Of Goblins and Progress

The goblins arrived in the dead of night, scurrying into my stronghold like vermin seeking shelter. They spoke in sharp, guttural barks, their crude signs and frantic gestures barely masking an unsettling cleverness. One, calling himself Brakk, stepped forward, eyes glinting in the torchlight. "Brakk serve. Brakk fight. Brakk want shiny". Vapid, greedy and malleable. Yes, they will do

Fellow would-be overlords, another week has passed, and with it, more progress has been made! This one was a mix of practical implementation, creative deep dives, and pushing through the ever-present resistance of "just getting started."

Recruitable Units - MVP Complete!

The ability to recruit minions is now in the game! Your stronghold isn’t just an empty ruin anymore—it’s starting to feel like a real base of operations. New units will appear each day in the vassal quarters, and from there, you’ll be able to add them to your forces. This is just the MVP, but the core of the system is now functional, meaning we’re one step closer to the full gameplay loop!

Also added: Sleep to End the Day. Yes, the dark lord must rest. This now transitions the game to the next day, refreshing unit rolls, processing loot sales, and generally keeping the cycle of corruption turning. Simple, but satisfying.

The Hunt for Bugs and the Data Structure Saga

I spent a good chunk of time testing and hunting down bugs, particularly within the data structures that track minions, equipment, and state changes. After last week’s dive into the deep, arcane mysteries of how to keep track of things without everything breaking (see Devlog 7), this was the natural follow-up.

The result? The system is now robust enough—at least, robust enough that minions aren’t vanishing into the void or duplicating like some kind of eldritch horror. Progress!

Goblin Names: Overkill? Maybe. Worth It? Absolutely.

At first, I just wanted goblins to have names. You know, basic stuff—randomly picked from a list. But then I thought: Why stop there? Names mean culture. Culture means worldbuilding. And as the great Carl Sagan once said: "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

So, naturally, I went ahead and made an entire functional goblin language. (See: Goblin Language Reference Guide). Was this necessary? Not at all. But was it fun? Absolutely. And it brings so much extra texture to the world. Now, goblin names are more than just sounds—they have meaning, structure, and consistency.

And the best part? This isn’t just for names. I now have a rich set of goblin words for places, items, and even expletives (important for when your minions inevitably mess up a mission). Expect to see this pop up in various parts of the game, from weapon names to locations.

Pushing Through the Slump

This week was one of those where getting stuck in felt harder than usual. Some days, motivation was there; others, it wasn’t. But here’s something I’ve realized: having to write these devlogs is actually pulling me through. Knowing I need to put something down at the end of the week makes me want to make something worth writing about.

Game dev, especially as a solo project, is a marathon. It’s easy to get lost in the weeds, or to feel like progress is moving too slowly. But progress is progress. Some weeks, it’s major mechanics. Other weeks, it’s worldbuilding deep dives that add richness to the experience.

The key is momentum—even when it feels like trudging uphill.

What’s Next?

my list to playable prototype is at 66.6% 🤘:

1. Stronghold MVP - [100%]

   
   

   1. process loot - done
   2. recruit units - done
   3. end the day -done
2. Combat MVP - [50%]
   1. win/ lose /retreat - done
   2. weapons and units persist - done
   3. some rough balance
   4. passives function correctly
3. Map MVP works - [50%]
   1. can select a venture - done
   2. can win a hex

it was hard to cut soo much out to get to alpha, but if i didn't there will never be an prototype.... and this prototype is meant to be kind of a crude first slice of the game, a complete cycle, but not a complete game- the alpha has to contain the 'magic' of the game imo, which i think is going to be the mix and match of your forces. so the alpha so far needs this:

• ~30 enemies
• ~30 recruitable units
• at least three factions/ vassals
• ~100 items
• ~5 biomes/ hex types

– Damon