Siege Scape Devlog #7 Systems Go Live! Completing the Core Loop and Gearing Up for Polish & Content

Siege Scape Devlog #7 Systems Go Live! Completing the Core Loop and Gearing Up for Polish & Content

Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Siege Scape development log!

In our last update, we shared our progress on building the game's initial entry points – the Title Screen, the basic Tavern hub, and the Run Screen where you select your deck and apply modifiers like the Seed and Chaos Mode. With that foundation laid, we've been heads-down working on the crucial systems that power the run itself and the long-term meta-progression.

We're thrilled to announce that many of these core systems are now fully functional and integrated! This means you can now play a complete, albeit early-stage, game loop from start to finish.

The Journey to Here: Building Siege Scape Piece by Piece

Looking back, it's incredible to see how far we've come. Our journey started, as many do, with a blank project and a vision. The first steps were entirely foundational:

• We began by laying the absolute bedrock – setting up the core project structure, game states, controllers, and defining the fundamental data structures for everything from cards and enemies to decks.
• With the project architecture in place, the next major undertaking was establishing the battlefield itself: the Grid System, complete with basic pathfinding.
• Only then could we introduce the core actors: defining the basic Enemy and Building classes, getting them to interact with the grid, giving enemies movement, and buildings basic targeting and firing capabilities.

With enemies moving and buildings shooting, the focus shifted to the player's agency and the primary mechanic:

• Implementing robust Player Controls allowed interaction with the grid.
• Building the Placement Logic meant players could strategically position their defenses.
• The Card System Foundations were laid – defining how decks, hands, and discard piles work, alongside basic actions like Draw and Discard.

With the core pieces in place, we started building the gameplay loop itself:

• The Basic Wave System brought structure to the encounters.
• Essential player feedback arrived with the Basic HUD Framework, displaying the hand, deck/discard counts, and the Selection System with contextual info widgets for selected units.
• Early progression came online with basic Building EXP gain and Leveling.

As the core loop solidified, we added layers of complexity and strategic depth:

• Refining building interactions with Targeting Priority Selection.
• Introducing nuanced combat with Tag-Driven Enemy Stats and the Damage Types & Calculation Logic, allowing for interactions between different attack types and defenses like Armor and Resist.
• Adding environmental elements like fully functional Traps.
• Developing status effects like Poison, Slow, and Fire.

Stepping outside the immediate run, we began building the meta-layer:

• The Tavern Scene Basics provided a persistent hub.
• Implementing Seeded Randomness and Chaos Mode in the Tavern Main Menu and Run Screen added significant replayability and variance from the start.
• The Resource System (Soul Essence) was introduced, bridging in-run performance to potential future systems.
• Tavern Deck Selection gave the player their first meta-choice.

Finally, we've spent this last period integrating the crucial connecting pieces that bring the full loop together, as highlighted in this devlog:

• The in-run Card Shop System.
• The Gold meta-currency and linking run performance to meta-progress via Soul Essence conversion.
• Building out the Tavern shop logic itself to display meta-items.

This step-by-step process, building foundational systems and then layering mechanics and meta-elements on top, has led us to where we are today: a game that is mechanically complete, with all core systems talking to each other and enabling a full playthrough from selecting a deck to finishing a run and earning meta-currency.

Major Systems Now Online:

• The In-Run Card Shop is Complete! This was a big one. The shop now correctly appears during wave transitions and is populated with cards specifically relevant to the theme of the deck you chose for that run (like Militia or Nature). This adds a key strategic layer to adapting your strategy mid-run.
• Damage Types & Effects are Live! The various damage types like Piercing, Splash, and Chain are working, interacting correctly with enemy defenses based on their tags. Status effects such as Poison, Slow, and Fire are also implemented and applying their intended effects in combat.
• Traps are Functioning! Our environmental hazards are now fully operational, damaging enemies that trigger them and, importantly, correctly granting kills to the player, tying into progression systems.
• Core Meta-Progression Loop Finished! The foundational meta-currency (Gold) is implemented, and the conversion of leftover Soul Essence at the end of a run into Gold is now complete. We've even added the first Enchantment that boosts this conversion rate, giving players an early taste of meta-upgrades.
• Tavern Shop (Display Logic) is Complete! The Tavern now correctly displays the Decks and Enchantments available for purchase with your hard-earned Gold. While the detailed UI for viewing the contents of decks or full enchantment descriptions is still needed, the core logic for buying and owning these items is in place.

What This Means Right Now:

With these systems connected, you can currently embark on a full run in Siege Scape! Using one of the 2 currently available decks, you can face off against the initial 3 enemy types across 3 waves, experience the card shop, utilize damage types and effects, have traps contribute, finish the run, earn Gold, and see the items available in the Tavern Shop.

Transparent Look: Where We're At & What's Next

While the core mechanics and systems are now functional, it's important to be clear about the current state:

1. Art is Almost Entirely Placeholder: As mentioned before, development focused on getting the gameplay right first. This means roughly 99% of the art assets you'd see right now are basic placeholders.
2. UI Refinement is Necessary: The UI is functional but requires significant polish. Many elements, like the Enemy Information Widget (which is currently static and needs to follow the enemy) or the Tower Widget (which needs resizing and centering), are awaiting a design pass that ties into the final art assets. We can't finalize sizing, placement, and styling until we have the visuals they need to frame. This UI overhaul is a major task ahead.
3. Content Needs Expansion: The current 2 decks, 3 enemies, and 3 waves represent the minimum required for a complete functional loop. Expanding the variety of cards, enemies, decks, waves, and implementing the Relic System are key content creation tasks moving forward. Relics, while not strictly core to the main loop, are planned to add exciting, run-altering elements for added fun.
4. Minor Polish Items: There are a few small bugs and polish items, such as ensuring the Card Shop doesn't accidentally open after the final wave is defeated (it should transition to the 'Run Finished' menu instead). These are being addressed.
5. Detailed Shop UI: While the shop displays items, the UI for delving into the details (like seeing every card in a deck before buying it) still needs to be built.

Looking Ahead: The Polish & Content Push

Our focus now transitions heavily into two main areas:

• Essential UI Refinements: Tackling the UI elements that can be improved even with placeholder art, and preparing for the larger UI overhaul once final art assets become available.
• Content Creation: Generating more data assets for cards, enemies, decks, waves, and building out the Relic system.

It's incredibly rewarding to have the foundational systems complete and see the game playable end-to-end. The next phase is all about adding the depth, variety, and visual polish that will bring the world of Siege Scape to life!

Thanks for following along on this journey! We're excited to share more updates as we move forward.

- The Siege Scape Dev Team