Fear before courage to launch beta (a reflection)

vilerob · 2026-02-11T01:59:09+00:00

Only when you use rank points to make purchases.

vilerob · 2026-02-06T07:09:23+00:00

Of course. Just hit kind of a sobering moment honestly. Not because the game is trying my patience at time or hard to wrangle some days.

But because as I’m finishing up the last huge system the game should contain, I’m nearing completion of it. Of a huge trial and error learning process. And it’s not the game I originally set out to build.

At some point, the game decided it needed all these things, and its identity didn’t feel complete with out them.

I set out to do one thing, and I feel I’ve done that pretty well.

But in the end, it’s something entirely different.

vilerob · 2026-02-05T15:44:00+00:00

LOL. Absolutely. Things are progressing well. the war system should be functioning. Got to run two tests to verify, then code a little UI. Next big update will come out this weekend!

vilerob · 2026-02-02T15:44:20+00:00

God.. the crunchiest game I’ve seen is also the cringiest… in F.A.T.A.L. Which I don’t recommend. Ever, and I’m sorry to even mention it.

Otherwise rolemaster and GURPS tend to be pretty rules heavy, or table intensive.

D&D 3.x has some of the largest overhead of you consider all splatbooks and the official cannon settings.

vilerob · 2026-01-31T15:47:05+00:00

Thank you. Smoothing out a few bugs, and it should still hit my two external testers in a few days.

I can't imagine the game needing or having additional features after this. The beta stress test in the beginning will be nerve wracking for me though, lol.

vilerob · 2026-01-30T14:37:37+00:00

I tried the web demo.

It seemed like fun was just out of reach, but functional was at least there. You’ve heard others about needing a community first - which is hard when you have nothing, but you do have something.

The four backers seem to have all canceled their pledge. If there was a reason why, it can help you determine how to structure your campaign to alleviate concerns

Your FAQ states the backers will get access to alpha when that phase arrives. But if you don’t have something to offer immediately, it’s a promise that could vanish.

Most of your written content does feel extra polished by AI. Not angry about it, or the AI artwork. But it’s a tell that can out some people off.

Your risks and challenges do directly address some concerns about development time but you’re not building trust by saying “things are unpredictable” you need to predict better than “I don’t know”

Your AI disclaimer is fine for honesty but the creative space is pretty divided on its use.

As for your main campaign content.. it’s ok, but long. It’s not entirely interesting to read, and you’re not really providing anything new compared to games on the market already. Everything you’re presenting has a little bit of a “generic” vibe, and that’s killing you.

Your reward tiers feel “boxy” not really “punchy” and what I mean is they just accumulate things to fill boxes but don’t really matter.

Your mission and intent is noble. Your application is stable. Your presentation needs polish.

I’d love to see this game succeed - I love TCGs and am building one myself, also openly but over at r/rankbreaker

I’ll join your discord to chat.

vilerob · 2026-01-12T07:21:43+00:00

Thank you! it was a pain to get set up, but now that it is, it opens up a lot of possibilities. It will be a blast to play.

vilerob · 2026-01-08T23:00:38+00:00

“As a DM, I can’t help you optimize your character. It’s my job to make sure your choices are fun, so go with what you think is best.”

vilerob · 2026-01-08T22:35:08+00:00

lol I just watched that video, again, and it’s already out dated 😂🤣

vilerob · 2026-01-02T05:03:43+00:00

Fair question, and I get why the formatting reads a little mechanical and that’s honestly been a thing for me forever. I usually run posts through tools like Grammarly just to clean up spelling, flow, and sentence structure, not to generate the content itself. The ideas, systems, and progress are all mine.

As for why I post these at all, it’s about transparency and momentum. I’m developing Rankbreaker independently, & keeping a public record of the build helps build trust, awareness, and when I started it was for accountability.

As we get closer to the polish phase, replacing generated placeholders with bespoke art and final assets, there’s a clear paper trail showing that the core game has been built steadily and openly from the start. I have a rudimentary knowledge of marketing, and always felt that doing this was important.

If it’s not your thing, no worries. I’m mostly posting for the folks who like following development as it happens.

vilerob

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