Kickstarter Launch in 72 Hours: or How to Stress Yourself Out

This week saw final preparations for the Kickstarter launch on September 7th.  This included last minute updates to the campaign page and submission for review (it was accepted!).  I will probably be wordsmithing the page up until the last minute before clicking the button to launch.  On the page we have a video (a "live" action demonstration of the game plus an interview with me), a Unity prototype for Android, a reference client for Windows, and many screenshots.  Here is the latest prototype for travel:

We are attempting to raise $11,000 to complete development and fund the remaining graphic design.  It's nerve-wracking and exciting at the same time! 

On the server side, I made some adjustments to the random kingdom/ship name generators (removed some of the felines from the latter; somehow it didn't seem right to have "Angry Cat" as a ship name).  In Conquest! battles were typically over in 1-2 days (rounds).  I wanted to extend them a bit so I adjusted most attack values for troops down by 50%.  This will require further adjustments but they are now about where I think they should be.  Additionally, cavalry and certain large units (such as Fire Drakes) take 2 housing now (versus 1 for infantry).  Instead of loading up on 1-2 units, players will have to balance cost (in food or gold) versus how much housing space they have available.  Units which require food still only need 1 but adjusting this is another option to explore.

I also added a new espionage command, "Raid".  This allows players to raid another player's vault and steal 1-3 magical items.  Success changes are the same for "Forgery" (which allows you to steal a small amount of land).  There are quite a few espionage options now and I'm excited to see these explored within the game.  Finally, I made some minor adjustments to the output of certain commands for the clients (such as adding whether a unit can be trained and when spying you can see the total number of magical items another player has, etc.).  These don't add functionality but will make things a bit easier when the client goes to implement these features.

On the Unity client front, Steffon continues to make great strides.  We have 4 working screens now: Loading, Login, Overview, and Kingdom.  There are a few minor defects but nothing major.  The Android APK file will be available for download once the Kickstarter campaign launches so folks can see what we have been up to and the vision for Conquest!.

I'll be posting regular updates on the progress of our campaign.  To get involved, spread the word on social networks or donate to the Kickstarter campaign.  As little as $1 helps bring Conquest! to life.  And if you decide to donate more, you might be able to name a hero or even a continent within the game.

Follow our journey on Facebook or Twitter.  Until next week, I hope to see you in the game.