tl;dr: Build a base to support your army of heroes (instead of a base that grows the army). Base building meets Deck Building in turn based battles.

Usually games use the building of a base and gathering resources like gold to then buy units to raise your army from a barracks. You're then just basically managing your economy until you can get X number of units to attack the enemy. I hate when late game becomes a slow pace of managing resources. So I solved this by limiting the number of buildings and then tying all buildings directly to supporting spell cards in the battles for your hero party.

In "Elemental Lands", you already start with a party/army, because they are basically your "life" (i.e. if they all die, then start a new run). The loop uses the base to tie into the strategy of helping your party/army of heroes and your deck of battle spells, with buildings like:

• Some buildings are simple like a camp to heal heroes
• Other buildings unlock new spell cards to help win battles
• Build a mine to gain mana so you can actually cast spells
• Late game can build a "tower ballista" to weaken an enemy territory so it's an easier battle your hero party can survive.
• The "Spellforge" can buff your party before a battle

Steam page & gameplay video: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental_Lands/
(still in early alpha, so thanks for checking it out)

Disclaimer: coding debug AI assisted usage in development. Art is 100% hand drawn by u/worth-bill-6130

Most 4X-lite hybrids let you build an economy that just makes numbers go up (more gold, more production). I flipped that: your base building output converts directly into spell cards for a turn-based grid battler. Every Shrine, Building or "War Machine" you build is really a about what your card deck looks like in the next battle. So the base isn't about an economy, it's a supporting how you build the spell card deck that you fight with.

How it connects to your base:

• Mine/generate mana: mana is spent both in the overworld map AND to cast spells mid-battle (one shared pool)
• Buildings unlock/boost spells: types or boost a damage category, so your base layout shapes your deck's identity
• No "gold" or "wood" that's disconnected from combat: everything you build feeds the hero battles you'll actually play with your mana and spell card deck

Battle Overview: You draw 3 spell cards a turn, use them or lose them. Positioning is simple and tactical, where front row heroes have more attack range and back row is more protected from the enemy. Meaning cards and heroes change tactics based on where your hero is standing.

Steam page if you want to see more: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental_Lands/ (still in early beta / alpha, so it's a bit rough still, and thanks for checking it out)

Disclaimer: coding debug AI assisted usage in development. Art is 100% hand drawn by u/worth-bill-6130

tldr; 3 resources total, and I think the strategy got better and focused.

The wall I hit when playing bigger 4X games is the point where I'm not making decisions anymore, I'm doing chores and it feel more like a management style game. Check the happiness, check a trade route, rebalance something I already balanced 20 turns ago. The strategy is still in there somewhere but its under a pile of upkeep.

So 'Elemental Lands' has 3: Wood, Stone, Mana. No food, no gold, no approval rating or happiness to manage. Also, you have very limited build space.

The strategy is the resource carry cap and where to build. You can only hold/carry 3 of each, so a single Wood is genuinely rare to spend. You cant stockpile your way out of the choice, so you just have to decide what this level is FOR.

Mana is what you mine, and connects your base to the fighting, cuz its the same pool you cast spells from in the battles and on the map too. Buildings are literally taking plays out of your own battle later or adding to them, depending on what buildings you add to your base.

THE ISSUE: What I gave up is: no tech tree, no diplomacy. Its 4X-lite, I dont claim otherwise.

FEEDBACK PLEASE: Is my small economy with a hard carry cap enough for 4X-lite, or does the depth people actually love live IN the resource sprawl, in which case I've thrown out the thing I was trying to build? Or is it enough for the base building to supports the battles?

Demo coming out next month, so hoping I don't need another resource and this strategy works for players.

Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental_Lands/ (still in early beta / alpha, so it's a bit rough still, and thanks for checking it out)

Disclaimer: coding debug AI assisted usage in development. Art is 100% hand drawn by u/worth-bill-6130

Most deckbuilders have cards as a number you apply to ONE guy. Strike is 6 damage, Defend is 5 block. Blah, blah... but, in Elemental Lands: you lead a party of 3 heroes on a grid for tactical positions and the cards are spells and battle orders. Some examples of what I mean:

- Flank, frontline attacks the enemy backline directly, skipping their front line entirely

- Chain, one hero's next 2 hits bounce to other enemies for extra damage

- Guardian Posture, one hero takes all damage meant for allies next to them

- Sacrifice, kill one of your own to swap in a fresh unit from your roster

- Polymorph, turn an enemy into a harmless frog!!!

Battle Overview: You draw 3 spell cards a turn, use them or lose them. Positioning is simple and tactical, where front row heroes have more attack range and back row is more protected from the enemy. Meaning cards and heroes change tactics based on where your hero is standing.

Steam page if you want to see more: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental_Lands/ (still in early beta / alpha, so it's a bit rough still, and thanks for checking it out)

Disclaimer: coding debug AI assisted usage in development. Art is 100% hand drawn by u/worth-bill-6130

So in most deckbuilders a card is a number you apply to one guy. Strike is 6 damage, Defend is 5 block. The deck is an engine and you tune it.

Mine has a party of 3 heroes on a grid for simple movements and the cards are orders instead. Some examples:

- Focus Fire, everyone attacks one target

- Pray, resurrect a random dead ally at 50 HP

- Retreat, end the fight now, survivors keep their HP

Overview:

You draw 3 a turn, use them or lose them. Positioning is simple and tactical where front row gets range and back row gets protection, so the same card is depending on where heroes are standing.

Being precise cuz I think this sub will pull it apart otherwise: the spellbook is the deck. It grows when you beat a faction, and you trim weak cards at temples to weight your draws. The cards are just for the battles and between fights it's an actual base-building overworld for resource gathering and buildings, so you can mine mana to cast your spell cards in battles.

What I can't judge from inside it:

1. do card orders instead of damage change how you'd play, or does it just make cards harder to read at a glance? Strike 6 tells you exactly what you get. Focus Fire doesn't until you look read the card.

2. Is this different enough in the genre to stand out? (At least a little bit.)

Steam page if you want to see it move: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental_Lands/ (still in early beta / alpha, Which is why I asked this question here, and so its a bit rough still)

Disclaimer: coding debug AI assisted usage in development. Art is 100% hand drawn by u/worth-bill-6130

Announcing Elemental lands!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental/Lands/

Strategy 4x-lite building with card battling spells:

• Party Progression: Level up your forces through earned experience and powerful enchantments to build an unstoppable tactical roster.
• ​Tactical Combat: ​Capturable battlefield objectives in stat-driven turn-based battles. With pre-battle planning and strategic positioning.
• ​Classic Roles: Lead a party of heroes inspired by traditional tabletop archetypes and distinct class roles.
• D&D Inspired: including tactical combat, resting phases and strategic spell management.

Disclaimer: coding debug AI assisted usage in development.

Hoping the walls look obvious for blocking melee combat (only ranged units shoot over them). You have to defeat the wall or take burn damage.

Elemental Lands is similar to combat of a deckbuilder (card battler) with inspiration of "Darkest Dungeon" layout and combos. Hand-drawn gritty comic style art with classic medieval fantasy heroes and spells!

Early stages on Steam, as my first game as a solo dev. Check it out and thanks for the support!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental\_Lands/

Disclaimer: coding and debug AI assisted.

​

2 months ago Cloudflare cut me and a bunch of co-worker friends. Haven't found a job, so spending 40hrs a week on finishing my Strategy game as a solo dev. Not expecting to magically become a professional developer that can pay my bills, but this is my start!

I spent over a year on Elemental Lands.

Part 4x-lite building and card battler, with decisions outside the combat impacting depth and strategy to connect together the map decisions to the battles.

Sooo... here it is, on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental\_Lands/

​Battlefield Objectives: Kill the guardian to gain battle buffs to turn a loss to a win!

Card Combat: 2 ways to fight. Battle the enemies with a spell deck that you pair with the party of heroes (each with their own abilitiy) for battlefield combos.

​Territory Conquest: Siege elemental factions expand across a grid/map. Strategically pick your battles (ie. not just a linear level to level progession).

​

p.s. I really appreciate the support and you taking a look!

Disclaimer: coding debug AI assisted usage in development. All artwork is hand drawn (non-AI)

Elemental Lands is my solo dev project for over a year now. It's a turn-based tactical card battler with roguelite upgrades. I have positive gameplay feedback on my combat with capturable objectives and the board game style campaign map, but can't get people past the placeholder art!!! (fyi - Steam page is still all old placeholder art).

My friend made the placeholder art. And I'm worried he may have used AI and lied to me. But, idk, I'm past that now and just happy with the new artist rough draft! Feels so much better to have a real artist to work with :)

Old or new (rough draft)?

p.s. Wishlist to support a new dev and new young artist (and kill AI slop art, lol!) This is my first game, so please just check it out https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental_Lands/

Launched my coming soon page a week ago and now sitting at 43 wishlists (Not amazing... but I'm proud of it). Gotta grind!

What are everyones thoughts on traffic conversion rates to wishlist adds? I'm around 4% and I've heard Chris Z say 5% is "good", and great numbers are like 7%-10%.

• What do you see for your conversion rate? And What is game genre?
• Since my conversion is only 4%, do I have a "Steam Page problem" (i.e. Bad graphics? "Ok" graphics? Trailer isn't selling the hook?)

Top or Bottom

I'm a solo dev working on my 1st Steam store game, which is a tactical deckbuilder, Elemental Lands, and I've gotten myself stuck between two low-poly directions. thinking about completely redoing my game card art to match the new capsule art style. Both are low-poly, which I love. I just don't know which one to lean up towards. Or neither???

Steam page art is one style (top) and actual in-game card art is in a different low-poly style (bottom).

Which direction would you commit to if this were your game, and why? Or do I keep both for a bit of variety? honestly I'm going crazy, my wife is tired of hearing me talk about it, so I need a lot of people to give any opinion. Help me decide, PLEASE!

tldr; Add a "war machine" to my medieval deckbuilder? Worthwhile feature that ties the game together or unnecessary bloated complexity?

I need advice! Working on a medieval tactical deck-builder where repositioning and objective capture are core mechanics. BUT.. in any game battles can feel slow/boring after you've done a lot, so considering adding a new "war machine" (e.g. catapult or battering ram, etc..) system and unsure if it solves a real design problem or just adds layers/bloat...

My idea:

• The war machine does huge damage so the battle becomes quicker and fun with a "new toy" feeling for players.
• Tie the overworld to battles: Gather 2 resources, hidden in fog-of-war cells on the overworld, to build/deploy a war machine in a battle.
• A unit must reposition onto the machine to operate it and you sacrifice a spell for the rest of the battle to "power it up". That spell's effect becomes automated and amplified each turn (e.g. "fire arrow" spell becomes high DPS auto-fireball)

What it's designed to solve:

This is where I'm stuck. Not even sure it's a problem to solve for...

1. Overworld exploration currently feels decoupled from battle outcomes. Resources give fog-of-war discovery real meaning.
2. Repositioning is a core gameplay mechanic and "hook" for the game, so assigning a unit to man a machine makes it a tactical decision .
3. Objective capture creates a vacant battlefield slot (e.g. where you deploy the war machine). The war machine gives players a 2nd reason to reposition to capture the objective (Currently the objective capture gives a unit buff). "Awesome, I got the objective and now I can deploy my war machine!"

My concern:

• Does tying a resource from the overworld to a battle decision feel earned (e.g. like "crafting" a weapon in other genre games; Minecraft, etc.) , or does it just overwhelm players with more to track (i.e. I hate it when a game has like 5 currencies!!), idk?
• Does this create meaningful variety that helps speed up the battle (since the war machine would be super powerful.)?
• The spell sacrifice feels like the highest-stakes moment in the whole mechanic — is that where the emotional core should live, or is it burying the lead?

For more context on current game setup, see the trailer and Steam page. But as this post subject line says: is this worth adding or just feature stacking or unnecessary complexity?
https://store.steampowered.com/app/4593190/Elemental_Lands/