My goals for this month were simple,

Create enough councilors so that we can test new ideas and synergies and add enough content for what would be considered a "alpha" version of the game.

At the beginning of the month I had made 5 basic councilors that do things like add chance for quarries to explode or increase the number of trees a map generates etc.

The design for a new councilor generally goes like this:

• Is this councilor just a slight variation of a councilor that already exists? if yes, then trash it!

• Are there enough councilors that create synergies with councilors that already exist? if no, then lets think of one!

• Is there any system, or mechanic, or hook that we have not yet explored? if yes, then lets do that!

The following councilor par exemple :

Most councilors will end up changed quite a lot by the end, but the focus has been on content so that I can test and iterate.

Before I add more Councilors, I want to now shift focus on progression and economy a little bit. These are not necessarily big mechanics but do require a lot of balancing. And that balancing is dependent on councilor mechanics since councilors could be very OP and make progression a breeze (as they should, but not wildly).

Another challenge has been learning pixel art __ but it has also been one of the more rewarding aspects of working on Gridbound.

Here's what the first 10 councilors look like as of now:

Hi there, welcome to the very first devlog for Gridbound - a puzzle/strategy game about buildng settlements. I am excited to share the journey of building it with you! Let's Gooooo........

In Gridbound, you play as a noble lord under the emperor, tasked with establishing prestigious settlements on challenging maps. You place buildings on a grid, score prestige based on adjacency, and appoint powerful councilors who change the rules as you go.

here's a breakdown of the gameplay and rules: