Hey, Ash here, writing to give you another update on the team’s progress. Last month we spoke a lot on setting up the foundation of the game’s code. This time around we’re a little more focused on the experience.
Our big one this month was UI and UX. After many discussions and a few Rapid Iterations, our concepts are pretty much Set in Stone. While we’re waiting on the art for our UI (User Interface) assets, we’ve been working on UX (User Experience). We’ve begun working on some minor animations such as hand movement, card dragging, targeting and card enlargement so it’s easier to read when you’re hovering over a card. Our main goal in designing the menus for Chrono was ease. We wanted you to be able to get into a match ASAP, so after you log in, clicking “Play” will throw you right into your most recently played mode, with your most recently played deck. Perfect for jamming ladder for days or playing a quickie when your boss isn’t looking. There’s a few other features I’d like to talk about, but it’s probably better suited when the UI is finished and I can provide pretty pictures. Soon™.
For the code itself, we’ve been working on the Client/Server relationship. The client is pretty straightforward; it's what will be installed on your devices. It currently manages local data storage (ie, card images), the game state, and is the main interface for players to do things. Like other game clients, it basically connects to the server, shares the data, then presents it to you. Our server is an authoritative, dedicated server. It is the container for our rules engine, data cache, player connections, and data updates. It will make sure every player has the correct game state at all times, it will validate every game action, and it will be where each game event technically happens.
With servers come player accounts, and they’re pretty much what you’d expect. Give us an email, username and password and in return we give you an account. SwashbucklingTryhard is already taken though, and I won’t share it with you. In the future we will also implement account integrations via Google, Steam, etc.
Next we’re working on the logistics for matchmaking, tournaments and spectating. Matchmaking will be pretty similar to what you see in other games. An elo-based system to find matches, loose skill-based matchmaking for the more casual modes. We are putting a big focus on streaming for Chrono, so getting our spectating and tournament systems down is important to us. We want it to be as easy to view as it is to play. Each client will have a setting that will hide hands from spectators (which will be forced on for tournaments), spectators will be able to easily swap between ongoing matches in a tournament or your friends list and be able to see the current state of each match. To top it all off, we’re also exploring a spectator chat so everyone watching can talk to each other!
We’re on the cusp of being able to share many things, so if you’re not already, join our Discord, follow us on Twitter/Threads, and join the subreddit. If monthly updates aren't enough, news goes to one of those places first! We’re hoping for November to be an exciting month for Chrono. Thank you!
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