Dev Diary #2: An Artist’s Touch

Hello, Councilors!

I hope you will forgive my absence in writing. I can assure you that nothing less than a life-changing event could draw my attention away from my responsibilities to you and this game’s development.

A lifechanging event it was; I’m married now!

While I could spend all day talking about the experience, I had better begin my foray into the topic of this entry, UI enhancements. If you were around for the introductory devlogs, you might recall a confession; as the lead developer for Court of Ashes, my background is neither technical nor artistic. While C.S. Cratel is a programming whiz, my own journey into game development rests on a foundation of bootstrapping and good-natured gumption.

The studio has been fortunate to work with many talented artists, but the job of tying their independent works together into a homogenous whole has been an experience unto itself. I’m happy to say that we’ve reviewed this problem recently, and the project is all the better for it.

Court of Ashes UI has recently undergone assessment and refactoring in order to create a better experience for you. To review the previous summit of our best efforts:

We now realize that what we had approached was only a landing by which to climb higher:

C.S. created the mockups needed to give the entire strategy section a facelift. His improvements have given the scene more depth by removing flat maps and scrolls, instead substituting them for layered images and UI overlays. Additionally, the currency “stamps” are being retired for coins of distinct shape and color for better recognition

To be sure, these features are still being concepted. There are numerous flourishes which can allow these ideas to rise still higher. What can be said is that Court of Ashes is still growing, improving, and reaching the point where it’s as interesting visually as it is narratively.

We've created a UI “hub” that anchors into the bottom right of the screen. It tracks affinity, turn number, action counts, navigation, and game options without making a huge clutter on the screen. It also animates, making sure each scene is never too static.

The new day end page gives more finality to the day/night cycle than just a black screen fading out.

The dialogue itself is receiving more framing devices and improved texts/margins for readability.

A driving philosophy behind CoA development is to offer something different and exciting to the genre. Just as the decisions the player makes while playing the game matter, we treat every decision that goes into the development of the game as equally impactful.

All of this to say that we are still working ever-diligently to make this game still better for you, our most revered players.

With kindest regards, Chris Cratel, Cratel Studios