Hi everyone,

We've had a busy summer working on the game, stabilising a few key features, and preparing to revisit some others.

We also spent time to develop some of our long term plans for the game and our studio. It is amazing what introspection and conversations with the right people can reveal! We're very excited about what's to come.

Forks in the Road

In the past, we've shared that Causeway's in-match progression is called the "Advisor" system. It's our twist on items. While we won't dive into much detail about it yet, we do have a lesson or two to share from development.

One of the goals of the Advisor system is to be a "minimum inventory, maximum diversity" system. This describes the tricky balance of having as little content as possible (less tooltips to read and internalise) while allowing a large number of (viable) possibilities and choices.

We have an implementation of this system, and we discovered that while had potential, it also came with a major shortcoming...

Players don't find it fun to calculate a large number of (viable) possibilities in the short timespan of a match.

Every time they opened the menu — there were too many options! There was also not a strong enough thread of progression through those options to narrow them down.

The system had so much freedom that players experienced choice paralysis. We saw people return to familiar options, rather than face the frustration of trying to optimise under time pressure.

That is a pretty big problem!

The Advisor system will need revisiting to address this issue. We plan to explore whether better UX can make a difference. Dawngate did a great job of concealing lots of choices in a cleverly designed menu.

Dividing progression into different equipments is usually a show of confidence from game designers, so that is another option we'll consider (though there are reasons we haven't pursued it yet).

Steps of the Giants

As some of you will remember, our game is named after the Giant's Causeway, which is a landmark in Northern Ireland. It also happens to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its stunning natural beauty.

During the summer, I had the opportunity to visit it for the first time. (Yes, we chose the name before visiting!)

Even though I'd seen plenty of photos online, I wasn't sure what to expect. Now I understand why I couldn't get a feel from just photos.

The area has a huge amount of variation in the size, shape, colour, erosion, and formation of the rocks. I don't think one picture or angle can really capture it. So here's a few samples I took...

When I mention that I work on a game called 'Causeway', people sometimes guess it might involve a hexagonal grid of some kind — a rigid structure often used in turn-based games.

I felt much more inspired by the natural variations that appear all around this landscape. I hope Causeway's gameplay can be known for giving players the same organic feeling!

Finally, we're very grateful for the time our testers have contributed to help improve the game this year.

Despite our website not having pretty artwork (or much detail generally) we've somehow managed to attract a consistently lovely group of people. Running games and tests has been made so easy because of the open and friendly attitudes that our testers bring with them every week.

We look forward to welcoming more of you on this journey before the end of the year :)

Thanks for reading,
Softmints

Hello all,

Since our previous update, most of our development work has targeted small, incremental improvements.

Some have made their way into the game: like better cursor targeting and tidying up the counsel "shop" interface (we mentioned this was a pain point for players last year).

Others, like being able to attack or cast while moving, are still being finalised. They'll be fun additions when they're ready!

Decorating the Lobby

In December, we added a small showcase of micro-modding to the game. This is our term for players being able to make small additions to the game which can significantly alter gameplay, usually done from the lobby settings.

This feature needs a lot of work, but initial reactions were promising. We definitely got some discussion going!

We value this addition because it helps our iteration process too. When we're examining a topic like "how does laning feel?", it's great to be able to explore variations without deploying a new patch.

Thinking Fundamentals

The rules of "Causeway" haven't changed much over the last year. Yes, we've added content and features — these were safe changes to a base game which was already working and fun.

This approach served us well. It allowed us to focus on fixing bugs and achieving stability, while also being comfortable to introduce people to the game at any time. We knew they'd arrive to a good build.

Also, we know that in the mountain range of fun, we are not already atop the highest peak. The new mechanics we've introduced could be interacting more, the systems made more elegant... and we do love emergent surprises.

We don't want to let cool opportunities escape the net!

Changing Seasons

Since we now have infrastructure for micro-modding and tweaking game modes, we can support rich alternative modes that co-exist with the base game.

Taking advantage of this, we're adding a new game mode to the alpha called 'Weekly'.

Our plan is to spend 12 weeks testing assumptions about the game — trying risky, even wacky changes that would have previously been destabilising. Our purpose is exploration; we expect most ideas won't be for keeps. That's okay, because we're comfortable failing forward!

As well as our own collection of ideas, we're inviting suggestions from our alpha testers. At the end of the 12 weeks, we've hopefully had some fun, created a few stories, and learned a thing or two more about the game.

Until next time,
Softmints

Hey everyone,

We have been busy in many directions over the past two months, from fixing bugs in the alpha client to exploring new and potential partnerships that will shape the future of our studio.

I'm pleased to say that our internal footage of the game has come a long way and it has really felt like a milestone — something we as developers can look at and say: "hey – we have a game!"

Today, I'd like to share one specific thing we've been working on, which you might have already noticed somewhere...

Making a Mark

Over the past three months, we've been working with the talented graphic designer Lurinzu on a new logo for the game. Our previous logos were made by me, and while I enjoy typography — I don't have much talent for it!

We were keen to do this because we won't be ready to show game art for quite a while. In the meantime, a logo makes a great "anchor" for the visual identity of the project.

Here's our new logo as it now appears on our front page:

We set out to craft a logo that feels organic, bespoke, and "refined, yet accessible" — and I think the result does a great job at communicating these qualities of the game.

As with many creative processes, we used lots of reference material. Some was already hoarded for general game art direction, some was specific to typography, and some was added during our explorations.

Above, you can see some of the Victorian type that was referenced for parts of the 'C', with some softening applied to better suit our style.

It's worth saying that game logos are quite different to logos for print or even other digital products, and we learned a lot from reflecting on how other games brand themselves.

For example, games in the Fantasy/Strategy genres often use metallic colours and shapes, or gems to communicate progression through gathering of wealth. We first had to understand that rule, before deciding to deviate because it wouldn't be a fit for Causeway's lore and world-building.

You can now enjoy the new logo across our socials, and if you'd like to see more work from Lurinzu — go check out their instagram.

If you particularly like the new visuals, do feel free to share them with a friend!

We'll remain busy on our side working on the game, and look forward to updating you again in the new year.

Until next time,
Softmints

Hello everyone!

We hope you've all had a pleasant summer. Ours was an industrious one!

Lets dive into a few topics we've been thinking about...

Communicating Causeway

It's hard to explain our game!

Internally, we have a very clear picture of the kind of game Causeway should be. We try to communicate that externally, through pages like our Design Principles. But reading through all that... what does it mean for players?

I've been told that our website describes more of a vision than a game. I think that's true.

Of course vision is important, but a great game description usually has a key mechanic that hooks people in. We've been reflecting on how to help a first-time visitor quickly understand: "why Causeway?"

Our conclusion is that if there's one theme that's really present in Causeway, it's exchange of opportunities.

This is a large part of what you will do in the game. Here's what it means.

Invitation to Participate

As you play, you will be making choices. Initially it's character select, then it's counsels (our twist on items) and choices on lane and around objectives.

The way Causeway frames them, each choice you make is like advancing an idea, and each of these ideas is something your team can build upon. You don't have to ask or even want them to do that — they can just see what you did, and follow along if they like.

An idea that several players are building upon tends to become exponentially stronger. This means someone else's choice presents you with an opportunity to build towards something interesting and cool. Similarly, your choices introduce opportunities for others, and this process repeats throughout the match.

We design for this "exchange of opportunities" because it accelerates players connecting with each-other and collaborating on shared ideas. Choices become conversation-starters, ice-breakers, and focal points for working together.

We don't rely on any specific mechanic for this, though many contribute. Instead, we have a philosophy that for a choice to be in the game, it must feed into this cycle of exchange.

A New Character

It's time to introduce another Causeway character.

Meet Jasper — our meddlesome dealer in bootleg jewellery!

Jasper has been in the alpha for quite a while. We initially added him as a clone of Geomancer (warning: old http link!), a concept from one of my old games. The character was popular for his interaction of placing obstacles and knocking enemies into them.

For Causeway, we've diversified Jasper with more utility and some very conditional mobility tools. He enjoys his previous strengths, and now has a nice flow thanks to iteration and feedback from our testers.

Alpha Progress

This summer we made lots of progress with the game. The client is smoother and more stable than ever, and covers most of the basic quality-of-life features players expect.

We've done a major pass on audio, improving on individual sounds as well as levels, music, and implementing some fancier behind-the-scenes features to make the acoustic experience, well, sound great!

Of course, take all this with a pinch of salt. It's still an alpha.

We've also added plenty of content. There are now 50+ counsels in the game, which is enough that most characters have multiple build options to consider.

This is putting pressure on us, because players are having a hard time navigating these 50+ options. It's also an intimidating number to be faced with right from the start of a match!

We know the finished game will have fancy filtering tools and all the modern conveniences that make browsing and discovery easy... and we're going to have to invest in some of that earlier than we'd planned for.

It seems as content scales up, a game's UI really needs to keep pace! We look forward to exploring more in this space over the coming weeks.

Until next time,
Softmints

Hi all,

A few weeks ago, we welcomed a small group of players from the mailing list into the alpha.

Unfortunately we couldn't bring in everybody who applied, and we do appreciate it's been a long wait for many. There will be future opportunities, so stay tuned.

Having some new eyes on the game has been great, so lets share a little about that.

One of our recent matches stretched for over an hour! While it was fun throughout, this was far beyond our expected match time. Thankfully, it did shed some light on how we approach developing the game.

The Tool You Reach For...

Causeway is being developed starting with the things we know and feel confident about. From my previous work on Rise of Winterchill, that would lean towards PvP combat with interesting character progression, and not so much towards pacing and objectives. (We'll learn more about those as we go.)

Because of this, the game at present has some "incompleteness". There are tools we don't provide to players, such as stuns (which we've written about before). Another example is that there's no "boots" that would make some characters faster than others.

The result is that players end up with some "problems" like "chasing enemies down" where there may be limited or no tools available to solve that problem. A similar "missing tool" problem was the cause for that 1-hour match.

This can be healthy for us! — as part of our iterative process. Where players are motivated to solve something, that's a hook for us to ask: "can it be interesting to solve this as a team?"

One of the Counsels, Rat Race, seems to have landed nicely into this category. It's a tool, arguably the only tool for chasing enemies, and it works wonders with team coordination.

We're continuing to explore in this space, and figure out what tools we can present to let players solve some of these "problems" in more collaborative ways.

Less is More

We've also seen that some character abilities were more complicated than they needed to be.

This ran against expectations for me. I estimated a certain level of complexity that  was needed in the kits to keep them interesting, and it turns out I was placing the bar about "one mechanic" too high. That was pretty close to the right level, but I'm happy to learn that we can work with less.

Here's two abilities we've shared previously, which have had some parts removed:

Gristly Fate

The target allied unit gains a damage shield, which ignores damage from any unit below 33% of its maximum life.

The shield will last for 4 seconds on yourself, or 4 seconds on an ally, after which it transfers back to you for 8 seconds if it's still alive.

Rush of Faith

Pause for 1.5 seconds, before healing yourself or rushing to an target allied unit at increased speed to heal them at melee range.

You may reactivate up to three two times at the cost of influence, to add:

• +60% healing
• a cleanse
• an area cleanse

We really want players to figure out their characters within 2-3 games, so they can start thinking about how to succeed with the character.

The Scavenger and Rasputin character pages have been updated with these (minor) changes. A short tooltip is a happy tooltip!

Until next time,
Softmints

Warmest greetings, everyone!

It's been a fine year for Causeway so far. We are still a small team running an alpha, and over the last two months a lot of pieces have found their places.

Players are finding the experience fresh, something that learns here and there from other games but isn't trying to be them.

Much as I enjoy the tests, we're far from a polished game. I could spend three weeks on nothing but user experience (UX) and it would be a great use of time — yet we have to keep moving and creating and growing as well!

Speaking of growth, lets talk a little about that...

Our Code of Conduct

Before scaling up a community, it's important that we lay out a vision for what we want to become.

When we consider potential problems, the saying 'Prevention is Better than Cure' applies — and the same goes for creating opportunities! If we want the best for our community: Planning is better than pivoting!

One early investment we've made is putting together a Code of Conduct. You can read about our full process for that in our latest Design Article, or you can take a look through the pdf.

We've also added rules to our community discord server, which go into effect immediately.

Strike While the Iron is Hot!

Have you got a favourite, snappy piece of advice? Our in-game Advisors might like to dispense it!

Rather than ever-fancier swords and shields: our characters rely on 'Counsels' for new ideas that will help them progress, work together, and get the edge over their opponents.

Here are two in-game examples:

A Bird in Hand is worth Two in the Bush

When an ally within 10 radius of you chooses some Companions, one Companion of that type will appear immediately.

It will follow the nearest ally with A Bird in Hand, and lasts for 10 seconds.

One Bad Plan is better than Two Good Plans

When every player on your team has taken One Bad Plan, you deal +100% damage to enemy Cores.

Until then, you deal +20% damage to enemy Cores.

Okay, so that last one is a bit silly — but it shows that a fun saying can actually make it into the game! We'd love to gather some more ideas for Counsels: and sourcing from the community is a great way to do it.

Feel free to drop into the new #counsel-suggestions channel on our discord to read the guidelines and share your favourites!

Thanks for reading,
Softmints