So I've wanted to make computer games ever since I first opened BASIC as a boy, but I never did. And then as an old man (over 50) I thought that time had past. But that didn't stop me having ideas, and after doing some online courses, I thought why the heck not?

So, this will be the first post detailing my progress (hopefully) on my game Meandering Heroes. Let's start with an extract from my Game Design Document (from this template):

Meandering Heroes

Game Identity / Mantra:

A slow-burn multiplayer fantasy idle simulation that ignites the thrill of anticipation reminiscent of cherished old play-by-post games, where each player controls one or more heroes and assigns them goals and broad direction, and then they have to WAIT for days or weeks for the results.

Design Pillars:

idle, nostalgia, anticipation

Genre/Story/Mechanics Summary:

Deadly fantasy simulation running on a hex-map where heroes try to gain enough treasure and power before dying, or retiring due to age or injury, where the pull comes from the emergent story generated, where one day real time is a week or a month game time.

I fully imagine that I'm the only person who would enjoy a "game" with built-in waiting for days and weeks for the simulation to progress. But it's right up my alley! I think. I reserve the right to abandon / pivot if I don't like it.

I've tried to make the engine a few times over the years - first as a way of learning F#, and then in C# which I have the most experience with, but until reading Game Design Patterns by Robert Nystrom, I was frustrated and struggling, trying to come up with solutions to problems that had already been solved millions of times.

After reading that book, I was reinvigerated! I wrote a Game Design Document, started up Visual Studio, and started writing up my game engine from scratch. When I wanted to see things working, I tried to use Godot as my UI. It became abundantly clear that I should just do everything in Godot for now - my Engine referenced directly from Godot scripts. I have to be diligent though, keep client and engine separate, so I can split them into client and server later on.

I've been at it for real for about a month, getting about 1-2 hours in a day, plodding along. My first milestone is going to be a little sandbox simulation of one hero, with waves of monsters, and randomly spawing boosts to strength and health. I really want to have a super rich AI, and so this sandbox will allow me to implement:

1. monster AI to find and eat the hero
2. hero to either:
   1. fight if strong enough
   2. pick up nearest boost if not feeling confident
   3. run away if possible
   4. last stand if not
3. Pathfinding to pick the best routes for heroes and monsters.

Anyway, that's all for now! Peace!