Levels and Level Objectives

HexTerra is a level based gameplay experience, where you play through different levels working towards one or more objectives that will vary per level. Completing the assigned objectives will result in the level being completed and unlock subsequent levels for you to play through with more varied and challenging goals as you progress.

Your goal is to use Terrain Cards, Ability Cards, Village Abilities, as well as leveraging the rules of the world and other phenomena to work towards accomplishing your objectives in each level. The various modes of play will present you with different challenges as well as different approaches to playing the game.

Sandbox Mode

• In this mode you have access to all game features
• There is no Turn Limit in this mode
  • This mode has no specific goal or objective
  • There is no limit to how many Terrain Tiles can be placed in the World
  • All Terrain Tiles, Terrain Cards, Ability Cards, and Village Abilities are unlocked and playable in this mode
  • All Village Types are available and playable in this mode
  • There is no turn limit or end condition for this mode
  • There is no succinct objective for this mode

Level Mode

• Unique Level Based Objectives: The following level based objectives can be mixed and matched to create combinations of objectives and goals to work towards each level
  • Village Survival Objectives
    • One of your villages must survive a target number of years
    • You must protect your village from a harsh environment and natural disasters
    • When a Village reaches the target age the objective has been successfully accomplished
  • Population Growth Objectives
    • Have a specified number of Houses exist in the world
    • Have a specified number of Villages exist in the world
    • Have a specified number of one or more Village Types in the World
  • World Recovery Objectives
    • At the start of a level you are presented with an existing set of Terrain Tiles in the world
      • All the tiles are Terrain Tiles with negative Green Levels
      • There are an assortment of pre-existing Disasters that currently exist in the world
    • Your task is to bring the world back to balance from whatever state the world map is in at the start of the level
  • Puzzle Based Objectives
    • Manipulate your world to make it look like one that is pictured
    • Reach a pre-defined Overall Green Level Average for the world
    • Use limited number of cards to achieve a specified level objective
    • Use limited number of turns to achieve a specified level objective
    • Use limited types of cards to achieve a specified level objective
    • Reach a certain number of one or more specified Tile types in the world at any time
      • Example: Have 10 Forest Tiles and 5 Playa Tiles exist at any point in time during this level
    • Reach a certain number of one or more specified Tile types in the world during the same turn
      • Example: Have 10 Forest Tiles and 5 Playa Tiles exist simultaneously in the same turn
• Unique Level Based Mechanics: The following level based mechanics can be mixed and matched to create combinations of gameplay modes that vary by level
  • Face-Up Deck Mode
    • Level ends after a specified number of turns
    • All Cards in your Deck are appear in your hand at beginning of the level
    • Select what cards to play each turn from all the Cards in you Hand
      • Limited to X cards per turn
      • X is tunable (initial tuning: 2 Cards)
  • Limited Terrain Card Mode
    • A level where you draw from a limited selection of Terrain Card types
      • Specific Terrain Cards will be drawn while other specified Terrain Card types will not be available during the level
    • Example: You can draw Terrain Cards such as Water, Grassland, and Mountain, while the other Terrain Cards do not appear in your hand

Prototype Level

You will have access to all the available features of the game including all implemented Terrain Cards, Ability Cards and Village Types and Abilities. All implemented Natural and Manmade Disasters will be unlocked as well. The purpose of the Prototype level is to showcase all the features of the game and how they interact with one another, to reveal the scale and all the potential events that can occur in the world and your ability to make meaningful choices to respond and act upon that world.

The Prototype Level layout will be 7 Terrain Tiles. One Terrain Tile surrounded on each side by six other Terrain Tiles. The main objectives that you will need to fulfill to beat the level are: Fill a specified number of empty Void Terrain Tiles with Terrain Tiles, reach a certain overall Green Level Average taking into account all the Terrain Tiles currently on the world map, have a certain number of Houses in the world. Once all three of these objectives have been reached, the level is complete. The objectives do not need to be completed in any specific order.

Prototype Demo Level (Phase 1 of development)

• Demo Level Objectives
  • Place X number of Terrain Tiles in the world map
    • X is tunable (initial tuning 30 Terrain Tiles)
  • Reach Overall Green Level Average of Y at any time during the level
    • Overall Green Level average is calculated by calculating the average of all the Green Levels of all the Terrain Tiles in the world
    • Y is tunable (initial tuning is +1.5 Overall Green Level Average)
  • Have a total of Z Houses in your world at any time during the level
    • Z is tunable (initial tuning is 50 houses)
• Level Layout
  • Initial Tile Layout
    • Six Terrain Tiles surround and border one Terrain Tile in the center, creating a 6 petal flower formation
    • (See PrototypeLevelLayout Diagram)
      • Center Tile: Grassland Tile
      • Top Left Tile: Mountain Tile
      • Top Right Tile: Water Tile
        • Water Level is at half of maximum capacity
      • Left Tile: Forest Tile
      • Right Tile: Desert Tile
      • Bottom Left Tile: Forest Tile
      • Bottom Right Tile: Desert Tile
  • See Prototype Level Reference Image
    • The initially placed Terrain Tiles at the start of the level count towards the total Tiles objective

Green Level Average System

The Green Level System is an integral part for determining the state changes of the Terrain Tiles and other auxiliary gameplay features. Each Terrain Tile has an assigned Green Level. At the end of each turn but before the next turn begins, each Terrain Tile currently in the world collects the Green Levels of all the neighbors that directly border one of its faces. It then calculates the average Green Level of those selected neighboring Tiles. The average Green Level of its neighbors determines whether the Terrain Tile will change its current Terrain Tile to a different Terrain Tile or remain the same. If the average Green Level falls above or below certain predetermined thresholds, the Terrain Tile’s state will change.

Each Terrain Tile in the world calculates the Green Level average of its neighbors at the same time and stores that value before changing. When all the Green Level averages have been collected and each Terrain Tile has determined whether it will stay in its current state or change states, all the Terrain Tiles will change states simultaneously.

*See Terrain Tile designs for Terrain Tile State Change Rules

Turn Sequence

The in-game turn sequence consists of succinct phases for player input, AI input and calculations and world phenomena which are best illustrated in the Master Game Loop diagram. The full in-game turn sequence from start to end is labeled as 1 year in the Game World.

Turn Sequence Walkthrough

• New Turn Begins
• Player Input Phase
  • Player Input is now accepted
    • You can play Ability and Terrain Cards from your hand
    • You can use any available Village Abilities
  • Player input phase ends
    • You can no longer place Terrain/Ability Cards or use Village Abilities
• Green Level Calculation Phase
  • The Green Level Average is calculated for all applicable Terrain Tiles in the world
    • Terrain Tiles occupied by Manmade or Natural Disasters do not calculate their Green Level Averages
  • The resulting calculations are stored
• Water Tile Calculation
  • The Water Tiles use their calculated Green Level Averages to calculate the change in their Water Levels
  • The resulting calculation is stored
• Terrain Tile Change Phase
  • The Terrain Tiles currently in the world change their states based on their respective calculations
    • Water Tiles change Water Level based on Water Level calculation
    • Terrain Tiles change states based on Green Level calculation
    • Terrain Tiles occupied by Manmade or Natural Disasters do not change their states based on Green Level Averages or Water Level Calculations
• Disaster Phase
  • The following Disaster Phase events happen parallel to one another:
    • Disaster Spawning systems determine if new Disasters will spawn in the world
      • New Disasters may be spawned or…
      • No new Disasters are spawned
    • Existing Disaster performs its prescribed behavior
      • See Disaster Types to see specific Disasters behaviors
    • Disaster with a limited lifetime reaches the end of its life cycle and dissipates
  • Terrain Tiles in the world currently occupied by a Disaster will change state as determined by the rules of the Disaster occupying them
• Village Phase
  • The following Village Phase events happen parallel to one another:
    • New Villages are spawned in the world
    • The number of Houses in a Village can increase/decrease
    • Village is destroyed if number of Houses reaches zero
• Village Ability Point Calculation
  • The amount of Village Ability Points earned by each Village is calculated
  • The calculated Ability Points are then added to their respective Villages’
  • Ability Point Gauge
  • If a Village Ability Gauge is filled to its maximum capacity:
    • The Village will now allow you to use any of its unlocked Village Abilities
    • If the Village has not reached its maximum level
      • The Village gains a level
      • A new Village Ability may be unlocked
• New Turn Begins
  • The loop begins again (back to the top)

Drawing Cards

In HexTerra, you have a Card Deck of Terrain and Ability Cards from which Cards are drawn at random at the beginning of each of your turns. When your turn begins you are presented with Cards from your Card Deck. From among the Cards in your hand you choose which of those Cards you wish to use in the game world. The remaining Card/s is/are carried over into your hand in the next turn. At the beginning of each of your turns your hand of Cards is replenished with new cards until your hand reaches the maximum number of cards you can hold.

Drawing Cards Rules

• Maximum Hand Size
  • The maximum number of Cards you can have in your hand is X
    • X is tunable (initial tuning: 3 Cards)
• Maximum Number of Cards Playable per Turn
  • The maximum number of Cards you can play from your hand per turn is Y
    • Y is tunable (initial tuning: 2 Cards)

Drawing and playing Cards Walkthrough

• Level Start, Turn 1 (example turn)
  • Three Cards are drawn from you Deck and placed in your hand
  • You play any two Cards of the three Cards currently in your hand
  • You end your turn
  • The remaining card is kept in your hand and remains in your hand until it is played in one of your later turns
• Turn 2 (example turns)
  • Two new Cards are drawn and added to your hand
  • The third Card is the Card you did not play last turn
  • You play any one Card of the three Cards currently in your hand
  • You end your turn
  • The remaining two cards are kept in your hand and remain in your hand until they are played in one of your later turns
• Turn 3, etc
  • The cycle repeats...