The new UI has changed the rythym and beat of the game. The ability to pause and plan strategy has really revealed what I've been making. I thought I would just be upgrading the UI for mobile, and I have, but instead I've found a deeper understanding of what I'm looking at.

So this update I thought I'd show off some of the new AI and a few other things. Ta-Da.

As I get ready for a public web demo of the game, I'm focussing on fully realising a toy game mechanic I developed quickly for fun which ... played really well. 

That's barricades. 

Each Hero brings a unique defensive skill to the battlefield. Senator Tacita brings simple and effective wooden palisades. Deadmaster Hak Mollus triggers the formation of the Bone Golem. Chief Mul Mul brings the Spider Shrines and their deadly hatchlings.

Oh, but those deadly hatchlings! 

They break my current AI models by introducing a new heirarchy of power to the game. I had never considered that allies wouldn't be tied to a tower. It is, after all, a tower-defense game. It's right there in the name.

But they were behaving, not killing themselves immediately either. Fighting back if some unlucky Wynyrdi Reaver happened to run directly into them. A pathing issue then ... 

How do I debug this AI?

I have the familiar methods of the actual debug tool and watching variables but I can't see intent. I can't see how the sum of those variables manifest easily. It's a complex behaviour so I use graphical visualisations. Lots of people do, but I thought I'd show a moment of mine. 

The last image shows the perceptual radius, current targetting information, what path the unit is on and when they fight, big flashing words like "I'm blocking" ... it's cute.

It's just a visualisation. Me and I'm everyone else thinks they're great.

I'm still cruising towards a demo that includes almost all of the game mechanics I've planned. The new UI plays well, the new game mechanic is fun and shortly everyone is going to worry about spider infestations.