I was meant to write the first dev log a few weeks back. But one thing let to another, here we are a few weeks late.

Lets talk about the technicality for a bit first.

As it is right now, Shields Chronicle Tactics (SCT) is a turn-based tactical game, similar to Final Fantasy Tactics series. However, it was not always meant to be like this.

I have the initial idea of SCT in 2017. Back then, it was more of an Action RPG inspired by Zelda series. Here is a test footage from back then:

Look nothing like what we have today. It was a pretty neat idea with good combat, kickass combo system, and challenging platforming segments. However, I was too ambitious, the game scoop was too huge for a solo developer to handle. A few unfix-able issues and not-very-unique boss fights later, I decided to scrap the whole thing and start again. At this point I have spend about 18 months on STC. Cutting it off hurt, but I was not able to do anything else with it.

So, back to square one. 

In order to find a new, more compacted idea, I made several different prototypes and let my friends play. And you know what, this one sticks out:

Turn out, we were mostly hardcore Final Fantasy fans, and of course, the War of the Lions and the Tactics Advance entries are the GOAT. Then I thought to myself "why not do this?" And the rest is history.  Of course, I cannot just make a carbon copy of FFT though, I have to put my twist on it. I will discuss with you guys about it as the game develop. Compare to the original prototype, this one is much more compacted, and actually have less systems to worry about. For example: even though SCT still have open world areas and exploration, puzzle solving is streamlined and platforming is not a part of the game anymore. 

Lets get a little personal here,

I actually not a full time game developer prior to SCT. I was an software engineer of some of the largest companies in Asia. Making games for me was more of a hobby. 

However, 2020 is not a good year. Long story short, I lost my day job, now I actually have time to make a serious game from start to finish.

Well, next time I will talk a little bit about why I chose grid based tactical genre, and a little technicality behind my version of A* path finding and may be some AI discussion. I actually need some feedback on the AI, so that is for me more than for you guys, though.

See you guys next deblog.