Fast paced, turn based; simple interface, complex possibilities. Welcome to Mysterious Castle!
It's done, and it's not even close to being done. I'm very proud to present the first 'complete' version of Mysterious Castle, it's been a wild ride. I'm also very eager to point out that Mysterious Castle 1.5 is only the first step of a journey towards the game I always wanted to make. I consider this version the first one which has all the elements that make it a game, you know, a beginning, middle, and end.
I'll be the first to admit that Mysterious Castle is pretty sparse. It lacks story, mechanical depth, and polish. But it's got tactical depth and great gameplay. Looking back at this version one year from now, how will 1.5 look? Ever see a human skeleton? That's what 1.5 is, it's the skeletal infrastructure of what will be an amazing living creation. Ok, not exactly living, but definitely evolving.
In genetic evolution you have genotypes and phenotypes. A genotype is an organisms (or systems) full hereditary/functionality information, while the phenotype is the expressed information. Well, Mysterious Castle's genotype has a lot of expressing to do. The gameplay elements that are possible to express in Mysterious Castle is not adequately shown off in 1.5, but they're there. For example, jumping, climbing, pick-pocketing, crafting, destructible terrain, economy, guilds and alliances, secret doors, farming, and so much more is already built into the engine! So why can't you do those things in 1.5? It comes down to expressing gameplay elements in a way that makes sense. Sure I could throw those things right into the game, but would they be fun? Would they be interesting? Would you pick a monsters pocket if you could just kill them without consequences and take their stuff? Would you climb a cliff if you could just walk around a copse of trees and wander up a mellow hill?
This is where the evolution begins, generating procedural content that allows you to express more complex actions in a fun way. Generating a world with so many interesting things that you can do, a world that is subtly different each time you play. And that's just the start. There are enhancements to be made to the genotype too. AI is going to radically improve, wars will be waged, new mechanics will be added. Because I love this game. I love making it, I love playing it, and I'm just getting warmed up.
If you like indie games, then please support a developer by purchase or donation. You're not just buying a game, your buying into a process that makes games better. Look at what the thousands of donators to Dwarf Fortress did to the roguelike field. Look at what alpha supporters of Minecraft did to the industry as a whole. They didn't just get a dead game with a few bugfixes down the line, they got an evolving work of art that shook up gamers and game developers worldwide.
Sincerely,
Jeremy Jurksztowicz, AKA eclectocrat
