Welcome to a new post about the development of our MOBA game, inspired by Force of Nature 2. Lately, the changes we've introduced have consistently yielded positive results, reinforcing our belief that we're on the right way. With that confidence, we're ready to keep pushing forward. Let's dive into the latest updates!
Stamina and Charges
We've been working to make the combat system as intuitive as possible for MOBA players. The next logical step was to reintroduce stamina to its traditional role. Previously, we used stamina only to limit the number of resource-gathering actions. At the start of each gathering phase, foresters received just enough stamina for three resource hits, with any unused stamina burning out at the end of the phase.
However, now that foresters can cast spells, we wanted stamina to serve as a standard resource for spellcasting, as is common in the genre. As a result, we restored stamina's original purpose and introduced a new mechanic – charges – to control resource-gathering actions. These charges are displayed directly above the hero's head.
This change not only freed up stamina for spell usage but also made it significantly easier to visually track the current phase.
Previously, players sometimes struggled to stay aware of the phase they were in, particularly after engaging in intense battles. In such situations, players would shift their focus from managing resources to monitoring health – both their own and their opponent’s. After a fight, it could be confusing to determine whether it was time to gather resources (avoiding further battles) or to buy cards and aggressively confront the enemy.
To address this, we had already added two indicators: a corner icon (a coin or pickaxe) and a screen border glow (yellow or blue). However, these indicators were placed on the edges of the screen, relying on peripheral vision, while the player’s main attention was on their character. The charge indicator, positioned directly above the hero's head, is always within the player's line of sight, making it much easier to identify the current phase.
Resources as Towers
In traditional MOBA games, towers serve as a stress-relief mechanic for players who may struggle during matches. Towers provide a safe haven, allowing players to avoid unnecessary fights if their opponent proves more skilled. Players can opt to stop aiding their minions in killing the enemy's minions, letting their own minions perish and luring the enemy closer to their tower. While this creates a risk of damage to the tower, it also provides a relatively safe area for the player to regroup. For beginners, this mechanic is particularly valuable – it lets them reduce their personal stress by redistributing it across the team, as the now-damaged tower requires the team to play more cautiously.
We wanted to introduce a similar concept to our game, creating "safe zones" where players can catch their breath during high-stress moments, even at the cost of some overall progress toward victory.
In our game, these safe zones are represented by the resources that foresters gather. Resources act as protective "towers" for players. However, only active resources – those that haven’t been harvested – offer protection, and they protect only the forester in the resource-gathering phase who has charges available. This means a resource will only defend a forester who is currently able to gather it.
Protection works as follows: if a hero attacks a forester near an active resource, the resource retaliates by attacking the aggressor. However, if no one initiates combat, any hero or forester in any phase can safely move near resources without triggering an attack.
We were cautious about introducing these "resource towers" into the forest, as a large number of them could significantly disrupt the gameplay balance. To mitigate this, we started with a low damage output for these protective resources. Additionally, their projectiles do not deal instant damage – they travel slowly toward the target and self-destruct after two seconds if they don’t hit. This gives players an opportunity to evade the attacks.
This system creates a fair and forgiving mechanic that adds an extra layer of strategy without overwhelming players or drastically altering the game’s flow.
New Hero: Forester - Bomber
Combat between foresters has become engaging but still feels somewhat repetitive. Until now, we’ve only had one forester hero, meaning both players used the same set of base abilities. While additional ability cards introduced some variation, most battles boiled down to trading identical spells. It’s time to change that by introducing a new hero!
Meet the Bomber. To distinguish the original hero, we’ve named them Poison Warlock, as their signature spell is a poison cloud.
Abilities of the Bomber
- Gravity: Pulls all nearby enemies toward the Bomber.
- Explosion: Deals instant magic damage to all nearby enemies. The closer the target is to the epicenter (the Bomber), the higher the damage.
- Pyrotechnics: Enhances the damage dealt by mining resources.
The Gravity ability synergizes with Explosion, allowing the Bomber to pull enemies closer to maximize damage. Unlike the Poison Warlock, who uses a sling for ranged combat, the Bomber wields a pickaxe, making them a melee-focused hero. Close combat is critical for their playstyle, both for dealing damage and utilizing their abilities effectively.
Other Improvements
Since foresters no longer need to closely monitor minion battles on the lane, we’ve decided to remove the lane battle diagram that previously occupied a large portion of the top-left corner of the screen. This diagram was originally introduced back when builders engaged in a “rock-paper-scissors” mechanic with different minion races, requiring players to track these skirmishes. However, this feature has become obsolete with the removal of that mechanic.
Instead, we’ve repurposed that space to display a second card queue along the edge of the screen. Now, both card queues are visible at all times, eliminating the need to open a separate window to view the card table.
All resources belonging to the opposing forester, which were previously visible on the card table, have been moved to the main screen and are now displayed in the bottom-right corner. Additionally, interface buttons from Force of Nature that were irrelevant to this mode have been completely removed.
At the top of the screen, next to the game timer, there’s now a progress bar displaying each team's overall advancement toward victory. At the start of the match, both teams begin with 300% base health – 100% for the portal and 100% for each of the two lane towers. As towers are destroyed, this number decreases. A score of 0% indicates that all towers and the portal have been destroyed, resulting in a loss. This feature provides an immediate overview of how well or poorly your team is performing.
New Minion Cards
Several new cards have been added, summoning additional minions in the next wave:
- Orc Archer: A ranged unit with a healing aura that restores health for nearby allies.
- Orc Swordsman: A melee unit with an aura that boosts the attack power of nearby allies, including other minions.
- Troll Tank: This unit already existed in the game, but now its aura grants bonus armor to nearby allies.
Removal of Pearls as a Resource
The Pearl resource has been entirely removed from the game. We found little difference in gameplay between gathering five resources versus four. However, eliminating one resource also allowed us to remove four of its respawn points, significantly compacting the forest resource area. This has made forester combat more frequent and intense while also increasing the strategic value of the card that allows players to mine resources. With fewer resources available, predicting the mined location becomes easier, raising the stakes.
Base Healing for Foresters
Since foresters now frequently engage in combat and lose health and stamina, we wanted to give them a way to recover at their base, similar to champions. However, this healing comes with a drawback. In addition to the time lost returning to the base, there’s now a penalty: while the forester is at the base, their portal generates minions at one level lower than usual.
This creates another layer of connection between foresters and their minions. The strength of a forester lies in the forest, and their actions in the forest are reflected in the performance of their minions on the lane.
Refining Mechanics: A Familiar Approach
Throughout development, we’ve repeatedly opted to replace our custom mechanics with familiar, time-tested ones. The same principle now applies to forester artifacts. Previously, artifacts were purchased at the card table using resources. Now, we’ve moved artifact purchases to the base shop, where regular champions also buy their items. However, foresters have access to a completely separate set of artifacts tailored specifically to their needs.
These "new takes" on old mechanics – like the unique method for purchasing items – were intended to make the game stand out from other MOBAs. However, the resource-gathering and spell card system already provide enough innovation. Adding unfamiliar approaches to common mechanics risks overwhelming players unnecessarily.
Foresters now purchase artifacts in the shop using gold, earned by: сollecting resources, killing other heroes, passive income throughout the game.
From Gold Coin to Diamond
To avoid confusion between the gold used by foresters to purchase artifacts and the Gold Coin available at the card table (which substitutes for any resource), we’ve replaced the Gold Coin with a Diamond.
Let’s see how it al plays out!
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