Where are we heading from here?

It's been about four years since I started working on Draft City, with the initial release in May 2022. Since then, around 7,000 players have played a total of 29,000 games.

Feedback has revealed several weaknesses but my primary concern is this lack of emotional connection, which leads players to focus only on optimizing numbers and completing quests until they exhaust new cards. Games like Frostpunk and Darkest Dungeon show that emotional conflict can enrich strategic games, making them about more than just winning.

I’ve explored simple world concepts, story ideas, and an art style. As a coder, I find the artistic side challenging. In the process I’ve used AI models to build and refine these concepts.

World Building

In a medieval dark-fantasy world, kings and barons fight wars to extend their lands and riches. The victims of these wars are the people. With their homes reduced to ashes, they flee into the woods to find refuge in makeshift camps.

I created a concept for a game trailer to better convey the idea (voice acting by Richard Campbell):

Art Style

Though the setting begins harsh and grim, the game also emphasizes rebuilding a community and regaining hope. The style uses dark colors and strong shadows, with warm colors inside the camp (lit by candlelight and fire) and colder, foggy hues outside.

To strengthen the player's connection to passive villagers, they will actively move around the map, entering buildings and performing daily tasks.

Here is a first mock-up of the main menu:

Narrative Quests

To enhance the player’s emotional connection to the villagers, quests will be narrated by those villagers. Each villager will have their unique story and needs. Quests will have decision points that require the player to balance compassion with the hard realities of survival.

Here’s a story example for a villager named Zara:

1. Zara arrives with her flock of sheep, thin and trembling. Her hands shake as she guides them. She glances at you, unsure if she can trust you. "These sheep... they’re all I have left. We ran from the fires together... but only they survived. Help me give them a home, and they’ll feed your people, too."
   • "We’ll protect your flock." (Play Sheep Fold card.)
   • "We can’t take more mouths to feed." (Nothing happens)
2. (After the Sheep Fold is built) Zara seems distant, sitting by the fold and staring at the stars. One night, she finally speaks. "At night, I hear them. Wolves, yes, but also his voice. My husband told me to run. To save them. If I can’t keep his flock safe... what was his sacrifice for?"
   • "Send a Hunter to protect the fold." (Play Hunter card.)
   • “Reinforce the fold with what we have." (Discard 5 wood.)
   • "We can’t risk resources for the sheep." (Lose half of your Sheep cards.)
3. (If helped) "The wolves are gone. Maybe now... I can finally sleep. Thank you."

These are significant changes from an effort perspective, and I haven’t broken down and planned everything yet. But I’d love to get feedback on these concepts, so feel free to comment.