughtful and elegant, and also stray a little closer to the cRPGs that motivated me to enter gamedev. This also means expanded dialogue and character mechanics!

I might be really busy, but I kinda feel like this doggo:

Baldr’s Squid Isekai is approaching Early Access launch, likely sometime in February (yes, that soon). Wishlist it here: https://gtm.you1.cn/storesteam/app/2610440/Baldrs_Squid_Isekai_A_Parody/