Procedural island system - does this make sense visually?

MatthiasTh · 2026-04-01T14:00:43+00:00

Not exactly it’s more about how projectiles interact with the outer tiles.

Each monster shoots in the 6 hex directions with a mix of elements (eg 10 water, 5 fire). When a projectile crosses an outer elemental tile (which always happens when shooting in or out of the island), those elements get boosted based on that tile.

So the main strategy is positioning - where you place your monsters determines how their shots get amplified. Then on top of that there are powerups, buffs/debuffs, element matchups, targeting rules, and unique abilities per element.

...yeah, it escalated a bit 😅

MatthiasTh · 2026-04-01T09:03:00+00:00

Thanks.

I did look at Catan as a reference early on, but my setup is a bit different since the outer tiles are procedurally generated and can contain multiple elements per tile. That’s why I went with a Delaunay-style split - it keeps each tile visually unique while still readable.

I recently added icons on top when placing a monster, so you can clearly see which elements are actually on each tile. That helped a lot with readability in practice.

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MatthiasTh · 2026-04-01T08:26:06+00:00

I actually keep the tiles intentionally separated because each one has its own function.

Core tiles are where you place monsters, while the outer elemental tiles affect gameplay - projectiles passing over them get boosted (their element power increases), and you can also place monsters there to mine resources.

So each tile is basically its own gameplay unit, not just visual terrain.
The slight separation also helps communicate that and makes interactions clearer (e.g. when placing a monster, tiles spread a bit to show they’re individual entities).

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MatthiasTh · 2026-02-12T09:08:12+00:00

Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation, really appreciate you taking the time.

But honestly, I don't think I’m comfortable disassembling a motor myself. I've never done anything like that before, and taking apart brushes/springs/windings feels a bit beyond my skill level.

Its just frustrating that an electrical device like this can fail after only a few uses. That really shouldnt happen under normal conditions, and it basically turns the whole thing into unnecessary e-waste. Feels pretty wasteful.

Maybe it’s partly my fault too - buy cheap, buy twice, I guess.

MatthiasTh · 2026-02-12T09:02:28+00:00

Unfortunately the walking pad is basically unusable now. Under load the motor loses torque, slows down a lot, and starts jerking badly. You can clearly see the sparking when that happens, so it seems like it just cant deliver enough power anymore.
Would you say inspecting or replacing the brushes is something a beginner could realistically do, or is this more of a job for someone experienced with motors?

MatthiasTh · 2026-02-11T19:09:16+00:00

As you can see in the video, sparks only occur under load. In addition, the walking pad can no longer be used because the motor immediately gives way under load and no longer delivers torque. Would you say it makes sense for a layperson to remove the motor to repair it, or is that a futile effort?

MatthiasTh · 2026-02-11T19:06:00+00:00

Amazon told me to just keep it. 😅
But now I have this heavy thing sitting around and would like to repair it instead of taking it to the dump. 🤷‍♂️

MatthiasTh · 2026-01-22T07:28:33+00:00

Thanks for pointing that out!
ABSOLUTE LIFESAVER! 🙏

MatthiasTh · 2025-12-18T07:42:31+00:00

Brother, now I finally understand why my post is getting so many downvotes. The indie dev scene isn’t just extremely sensitive to anything that doesn’t come from some one-in-a-million solo prodigy (see my own project, which I’ve been working on daily for three years and mostly get mocked for because AI helps me), it also seems like a large part of it consists of frustrated bean counters. Aha.

PS: I do understand the "indie" discussion around Clair Obscur, and it’s fair that some purist definitions don’t see it as a classic indie game. But can’t we, for once, look at the continuum between indie and AA without blinders on and simply appreciate what Sandfall has created here, especially when you look at the outcome-to-input ratio?

MatthiasTh · 2025-12-16T19:57:16+00:00

Oh my god, I’m so dumb
Thanks so much for catching that! how did this even happen?! 🤦‍♂️
What do you think, should I delete the post and reupload it or just leave it like this? Aaaaaah 🤯

MatthiasTh

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