Devlog Update #2

August 2025

We're still deep in development on the campaign system and character design. The full game is finally taking shape, and it's satisfying to see ideas we mapped out over a year ago coming together at last. Of course, being this our first game, there are a lot of hiccups here and there but every week brings us closer to something that feels cohesive and true to our original idea. As promised last month, let’s talk about the characters.

The Characters

Steam post image There will be hundreds of characters in the game, so we built internal tools to streamline their creation. Given our goal of supporting a wide range of hardware, we kept character models low in both polygon count and bone complexity.

Each character was designed based on the fantasy culture they belong to, their unique abilities, and their backstory within the world. We also created a variety of armor sets, organized into different tiers, to provide each character with the level of protection needed to withstand the constant collisions of this brutal sport—from simple headbands and hats to heavy, over-the-top helmets.

Steam post image Player characters will evolve throughout the campaign, improving their social status, unlocking better equipment, and enhancing their attributes as they climb the ranks of this unforgiving league.

The AI

We experimented with several approaches to AI. At first, it was just random actions. Surprisingly, this worked well enough for an MVP—it gave the illusion that the computer was “alive.” But as the project progressed, that obviously wasn’t enough. The AI needed to play well—and win.

We initially tried behavior trees, even implemented our own version. But for a fast-paced action game, they were overkill. Too complex, too clunky. Not worth it.

Eventually, we went with a Utility AI model —very bare-bones. No need for fancy class hierarchies, nodes, or abstract structures. Just a clean set of well-organized script files.

How It Works

Each player on a team has their own AI agent.

Every AI cycle, the agent ranks all possible actions: shooting, attacking, blocking, repositioning, etc. It selects the top action for that frame—but crucially, it doesn’t execute it immediately. If all players acted at once, it would look robotic and unfair. No human could keep up.

Instead, there's a team-level agent running on a slower cycle, roughly matching human reaction times. It looks at the best actions suggested by each player agent and decides which one to execute. This decision is influenced by multiple factors—player roles (e.g., goalkeeper actions take priority), the current match score, and more.

Once an action is selected, it gets executed like a human would: by "selecting" the player and simulating input (press/release).

Tuning Difficulty

We now have a lot of levers to tweak difficulty. We can shorten AI cycles, increase input responsiveness, or adjust action priorities. Want a defensive, aggressive, or chaotic team? It’s all doable. The system lets us give each team its own personality—and we’re still fine-tuning it.

Highlight: Tristán

Steam post image Tristán was once a jester in the imperial court—more than just an entertainer, he had access to secrets, gossip, and the hidden machinery of power. Behind the painted smile was a sharp mind and a man who knew too much.

But power is fragile, and court favor even more so. Tristán fell into disgrace under circumstances no one dares to speak of. Stripped of his rank, he was sent to the front lines to amuse tired soldiers in the mud and blood of the imperial war machine.

He didn’t stay long.

Tristán escaped, vanishing into the wilds where he lived among native tribes, learning their customs and stories. For a time, he found peace—or at least, a place to disappear. But fate wasn’t finished with him. Pirates raided the coast, capturing Tristán and selling him into slavery.

Now, broken but unbowed, Tristán enters the arena not just to survive—but to reclaim control of his story.

Despite his small stature and light build, Tristán’s years of hardship have made him remarkably resilient. He can absorb a surprising amount of punishment, making him especially effective in defensive roles where endurance and toughness matter more than brute strength.