Icons and Code Cleanups

Since my last post, Krees (@Krees9116) has diligently been working on the troops icons while I have focused on some overdue code cleanups on the mobile client.  There are many troops in Conquest!, and each requires a different portrait.  There are 6 playable classes plus Bandit and Titan classes for a total of 64 different icons.  Krees has done a great job giving each its own personality.  Check out some of them from a market below:

We still have the Titan class left but all of the playable classes plus Bandit (for the tutorial) are completed.  On the client side, I went back to some of my earlier work in Unity and applied "lessons learned".  For example, using layout groups (vs. manually positions) to organize items on the screen.  This will make the user experience more consistent and moving items around on the screen easier.
I also added support for checking the client's version number and directing players to a platform-specific download page for an update.  In this way, I can ensure all players are on a minimum release of the client.  Since the client hasn't been added to any stores yet it just redirects to the platform's main storefront.  I also added support for a changelog visible from within the client.
Next we will be working on the icons for the 22 heroes and 50 badges.  Players may hire one hero at a time, which provide a variety of bonuses.  During their adventures in Conquest! 50 badges may be earned, which carry through to the next Conquest! age (if you survive!).  Badges vary from traveling to the Secret City to winning 100 battles to playing all classes.  This is a new feature of Conquest! but enriches the experience for the user.
Overall, I would estimate the client is ~80% finished at this time.  After finishing the icons, the next major section to tackle is class specific commands.  I have our end date projected as April 14th, which is just over a year since I picked Conquest! up again.  If we do finish in April, development of the mobile application in Unity would have taken ~9 months.  I anticipate another 30-45 days of getting everything ready before deploying as a beta release to the Android app store (iOS to follow shortly thereafter).
Follow the journey on Facebook or Twitter.  Until next time, I hope to see you in the game.