Last New Year I decided it was time to try to get something on to a store, so I could feel like a real game designer again. Now at the start of 2021, I do technically have something on a store!

After Alex left, I took a bit of gamble sticking with game development instead of reverting back to freelance art. Anything I did would’ve been a gamble, really. So I went with the thing I liked the most, and so far things are holding together slightly better than expected. I’m optimistic about where Hex Gambit: Respawned is headed, and I regret nothing.

I’m really proud of how HGR is coming along. You can poke through a whole playlist of its development progress on Youtube. It began the year as a small, local multiplayer-only project. I’ve added new tile types, a new minion class, pretty solid AI, and soon it’ll have a whole flippin’ campaign mode. Content-wise, it’s going to be the biggest thing OML has ever put out.

Being alone is tough, but I get to experiment and indulge my weird ideas and nitpicks. It’s all super daunting if I let myself think too hard, but I’m enjoying it.

It’s looking like I’m on track to get my first solo game out the door in 2021. With a little luck, I’ll get to be a game developer a while longer. Thanks for keeping up with me this year! I wish you luck with whatever adventure you tackle in 2021!

I’m getting ready to run some in-person testing, so I figured I’d throw out a build for our beta testers with some new levels today. I’ve got sort of a “Minion 101” challenge for each of the eight classes, then some toggle space missions at the end.

A warning: if you played 0.2, some of the medallions you earned may appear on the wrong levels, and some levels you’ve played won’t be unlocked yet (they moved to the end). This will keep happening as I inject new content. You won’t lose medallions, but they may jump to different levels. You can start over by resetting your progress in the Options menu, or just shrug it off and keep playing.

You may also find some Captains and multiplayer levels that weren’t locked now require medallions to unlock. That’s gonna be in flux until the levels are finalized, too. Your medallions will carry over between updates, but the amounts required for unlocks will change.

The total mission number is still up in the air, but will probably land in the 15-20 range. I’ll be switching up the backgrounds for variety and adding some dialogue once I have all the level content filled in.

What’s new this update:

• 6 more campaign challenges, level order tweaked
• Unlock pass: new medallion goals and progression, more representative of the final version.
• Edited the Crossfire mission balance
• Improved Punk and Sniper AI
• Fixed a bug with Hex Movers

Very excited to announce the arrival of Hex Gambit: Respawned 0.2 today! All the 0.1 builds got our local multiplayer up and running, and 0.2 introduces a single player campaign for those that prefer to play alone.

With today’s update, our beta testers have 6 levels to try with three difficulties to choose from (1-2 hours of play), and I’ve also given our demo players access to the first three challenges to help you learn the ropes.

The game will tell you there are 84 medallions to earn in total, but honestly I have no idea what that number will be.

Next up: I’m experimenting with some different level types and ideas, thinking about dialogue, and generating more single player challenges!

What’s new this update:

• Campaign with 6 Sample Levels and a “World Map”
• Captain’s Gambits can be switched to Stock for the multiplayer, giving you a number of uses that are always ready.
• Earn medallions to unlock Captains and Multiplayer maps
• Added a Language placeholder to the options screen and a button to reset your progress.
• Added minion count to the score mount
• Modified when the ‘Out of AP’ or ‘on Cooldown’ nags will show.
• Updated Help Menu with more info on Captain’s Gambits and Medallions.
• Reworked the way AI is paused/unpaused
• Fixed some Turn Timer bugs

Just popping in to show my progress on the campaign. You’ll be ascending a tower of challenges, and I’ve got all the unlocking levels and content stuff sorted out. Should have a build next month with some challenges for our beta testers to try out!

Beating levels on easy, normal, and hard awards you the different medallions, which unlock captains and multiplayer maps for you to use. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to unlock it all by clearing the game on Normal! Hard mode is just there for the completionists.

Pushing a quick fix today: the player handicap limit will scale with your VP to Win setting, and fixing a bug where handicaps were invisible in-game. You can give up to half the game’s “VP to Win” goal as a head start for any player.

This is the update I’ve been waiting for: local multiplayer for Hex Gambit: Respawned is pretty much done! I might make some of the maps and captains unlockable through the single player, but what beta testers have in their hands today is pretty much the real deal.

House Rules will be EXCELLENT for spicing up any friendly tournaments you guys might want to host (drop me a line if you want help promoting your tournament). Here’s what you can change about your matches now:

• Victory Points to Win: 5-20. Your minion stock will automatically increase/decrease with the goal.
• AP per turn and max AP charge can be tweaked.
• Undos per turn: reduce them or turn them off.
• Turn timers! Give players 10s to 1m30s to complete their turns. Challenge yourself with a timer against the AI.
• Moving and Spawning minion costs can be lowered, or Spawning can cost double if you like.
• Starting minions can be reduced or turned off to start from scratch.
• Toggle spaces can be disabled on the maps that use them.

Next up: I’m prototyping for the single player challenges!

What’s new this update:

• House Rules: Customize all kinds of stuff, play your way!
• VP to Win goal has been added to the Pause screen.
• Level select and game setup screen has been jazzed up.
• Tweaked end turn/undo/spawn menus under the hood, modifying how/when they transition in and out.

Two map themes, six map layouts, new Toggle Space bonuses, and a top-to-bottom optimization pass. I’ve been busy this month!

The Powerhouse is a neat indoor theme with some VERY Outwitters-esque gameplay: you’ll gain a bonus AP each turn you own this map’s toggle space! This was the first time I’ve ever lit anything that wasn’t an outdoors scene, so I did bang my head against the wall getting everything to look and perform nicely here. But it’s got a unique look, and I learned a lot.

The Waterworks map’s bonus was probably inspired by playing hydrosophist in Divinity, because it shoots healy water. All damaged units on your team are healed by 1 at the start of your turns if you own the toggle space – a little regen for free.

So that’s seven map themes done, 21 maps total, and the project is mostly ready for a console port if things pan out on that front. Next update: local multiplayer will be wrapped after I polish up the Map Select and add some options for House Rules. Then it’s on to 0.2 – single player challenge maps!

What’s new this update:

• Two new map themes: Powerhouse and Waterworks
• Added a section on Toggle Spaces to How to Play.
• Improved Motivator and Brute AI
• Added visual hint when you don’t have enough AP, or a move isn’t cooled down.
• Optimized hex tile rendering and lights for better performance.
• Added Press Start to Main Menu for possible console port.
• Added loading screen and revamped loading/unloading of levels for possible console port.
• Tab and Esc are no longer the same as pressing Start on the main menus.
• Fixed a visual issue where minions floated a little above the ground

I was going to keep my head down and power through the new map I’m in the middle of, but it’s been too long since you saw what I’m doing, so here’s a new dev video!

The Summit is new for beta testers in 0.1.7. It’s a snowy ode to the original Hex Gambit, complete with all three of the old faction statues. You’ll find another unique Toggle Space there, which moves one of your captain’s pillars out of reach from enemies. That pillar is VERY exposed when you call it back, so be ready to take advantage when it flips.

Other changes this update:

• Improved AI for claiming Toggle Spaces.
• Added forcefields to Toggle Spaces and Spawns to reduce first turn advantage.
• The right mouse button is now automatically “released” during cut scenes.

What’s up! Dropping a quick update for our beta testers today with a new map theme called the Laserdome! No video for now (they’re a bit time consuming to produce, so I’m waiting until I have more to show).

Each of the map themes has a gameplay flavor to it, and this one adds a whole new tile called a Toggle Space. If you were an Outwitters fan, you might know these as Capture Spaces – it’s the same mechanic with a very different movement system! Simply run (or swat, or dash) a minion across the space to claim it.

If your team still owns the toggler at the start of your turn, the map’s laser turret with automatically fire on a random enemy! It deals a reasonable two damage for a modest advantage that’s super satisfying.

I’m jumping straight into the next map now, which will feature more Toggle Spaces that control a different map advantage.

Other changes this update:

• Lolli now needs 3VP to use his Captain’s Gambit.
• Units like the Sniper can now shoot through allied units, just like their own.
• Added legs to the Captains’ victory/defeat portraits
• Added more rollover tips for special spaces, and changed the way hex snapping/hovering works.

An exciting update to the Hex Gambit: Respawned Demo and Beta today: the eighth and final minion class is here! The Punk is a combat unit that punches well above his weight.

• His Roll ability lets hims cut through lines of minions, dealing damage to any enemies you can line up, and providing a little extra mobility.
• Split Strike is the main reason I wanted to squeeze him in before calling the minion roster done. It deals damage equal to half your target’s HP, rounded up. So the bigger they are, the harder it hits!

Other fixes and changes in 0.1.5:

• Redistributed the minion loadouts for extra variety.
• Smarter AI is now smarter. Changed the way activate/deactivating minions works under the hood.
• Overhauled camera system to behave itself.
• Fixed floating minions on the Battle Hall maps.
• Grim Drake’s Gambit will no longer target spawning minions.