Hey IndieDev! I'm Kevin, solo dev behind Wizard Tower Wars — an online multiplayer RTS where you customize a deck of spells to battle other wizards.
I've always loved the customization in Magic the Gathering (not endorsed by or affiliated with) to make a deck that truly felt like your own creation. I thought it would be really cool to see a deck of spells like this brought to life in an RTS.
To accomplish this, I made it into an auto-battler; every unit has its set of own goals (harass, raid, heal, gather) that it will try to achieve once summoned from a card. This lets the player focus on the strategy of where and when to play cards, without having to worry about micro. The player can also give hints about goals (such as resource priorities) to guide units from a high level. And resources matter! You have to position yourself to gain the correct mana types to fuel your cards.
The game was designed for 3-4 players in mind, so Diplomacy is a big part of the game; your actions against other players (such as units killing other units) automatically change your relationship with that player, which in turn influences which player your units will attack the most.
Core loop:
- Summon units and buildings with your custom deck of spells
- Cast support magic such as AoE healing spells and buffs, or just go aggro with fireballs
- Gather resources and manage your economy with worker units
- Engage in diplomacy with other players
- Research more powerful cards (from your deck) as each game progresses
- Be the last Wizard Tower standing
Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3974460/Wizard_Tower_Wars/
Also a big shoutout to my wonderful illustrator: https://www.artstation.com/boogiekekhakay
Happy to answer questions about the dev process in the comments!