Rooms for Improvement

This week, my dear evil overlords-in-training, I come to you bearing good tidings: progress! No, not the kind where your minions finally learn basic hygiene (that’s still a work in progress). No, this is the kind of progress where things actually start working!

The past week has been all about implementing the dark arcane structures of Devlog 7—the data, the scripts, the logic. And friends, let me tell you: we have room(s) for improvement—both in the figurative “everything is still duct-taped together” sense, and in the literal “I can now transition between rooms in GameMaker” sense.

What’s New?

The gameplay loop is now alive! Granted, it’s still in a wobbly, barely-functional state, like a freshly raised skeleton that keeps tripping over its own femurs, but it works! You can: 

 ✅ Go on a venture. 

 ✅ Return from a venture. 

 ✅ See your spoils. 

 ✅ Click on things. 

 ✅ Move between rooms. 

 ✅ Marvel at the jank.

It’s the full gameplay cycle, albeit stitched together with questionable necromantic magic. But for the first time, it isn’t just an idea—it’s an actual, living (unliving?) thing.

Things I Learned This Week (That I Probably Should Have Already Known)

1. The Power of Not Shoving Everything Into an Object

In my previous games, I had a nasty habit of treating every UI button as its own unique, handcrafted disasterpiece. Every button had its own logic, its own code, its own personal world of torment and suffering. This time, I did something revolutionary (for me): I made a parent button object and passed it a script.

Now, instead of crafting each button from scratch like some kind of cursed artisan, I use GameMaker’s script_execute() to define a button’s function dynamically. This shaved off an embarrassing amount of dev time. Past me would be ashamed, jealous and perhaps a little proud.

2. State Control Is No Longer a Raging Dumpster Fire

A great evil was defeated this week—one that had plagued my past projects: bad state management. Previously, my objects were like a collection of amnesiac psychics... One change would trigger a domino effect of chaos, turning the game into a spaghetti nightmare.

Now? A single script handles all state changes. Clicking a hex, pressing a menu button, or backing out of a venture all use the same piece of code. The game doesn’t care how you trigger something—it just knows what to do. And that, my friends, is a kind of magic far greater than fireballs.

What’s Next?

Now that the skeletal remains of the gameplay loop are standing (albeit shakily), the next step is to fully complete it. That means:

🛏 "Sleep to End the Day" – Rest in your stronghold to heal units and sell loot.

👥 Recruitment System – Because a one-minion army isn’t going to overthrow the world.

🔄 Full Gameplay Loop Completion – Ensuring that you can go from start to finish in an endless cycle of corruption, conquest, and questionable decision-making. so close with this, but i can't claim it yet...

Once those three things are in, Lordsworn will have its first real milestone. Not quite an alpha, but close. Maybe an "proto-alpha"... a "sigma"? Whatever it’s called, it’ll mean the bones of the game are in place, ready for meat, skin, and horrifying mutations in the form of content. Muh-hahahaha.

That’s when the real fun begins—dumping in more units, more loot, and more reasons to be addicted. If the game doesn’t have that “just one more turn” feel, then I’ll know I need to dig deeper, or pivot.

Closing Thoughts: The Overlord's Dilemma

So, when is an alpha an alpha? When does a game stop being a half-baked mess and start being something people can actually play?

I don’t know yet. But what I do know is that this week was a win. The game is playable, the systems are coming together, and soon, Lordsworn will start feeling less like a collection of ideas and more like the evil empire I always dreamed of.

Until next time, keep your minions in line, your loot properly sorted, and your game loops functional.
and for reading- here is the full loop in a storyboard format

In Pictures...