Game News Zodiac Legion is an upcoming turn-based tactical RPG where you command an arcane chivalric order

[luj1]

Turn based + hex based


Have you thought about adding more animations/models? The variety is really poor. Every character is a reskin of another and they use what appears to be the same set of animations.

 

[Galdred]

Zodiac Legion? Sorry bro, I'm a Libra, not compatible with this game.


Just kidding, looks intriguing. I like the great value Sarevok narrator too!

Libra was our first character in the game, so it fully supports Libra (that has nothing to do with me being Libra, honest!).

Turn based + hex based


Have you thought about adding more animations/models? The variety is really poor. Every character is a reskin of another and they use what appears to be the same set of animations.

The characters use the same set of animations because we use a complex paperdolling system that lets you mix and match armor pieces and weapons. Adding extra attack animations would require doing it for all of the existing sprites. But it makes them WYSIWYG, and allows a lot of customization for armor sets.

But we will add monsters that don't use the paperdolling system (currently, there are only two: the shade which didn't make it to the video, and the scorpion monsters you see in the end).

 

[Fenix]

Some like Taurus focus on raw body enhancement. Other like Aquarius are more suited to the role of mage.

What is Virgo suited for?

 

[Galdred]

Some like Taurus focus on raw body enhancement. Other like Aquarius are more suited to the role of mage.

What is Virgo suited for?

This one is less obvious, but I was thinking about blood magic, and/or retaliation/self damating fighter build, partly because we went with the iron maiden theme for virgo.

 

[Oberon]

I saw a vid on this years ago and only remembered that it's name was Zodiac related, I looked for it later but could never find it again, I assumed that it had been abandoned.

 

[Galdred]

I saw a vid on this years ago and only remembered that it's name was Zodiac related, I looked for it later but could never find it again, I assumed that it had been abandoned.

It was on the Codex all along!
https://rpgcodex.net/forums/threads/wip-zodiac-legion-x-com-and-dungeons.89304/

 

[Monkeyfinger]

What did you use as your 13th sign? Ophiuchus?

 

[tindrli]

Oh I'd take the Moss Giant design for the Green Knight aswell. That or just a dismounted version, mounted was just the first decent pic I found.

reminds me of a green knight of moonstone

 

[Galdred]

What did you use as your 13th sign? Ophiuchus?

Yes! We wanted to use the "astronomical" version, and Ophiuchus is an interesting sign, going with necromancy, healing, and poison. It also doesn't have an element, unlike the other signs.

 

[Falksi]

Hex games get on my tits a bit, visually seeing the maths of he whole thing just sucks me out of the game, but this looks really good so I might give it a punt.

 

[Galdred]

Hex games get on my tits a bit, visually seeing the maths of he whole thing just sucks me out of the game, but this looks really good so I might give it a punt.

Hexagons are pretty bad with rectangular constructions, no question about it.
However, square grids also have tons of issues, that are apparent in Final Liberation, or Field of Glory 2:
Diagonal contact is always a mess (especially in FoG2), with units "slipping diagonally" between 2 opposing units.
It makes it almost impossible to have any kind of formation that is not oriented S->N or E->W.
Hexagons make it much less of an issue, but then, the tradeoff is also that you have a ZigZagging S->N or E->W axis.
We will add natural caves, and non rectangular castles/city walls to play to the strengths of hexagons for the next tilesets.

 

[Falksi]

Hex games get on my tits a bit, visually seeing the maths of he whole thing just sucks me out of the game, but this looks really good so I might give it a punt.

Hexagons are pretty bad with rectangular constructions, no question about it.
However, square grids also have tons of issues, that are apparent in Final Liberation, or Field of Glory 2:
Diagonal contact is always a mess (especially in FoG2), with units "slipping diagonally" between 2 opposing units.
It makes it almost impossible to have any kind of formation that is not oriented S->N or E->W.
Hexagons make it much less of an issue, but then, the tradeoff is also that you have a ZigZagging S->N or E->W axis.
We will add natural caves, and non rectangular castles/city walls to play to the strengths of hexagons for the next tilesets.

It's more the visual representation of seeing them which bothers me mate. It just takes me out of the game.

Practically I think they have their place, but I'd sooner know the game was hex and play with guesswork, than actually physically see them on-screen myself.

 

[Galdred]

Hex games get on my tits a bit, visually seeing the maths of he whole thing just sucks me out of the game, but this looks really good so I might give it a punt.

Hexagons are pretty bad with rectangular constructions, no question about it.
However, square grids also have tons of issues, that are apparent in Final Liberation, or Field of Glory 2:
Diagonal contact is always a mess (especially in FoG2), with units "slipping diagonally" between 2 opposing units.
It makes it almost impossible to have any kind of formation that is not oriented S->N or E->W.
Hexagons make it much less of an issue, but then, the tradeoff is also that you have a ZigZagging S->N or E->W axis.
We will add natural caves, and non rectangular castles/city walls to play to the strengths of hexagons for the next tilesets.

It's more the visual representation of seeing them which bothers me mate. It just takes me out of the game.

Practically I think they have their place, but I'd sooner know the game was hex and play with guesswork, than actually physically see them on-screen myself.

Good point, I will make them toggable. The borders are on a separate layer after all (the issue is that I have put a lot of other HuD features on the layer).

 

[cherry blossom]

Glad to see this is not dead. Last I checked was in 2015 and I am wondering what the rate of progress is. This could turn out to be the next big time-sink for me after Underrail. Please make it so.

 

[Galdred]

Glad to see this is not dead. Last I checked was in 2015 and I am wondering what the rate of progress is. This could turn out to be the next big time-sink for me after Underrail. Please make it so.

Rate of progress is quite variable, but it is much faster now than it used to, because a lot of the UI and graphic legwork is done already (and I don't need to look for freelance assignments anymore).
The tactical part is in good shape currently. It works as is, and I am content with the UI (I will tweak it a little more, but most of the heavy lifting has been done).
I plan to make the geoscape relatively simple (more like OG X-COM than Age of Wonders).
Research and base building are already present, but not as developed as they should : I want to tie research to the character skills, like in Dominions 5, and I want base building to also change the map of the base dungeon when under attack (like in Xenonauts and OG X-COM).
I am working on the character progression, and geoscape integration (mission rewards, and consequences on the world state).