Hey dev.to community,

I recently launched Barbarian Grid, a tactical puzzle game that combines grid-based movement with strategic combat. On the surface, it looks simple—move units, attack enemies, clear the board. But as any game dev knows, beneath the simplest mechanics lies a web of complex logic, balancing acts, and design challenges.

Building this game was a fantastic journey into the nuances of game development. Here are some key technical and design lessons I learned along the way, moving from a rough concept to a polished, playable game.

1. The Core Loop is Everything Before worrying about graphics or sound, I spent weeks just refining the core gameplay loop on paper and with grey-box prototypes.

The Goal: Clear the grid of enemies.

The Constraints: Limited movement, specific attack patterns, enemy behaviors.

The Hook: Every move matters. One wrong step can lead to being overwhelmed.

Lesson: Nail the core mechanic first. If the basic interaction isn't fun with simple squares and circles, no amount of polish will fix it.

1. Grid Logic & Pathfinding Challenges Implementing movement on a grid seems straightforward until you add obstacles, different unit types, and attack ranges.

The Tech: I had to implement a robust grid system and A* pathfinding for both player movement and enemy AI.

The Challenge: Handling edge cases—what happens when a unit is blocked? How do enemies prioritize targets?

The Solution: Breaking down movement and attack actions into discrete, verifiable steps. I wrote extensive unit tests for the movement logic to ensure units never ended up in invalid states.

1. Designing for Strategic Depth, Not Just Difficulty A good puzzle game isn't just hard; it's fair and rewarding.

Initial Mistake: My first few levels were just "throw more enemies at the player." This felt cheap and frustrating.

The Pivot: I shifted focus to designing interesting situations. Instead of more enemies, I introduced different types of enemies with unique behaviors (e.g., a ranged attacker, a tanky blocker). This forces players to think about positioning and priority targets, creating strategic depth. It's a similar principle to building a balanced roster in fantasy sports, where you need a mix of players, not just one type, a concept central to tools like a Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer.

1. The Importance of Player Feedback (Visual & Audio) In a turn-based game, clarity is king. The player needs to know exactly what will happen before they commit to a move.

Visual Cues: I added clear highlights for movement range, attack range, and predicted enemy damage. When you hover over a tile, you see exactly what the outcome will be.

Juice: Adding screen shake on big hits, satisfying sound effects for attacks, and subtle animations made the game feel responsive and alive.

Conclusion: Small Scope, Big Learnings
Developing Barbarian Grid reinforced the idea that scoping small is the best way to finish a project. By focusing on a single, tight gameplay mechanic and iterating on it, I was able to ship a complete experience. It's a testament to the power of indie development—small teams (or individuals) creating unique, focused experiences.

If you're interested in tactical puzzles or game development, give it a try and let me know what you think!