Turn-Based Tactics Archrebel: Tactics - A reincarnation of the classic Rebelstar.

[Alienman]

Have to say, the music is great.

 

[Ularis Badler]

Alright... so... its' when the game reloads.

Yeah there seems to be a problem with continuing missions after you exit. I played for quite a while now, exited and tried to continue with the mission to see if it will work. After returning to the mission I cant do anything, there is a text saying "action not possible at this time" - I cant move units or do anything else. If I end turn the enemy acts normally but then in the new turn I once more cant take any actions.


View attachment 51096

I will get on your Discord to post this as well later.

Can you confirm that this always happen when you load the game?

Please, send me the saved game file. It's located at:
C:\Users\YOUR_USER\AppData\LocalLow\Ularis Badler - Retro Digital Games\Archrebel Tactics\SavedGames

 

[Ularis Badler]

BTW when I click on the Discord button in the game menu it tells me the invite is no longer valid...

Damn it.... here it is:
https://discord.gg/4pPWevXn

I will have to replace the link in the game. I had no idea the link I added was set to expire. I'm such a noob.

 

[Ularis Badler]

Guys, it's proving to be quite taxing trying to provide aid to all people in several places. I'm centralizing all aid on my Discord server. I won't be paying that much attention to RPGCodex until I solve all identified issues and the dust settles down.

This is the definitive Discord Link:
https://discord.gg/PmmsYskEqK

I hope you understand.

 

[Parsimonious cook]

Great. You got a Discord PM with the files and additional info - hope it helps.

 

[negator2vc]

* In the travel mode since the units can still move even when their AP are zero why use the AP during travel mode at all?
Yes, this is a fair question. You spend action points moving so you don't get the upper hand when exploring, otherwise, you would always have action points to fire your weapon whenever you encountered an enemy target after entering combat mode. This forces you to pass turns more often if you want to explore with action points available. This also allows the CPU also to have a chance to play more often because this is not a real-time game; the CPU is frozen until you end the turn.

Then why not having the player always be in "combat mode"? Instead of switching between them. Similar to for ex. the original X-Com games did it.
I don't understand the benefit of having two modes that both use AP and turns but one allow movement even with zero AP and one don't.

* Also the UI on the right contains completely different information in each tabs including the inventory. Maybe some of the tabs like the inventory could be a popup window instead? Why not borrow UI ideas from modern tactics games?
I've always found windows opening in the middle of the screen or anything covering the map extremely intrusive. What you describe is actually the praise I've been getting for having the info people need always available, and out of the way.

But the fact that the player need to switch tabs still hide info from the player.
Maybe having each tab a separate panel or moving for ex. the inventory at the bottom of the screen. The units selection UI take way too much space so it can be reduced in size to allow for ex. the inventory next to it.

Also some icons especially on your units I think you should show them on the unit UI instead of the unit sprite.
That was the original way and it didn't work at all, you would always need to click on the unit to see where it was to understand the tactical situation, forcing you to memorize where all the wounded, the tired, out-of-ammo, etc... units were. The problem scales quickly with the more units you control. It was a terrible decision, if I may add.

In this case why not reduce the size of the unit selection UI and use the extra space as I explained before.

Why have an "aim mode" (I don't recall if that the actual name used) in which the game use circles in place of the unit's graphics?
Why not use the actual graphics of each unit and if needed use some colored border or something similar.
Having circular signatures is what makes the combat the way it is, with physics acting realistically on shots, which is the same principle used in other games Rebelstar, Laser Squad, and Sabre Team. Without this, you couldn't have a clear view of the units' size, what they are blocking or protecting, or understanding the difficulty of pulling a shot between units. The combat with circular signatures is, by far, the most praised feature in the game.

I don't understand how the unit actual sprite could prevent the player from having a clear view about the info you describe.
Beside you already show info when the player target a unit like the hit percentage. If needed you could show additional info or even show the circle only when a unit is targeted.
I don't recall Sabre Team having such feature (Rebelstar did have).

 

[Alienman]

Damn, seem to run into that tutorial bug. Stuck on a mission now again, and a restart doesn't seem to work.

 

[geno]

What if the hold buttons could be just a key tap with a keyboard shortcut, would that work?

 

[Ularis Badler]

Alright. I believe the problem has been fixed. Thanks a lot for reporting the issue and for those who provided me with their save-game files, which allowed me to quickly sort it out.

The new version v0.11 is now available:
https://ularis-badler.itch.io/archrebel

 

[Alienman]

Managed to get an interview with our man Ularis Badler. Check it out here, or down below!

Spoiler

Welcome to an interview with Fernando Pereira, the solo developer behind the studio Ularis Badler. He is currently busy working on the impressive squad-based tactical game Archrebel Tactics. The demo left me impressed, and if you want to give it a go yourself, you can find it here. Now for the interview.

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Being a solo dev, what prompted you to make your own game?

I love video games, and it has always been my dream to recreate my own version of the classic Rebelstar, as well as to develop other games. The list of projects in the drawer is huge!

Do you do everything by yourself, programming, visuals, sound, etc?

Archrebel has put all my skills to the test. I wasn’t 100% sure if I would manage to pull it off, but I had to try; I believed in myself. I’m handling everything, from coding and graphics to sound, music, and whatever else there is.

Sounds like heavy work for one solo dev, what is taking the most time/hardest to do?

I would say everything is equally hard when it comes to the creation process. What really drains my stamina is testing the game, replaying the same mission over and over, and trying to nail down those hard-to-trigger bugs that can drive a developer crazy.

Are the skills self-taught, or did you bring something from past jobs, or maybe hobbies?

I’m 100% self-taught. As far as coding is concerned, it’s a mutual benefit. I exchange knowledge between what I learn in both my professional and hobbyist projects.

Have you tried to outsource parts?

I tried in my past projects, and it didn’t turn out that well. Either you find someone as enthusiastic and available as you are, or you risk wasting more time trying to get people to do things rather than actually getting things done. I find it more productive to do everything myself. This is why a retro game like Archrebel comes with real benefits; its simplistic look gives me the room I need to handle everything else.

Is Archrebel Tactics your first “commercial” game? I don’t see anything else listed under Ularis Badler.

Yes, this is my first commercial project, or rather my first project that I’m sharing with the world. My drawer is full of unfinished projects and ideas that have brought me to where I am.

It says Archrebel Tactics is based/inspired by Rebelstar from 1986 – a pretty old game. How come? Is it something fondly remembered from childhood, or maybe the gameplay is just that good?

In my eyes, Rebelstar II was the last game that retained the true essence of Rebelstar. Julian Gollop’s subsequent games, while excellent, departed from the original spirit of Rebelstar. This is why I’m reviving its classic mechanics, with units transformed into circle signatures and shots needing to collide with pixel precision, and also because I miss the simplistic retro-visuais in tactics games.

There is also a more modern game in the series – Rebelstar: Tactical Command for the Game Boy Advance, does this title play into your inspirations as well?

Not at all. GBA’s Rebelstar is different in many ways, and in some it really digressed, like having small maps and a reduced number of controllable units.

I assume you know of Julian Gollop, the creator of Rebelstar? Coincidentally he made my favorite game too, namely: X-com Ufo Defense. Have you played any of his recent offerings, like Phoenix Point? If so, what do you think?

Of course! Rebelstar’s dad! I’ve only played the original X-Com, which was known as UFO: Enemy Unknown in Europe. For some reason, I didn’t feel motivated to play Phoenix Point.

Does Archrebel Tactics take inspiration from anything else? Maybe something beyond gaming? I did notice some references in the demo, including the movie Aliens.

Absolutely, it also draws inspiration from other games created by Julian Gollop, like Laser Squad, and of course, UFO: Enemy Unknown. The references are just for fun, since the Aliens movie is probably my favorite sci-fi flick of all time.

On Archrebel Tactics, what’s the general idea of the game – from combat to management?

The game primarily focuses on combat tactics and managing your units to maintain their efficiency. Exploration will also be a significant component, especially since I’m using large maps of 100×100 tiles, which is uncommon in the tactics genre that typically features more condensed battlefields.

We talked about this a bit on Twitter, but why did you decide to include action points during free-roam, when you are outside of combat?

This travel mode is a crucial and unique aspect of the game, allowing units to freely roam and perform non-critical actions such as moving, reloading, or upgrading items even after their action points (AP) are depleted. However, if they explore too much without replenishing their AP, they risk encountering enemies and being vulnerable without the ability to take cover or fight back in the same turn. This encourages players to end their turns more frequently, which also allows the CPU more time to act.

If AP depletion didn’t exist in travel mode, players could easily eliminate any enemy they encountered, rendering scout probes useless—these items are used to scan terrain without exposing units to enemy attacks. Another consideration is that mission scores decrease with each turn elapsed, so players must balance exploration with readiness, avoiding excessive turn-ending for their own advantage.

Travel mode is ideal for retracing revealed terrain, but caution is advised during exploration.

Was this design decision established from the start, or something that evolved during development to what it is now?

The game is based on a formula I’ve been refining for over 15 years, with long pauses in between for other projects, mind you. But a lot has changed since I started developing Archrebel, after testing everything and understanding what would work and what wouldn’t. There was a time when I left the ‘scope-creep gate’ wide open, allowing many ideas to pour in, until I realized I had to close it because of the added complexity. Haha!

I found the danger levels pretty high in the game, units die quickly if you make the wrong move – is this something you want for your game? Creating a meat grinder effect (a feeling of war), like how it is in X-com Terror from the Deep?

This long and challenging mission is designed to compel players to explore most of what Archrebel’s mechanics have to offer. It’s not a game that you want to rush through, but rather savor, forcing the player to think and explore everything before taking action. This is the beauty of turn-based games; they give you all the time you need to become comfortable with your decision-making process. The truth is that it really isn’t that hard, but it’s too easy for an inexperienced player to make critical mistakes if they don’t explore the details presented in the screen. The campaign will start much easier and progressively scale in difficulty, as you would expect with most games.

Does a squad-wipe mean the end of the game? How in general will casualties be treated? Will it be hard to replace veteran soldiers?

Mission failure will depend on meeting the mission’s objectives or having your team wiped out. In the campaign, the game won’t end if you fail a mission; I’m still working on and deciding the mechanics.

My impression from the demo is that melee will be a secondary skill since ranged damage seems to dominate. So while it remains useful in tight close combat situations, will it ever be a viable approach outside of that – like creating a melee-based droid or soldier?

No, ranged combat is the main and most effective way of pushing your way through. Melee is mostly used as a last resort or for tactical reasons. For example, if you are running low on ammo with a droid and you’d rather take out the nearly dead unit with a melee attack. This is actually how the original Rebelstar worked.

I managed to get a pretty large squad by the end of the demo by saving prisoners and hacking robots, but what’s the limit for squad sizes? Will we get battles involving hundreds of units?

While I don’t have a limit set in stone yet, expect a maximum of around 20 controllable units.

Will a saved unit become a permanent unit in your squad? How will progression work in general, do they keep their level and stats going from mission to mission?

It’s pretty much how XCOM works, you keep your units and you will find yourself cycling through them as they get wounded and put to rest for a mission or so. If you are playing with permadeath, well, then they also can get killed.

Does the same rule apply for loot you find?

This is how it will work: if you find a better version of a weapon that has already been unlocked and belongs to a unit’s class, you can keep it. Otherwise, the loot is converted into ‘renown,’ the game’s currency, which is considered a contribution to the faction you work for. I’m planning to implement a panel where you can manage this.

How will equipment in general work, will you have to equip your men before going on a mission?

Once you have handled the loot from the mission, that’s it, no more management is needed. Units get their inventory reset; with weapons, ammo, and whatnot.

What kind of sci-fi weapons and equipment can we expect?

They are mostly energy weapons, but I don’t specify their type, such as plasma or laser rifles; I want to leave it to the players’ imagination. However, I do specify their class, which contributes to familiarity, allowing players to quickly understand how they should be used — like assault rifles, sniper rifles, or defense pistols. There are also explosive weapons like rocket and missile launchers, along with other gadgets.

Units seem to be based on classes. What makes them unique? Any personal favorites?

I don’t have a favorite class yet because the class system is still under development. Each class will be unique in the sense that they unlock specific equipment that other classes don’t have, for the most part. The elite class is probably one of the best, as it unlocks the Photon, which was the best weapon in Rebelstar. Then, it also depends on the faction you join. There are 3 factions with their own missions, and each faction unlocks a specific class.

In the demo, I noticed a lot of scripting, having both enemy and friendly units react to events during the mission – is it something that will also be part of the main game?

There are unit reactions that always trigger during specific events, and then there are scripted dialogs. These will definitely be included in the campaign because I believe they make it more real and atmospheric, with units reacting to what happens, reminding the player that they are human and alive, not just mere sprites.

How will injuries work, is the effect permanent or just something that lasts for the combat map?

While in combat, units will sustain wounds and require medkits to heal them; the same applies to droids. Between missions, units recover fully without permanent consequences. However, they may need to rest and skip the next mission to fully recover.

I assume missions will be “hand-crafted”, not something that is created and randomized on the fly, is that correct? If so, how come you took this approach?

It will be a mix of both, with units spawning randomly in specific areas. However, we can say they are mostly handcrafted, although some specific missions may lean more towards procedural generation.

The demo came with scoring, will it be a crucial aspect of the main game, or just fun fluff to show your friends?

The scoring system is designed to entice players to beat their previous score or the scores of others. In the campaign, your score is represented by ‘renown,’ acting as an in-game currency.

Archrebel Tactics runs on Unity. What do you think about the engine? And does the pricing scandal the company was involved in concern you, or the future of your game?

I started using Unity back in 2018. My criteria for choosing Unity were C#, the engine with the most available tutorials, and its full capability in both 2D and 3D development. The recent scandal involving Unity is unfortunate and does worry me, but not as much as the prospect of learning a new engine. I have grown very fond of Unity and have gained extensive experience using it over the past six years. Hopefully, I won’t have a compelling reason to switch to another one, in the future.

When do you think Archrebel Tactics will be released?

If all goes according to plan, by the end of 2026. I hope to implement multiplayer this year, develop the mission editor the next year, and finally develop the campaign throughout 2026.

Is there anything you want to add, about the game, the development, or maybe something else?

No, I think your questions covered it all. I guess I wish I could call Archrebel by Rebelstar III, if I had the rights for it. haha.

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I want to thank Fernando for giving me the time. Archrebel Tactics is looking great already, and I wish him all the best with his continued development of the game. Now comes to hard part for us, waiting for the 1.0 release!

 

[Infinitron]

 

[AdolfSatan]

Wanted to give this a try. Enabled the tutorial, got the “click text to continue” message. There’s no text, nothing I click makes the game progress.
Restarted with tutorial disabled and it worked, but it seems like there’s some bizarre dark overlay covering the lower 3/4 of my screen that won’t go away, and that I’m not seeing in anyone else’s screenshots. I presume this may be related to the tutorial bug.
I disabled all effects but would appreciate if there was a way for the screen not to have stuff moving and scintillating all over the place every single second.
I recommend you throw a screenshot through an accessibility meter, I can guarantee the contrast values on all text are shit. Text is supposed to be readable.