Battleline
Battleline is a side-scrolling action strategy game, started in 2019. The first title given to this game was Warzone 3000. However, this title conflicts with numerous games consisting of a similar name. To resolve this, the name was officially changed to Battleline in June 2024.
The player’s goal is to strategically build a powerful army to overwhelm the opponent and destroy the enemy base before they do the same. Each unit is categorized by class (infantry, armor, air, etc.) which has its advantages and disadvantages. As the battle progresses, each player will need to upgrade their facilities to deploy more powerful units. They will need to think strategically and choose a path that gives the best advantage.
The current state of the game is in early development as mechanics are still being designed and tested. I plan to finish creating the classic gamemode, which is the “tug-of-war” gameplay style described earlier, before moving on to more complex gamemodes and a campaign mode.
Most of the inspiration for this game originates from the flash game Colony and Army of Ages on the website ArmorGames. Both games are similar in gameplay. What separates Battleline from these flash games is that it builds from these concepts by adding more complex features and gamemodes. For example, the units in Battleline are assigned classes while the flash games do not. Another unique feature is the follow system in which players command units in a group to follow and protect an assigned leader.
Shown below are screenshots and video clips of the development and playtests. Assets shown are mainly used as a placeholder and are not final.
A playable prototype is available on Game Jolt!
Screenshots
Main Menu - Draft
Encyclopedia - Units and Classes
New UI
Worldmap Concept
Video Clips
This clip was recorded May 2023, showcasing some of the infantry units’ behavior. The Blader unit is the only melee unit on the roster and uses a more complex algorithm for combat. The unit moves normally until an enemy comes into range. It then moves directly toward the target until the enemy is in melee range, which triggers the attack animation. There are three checkpoints throughout the attack that checks if the target is still in melee range. If not, the unit stops the attack and advances forward.
The facility mechanics were not developed at the time, so the player had direct access to every unit. The UI was not fully designed as it was made for unit testing only.
The following is a concept of how the world map in Battleline would work. A planned campaign mode called World Domination allows players to choose an area in a selected region to start the next battle. Each battle would consist of a certain gamemode and a difficulty rating.
This feature has not been prioritized as the core battle mechanics are still under development. The UI will be reworked for the world map in the future, which will display more details about the area and the battle itself.
The following clip was recorded in February 2025, showcasing the facility mechanics and a new UI concept. The unit mechanics are undergoing a major rework that will introduce new features and behaviors for improved gameplay.
The core mechanics of the facilities is similar to the flash game Colony in which the player is given a list of starter facilities to choose from. Each facility has its own action set which consists of units to deploy, resources to produce, and/or the option to upgrade.
The UI gives players flexibility and control over all operations of both the facilities and the units. For the units, players can give commands to move to a desired position, follow/protect a desired unit, target a specific enemy unit, and build various objects like a shield barrier.