Changes made since the latest unstable release:
none
2015 status update:
I learned a lot from making Afdarts since I started working on it in 2007, but it is no longer in active development. I had a couple goals from making Afdarts:
- The idealistic goal was to make a game like Stronghold Crusader (one of my favorite childhood games) but with better AI and walls that couldn't be damaged by ordinary soldiers. After a while, I realized that this was impractical to do all by myself in any reasonable amount of time, but it ensured I would never run out of features to add.
- The real purpose of Afdarts was actually to be a playground for deriving and implementing fancy algorithms, as practice for when I'd have to manage a complex codebase in the real world. I think Afdarts served this purpose admirably.
Since then, a couple things changed. First, I found more interesting games and hobbies than the Stronghold series. (In any case, Stronghold Crusader 2 sounds better than previous games in the series, though I haven't had a chance to play it.) Second, after I started making Plausible Deniability in 2013, Afdarts stopped being my favorite dumping ground for playing with fancy algorithms. Therefore, there is no longer a good reason to continue working on it.
It's melancholic to stop active development on Afdarts after working on it for over 5 years, but it continues to hold a special place in my heart as I move on to greater things.
Roadmap:
I am was trying to implement walls again! I have planned out my implementation much better than when I wrote the original wall implementation for version 1.1.1 alpha.
- Rewrite the wall code from scratch using a new implementation based on convex polygons. Support collision detection and editing walls in the editor.
- Allow units to walk on (but not climb) walls. Implement pathfinding. Add a stone dropper unit.
- Implement passages that allow units to climb or walk through walls. Add ram and ladder units.
- Add a cannon unit with projectiles that damage walls.
- Give the faction AI the ability to attack and defend walls. Implement fire at will.
- Implement grouping. Add a basic tutorial and new music. This would be the first 1.1 beta release.
- Let paper build walls (in sections).
- Change the resource model to a fixed amount of stone for building walls and rate-based food for feeding units. Make buildings summon units from off the map instead of immediately making units.
- Give the faction AI the ability to build walls and use the new resource model.