This week I looked into how movement and pathing work for tactics/strategy games. I learned about something called Breadth First Search, which is an algorithm used to search graphs. I suppose that it works in this case because the board is a grid, and so it can be used for determining positions, and then it can be used to move the piece to that position. I b egan to work on adding this to my prototype, so that movement will be possible and, theoretically, very easy to add to each unit. This is because the pieces themselves actually derive from the movement script, as opposed to Monobehaviour, so I think there are only a few variables that need to be changed for each type of piece. This saves a huge amount of time, because it means that there doesn’t need to be a completely new movement script for each unit. 

I also began working on physical prototype pieces, which are different heights and shapes, although the prototypes are the same color at the moment because they were made with scrap wood. I didn’t want to waste the nicer wood that will actually be used to make the final versions of the pieces. 

I also looked quite a bit at map design in tactical/strategy rpgs. I realized that the layouts that I normally consider bad are often nearly completely open. This means that there is usually very little between the two opposing sides, except for some space. This creates problems, especially when you have several different types of units, some of which may be range based and frail. They’re range really does them no good, because it is far to easy for the gap to be closed and the unit will be lost. That being said, maps at the opposite end of the spectrum also aren’t fun. If there is too much clutter on a map, is makes it very difficult for both sides to move, and this can be frustrating. It may take far too long to get within range and attack an opponent, and the player has lost interest. The kinds of maps that I typically believe are well designed have several different things in common. One of the biggest things to making a map fun is giving players options. There should be a choice for the player to split their units into groups and send them to handle different parts of the map, especially if they are specialized for certain situations.  Additionally, there needs to be enough enemy units to pose a danger to the player. There needs to be uncrossable objects around the map, in order to create chokepoints for both sides, and also to allow ranged units to occasionally attack without real risk. It also does the same for the enemy side. This creates a balance between the player and the AI. Also, it really helps to have the player have only a few units, but they should all be fairly strong, and have a lot of defense, relative to the AI. This helps create a feeling that the player is doing more than they would be if everything was a perfect match. Additionally, it helps to keep player units leveled evenly, assuming there is a level up system.