Goon Game: Dev Log (4/12/24) - Movement Classes

Getting a head start on this one cause there’s more to talk about this time. Testing has shown that a rebalance is called for on multiple items; the most critical of them (in my opinion) is the range of specific attacks and abilities. During testing, Zolo and other Support units were nearly always out of range to do something impactful on their turn and had to forgo their turn to properly position themselves to account for their reduced movement. It could be argued that this is the feature working as intended, as the goal is to put players at a workable disadvantage compared to their opponents in the game. However, being just out of range to take advantage of a setup is a hair away from being annoying to the player, as it signals that these units don’t have enough team synergy to pull off smarter plays. It also slows the game down as players use turns to dash or reposition in order to move just one more space, putting them a turn behind. Now, there are two ways to go about fixing this, buff movement or buff range. Both would increase the total range of the unit, but in different ways that would impact other areas of design.

For instance, if we buffed movement for all Schemers and Zolo, then they would be on par with most other units, bar Agitators calling into question the point of variant movement speeds. A unit's movement should be a part of their kit and be one of the things that clue the player into how they should operate in gameplay. In Fire Emblem, for example, Foot Units move 5 spaces, Mounted move 6-7, and Armored move 4. From this alone, you are told that Armored units are meant to be pretty stationary, moving up only when the path is cleared or staying behind to protect the rear. Mounted units are intended to go first and far to weaken the enemy formation. Meanwhile, foot units move between the two and support both sides of the spectrum.

Here, a similar thing is desired. DPS Goons need to strike hard, and before anyone can react, they need to be able to move quickly. Saboteurs need to move into the open and interfere with the enemy line so the rest of the party can move up safely. Tank units stay behind to keep the opponent distracted; Support remains hidden behind another unit to apply buffs and snipe targets. Now, even with that logic, the game isn’t perfect. Saboteurs could probably stand with a MOV of 6, so there is a proper

spectrum; I do fear that increased Movement classes will start to blend together.

Actually, wait; I’m an idiot! Even with their similar moments, Fighters are different from Mercenaries, which are different from Clerics, which are different from Mages. Movement is a class of its own: light, medium, and heavy, so each unit has two classes – movement and role type. God, the answer was staring me in the face the whole time, and I didn’t even see it. A symptom of being the only constant play tester, I suppose. I am always trapped in my own head, lacking team members to bounce ideas off of. I should invest in a rubber duck.