Dev Diary #1: Ranged Units and a New Mode

Greetings to all ant colonies!

We have added a new ant to the game: the "Dart". It can attack enemies from a distance and shoot through obstacles. Additionally, a new game mode has been introduced, and we want to tell you more about it in our first development diary.

A bit about the Dart:

It has become the first ant capable of attacking enemies from a distance. We planned to create such an ant during the first year of development, but we kept postponing it due to the complexity of the shooting mechanics. The turning point that made us realize it had to be added was our desire to evolve the combat system. Right now, players mostly rely on Daggers or Tanks and play the entire game using them.

The new ant is intentionally designed to be vulnerable in close combat, and we've taught enemies to react to being shot. These traits of the Dart make it impossible to use effectively without the support of strong melee ants.

The Dart's main strength is its ability to attack enemies through tiles in the dungeon without taking retaliatory damage. Its usage completely turns the game upside down, transforming anthill raids in the late-game areas into a Tower Defense experience.

The new ant has had a massive impact on the endless mode. The familiar "Dagger Spam" strategy has been replaced by more interesting tactics that combine different ants and walls. Even during playtests, we started receiving a lot of messages about new high scores!

How was the new ant created?

The creation started with a simple sketch drawn in green. Later, when deciding on a color, we noticed that our concept stood out very clearly against the other warriors, so we decided to keep it. As for how exactly the ant would shoot, there was almost no debate — we based it on the real-life ant species Formica rufa.

The main problem we encountered during the initial tests was that the ant would stop in place to reload when it ran out of ammo. It looked strange; it would just freeze for a few seconds and wiggle its abdomen. We decided to let the ant reload constantly on the move so it wouldn't have to stop. This turned out to be the perfect solution, which you can now see in the game.

In the early concepts, the ant had only one charge. Generating another projectile took a lot of time. We didn't like that, in this state, the ranged unit always dealt a flat amount of damage per minute. We gave it the ability to store charges. Now, during the first encounter with an enemy, it can fire up to 3 shots in a row with less than a second of cooldown between them. After that, it needs to generate shooting fluid again, which takes significantly longer.

This feature allows a large group of shooters to kill an enemy before they can retaliate. However, to use this tactic effectively, you need a solid understanding of whether your current number of shooters is enough to finish the job. If you miscalculate, they will die quickly, and your economy will be left in a grim state.

Another challenging aspect was the projectile trajectory. The projectile needs to fly in a visually pleasing way and always hit its target. But how do we make the projectile reach a target that has moved away from the spot we initially fired at?

We designed it so that the projectile always takes the exact same amount of time to reach its target. No matter the distance, it always takes half a second. Because of this, by knowing how long the projectile has been in the air, we can calculate the percentage of the distance it has already covered. If the enemy moves, we calculate a new flight trajectory as if we had just fired a new shot. Knowing the percentage of the path already traveled, we can shift the projectile to the exact point it would be at if we had fired it along this new trajectory from the start. Here is what a projectile looks like after covering 60% of the distance while the enemy is running to the right at incredible speed.

Steam post image

What's next for shooting mechanics in the game?

We received sooo much positive feedback from players during the playtests, and we absolutely love the new ant ourselves. We've decided to develop the shooting mechanics further, and our next step will be adding a new ranged bug, which we will talk about in future development diaries.

What is the new mode?

Adding the Endless Mode completely changed the game for us. We were used to the ants being a slow-paced strategy game where you have time to think. But the endless waves of enemies arriving every few minutes tested not only the players' skills but also their nerves. It made every battle incredibly thrilling and emotional.

The Endless Mode experience inspired us to create a unique level centered around an enemy base that constantly sends massive waves at the player. However, this base can actually be destroyed. By combining the Endless Mode with regular level design, we created a new semi-desert location called "Dead Sands". We placed this level separate from the main campaign so that players can tackle it whenever they feel ready. For the level's theme, we chose scorching sand and bones.

There is a giant skeleton on the map that has been infested by termites. They will launch massive raids against you every few minutes. To give you time to prepare, we added a timer to the game that counts down to the next big attack. The only way to stop the onslaught is to destroy their base.

Almost all the food sources on the map are controlled by enemy termites. To gather more food and build up your strength for the final assault, you'll have to destroy the smaller outposts surrounding the anthill. For our most hardcore players, we've prepared a tough challenge: destroy the termite mega-base without destroying a single regular outpost on the map.

What game modes are coming next?

We are preparing 2 more similar levels set in the mountains. One level will feature a similar game mode against wasps, while the other will introduce a completely unique enemy (of massive size, of course). We will share more details about this in our upcoming Mountain Development Diary.

PS: Each card = 1 level