Filmstrip Engine Development: WE ARE STILL GOING!

0.3: The Game Part

Version 0.3 was about taking all the RPG data created during 0.2 and finally putting it in front of the player.

We already had Actors, Stats, Items, equipment, currencies, inventories, and Party data behind the scenes. The next challenge was turning all of that into menus and workflows that felt like part of an actual game.

This meant building the first proper player-facing interface for Filmstrip Engine.

During version 0.3, we:

• Created a reusable runtime menu and screen system.
• Added keyboard and mouse navigation across player-facing menus.
• Added selectable runtime UI themes.
• Created Party and Status screens that support between one and eight active members.
• Added scrollable tabs for resources, Stats, experience, and equipment.
• Built a complete Inventory and Equipment screen.
• Added consumable Item use directly through the player-facing inventory.
• Added per-character equipment management with immediate Stat updates.
• Created Shops with buying, selling, Currency costs, and stack-limit validation.
• Added reusable Reward Bundles for granting multiple Items and Currencies together.
• Created player-facing Reward screens.
• Added Quest definitions with ordered Objectives.
• Added Actions and Conditions for starting, updating, completing, and checking Quests.
• Built a player-facing Quest Journal with Active and Completed sections.
• Added a project Audio Library for Music and Sound Effects.
• Added scene Music, concurrent Sound playback, fades, and cleanup when Play Mode ends.
• Replaced hardcoded gameplay keys with reusable semantic input Actions.
• Added a Keyboard Settings window with remapping, conflict detection, and default restoration.
• Restyled the editor windows so they share a more consistent Filmstrip look.
• Expanded project validation so all of the new systems fail safely when references are missing or invalid.

0.4: FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!

With the non-combat RPG workflow working, version 0.4 moved directly into the first combat system.

We decided to start with turn-based combat rather than trying to build turn-based and action combat at the same time. That gave us room to focus on Abilities, targets, enemies, effects, rewards, and battle state without also dealing with real-time collision and timing.

The main goal was to make combat use the same RPG data we already had.

We did not want a second set of characters, Stats, Items, or rewards that only existed during battles. The Party you build in the editor is the Party that enters combat. The equipment you wear affects your battle Stats. The Items in your inventory can be used as Ability costs. The rewards you earn return to the same RPG state used during exploration.

During version 0.4, we:

• Added a complete Ability authoring system.
• Added configurable targets, turn priority, resource costs, and Item costs.
• Added damage, healing, resource, modifier, Status, and conditional effect steps.
• Created reusable Status Effect definitions.
• Added Status durations, stacking rules, periodic effects, resistance, immunity, and removal Conditions.
• Added Enemy Party definitions supporting between one and eight enemies.
• Added understandable weighted enemy decision-making.
• Added Encounter definitions that connect enemies, rewards, and battle presentation.
• Added Combat Reward definitions for experience, Items, and Currencies.
• Added editor panels for Abilities, Status Effects, Enemy Parties, Combat Rewards, and Encounters.
• Added a Start Encounter Action so battles can begin through interactions, triggers, dialogue, or other Action Sequences.
• Created an isolated battle-state system so failed or abandoned battles do not damage exploration data.
• Added command selection and target selection for each living Party member.
• Added deterministic turn ordering using Ability priority, Speed, Party order, and stable tie-breaking.
• Added guarding, escape, victory, and defeat.
• Added battle feedback, resource displays, status indicators, and turn-order presentation.
• Added atomic reward and progression handling.
• Added saving and loading during active battles.
• Added support for Party and enemy formations containing one through eight members.
• Added Actor portraits, battle sprites, Item icons, Ability icons, Status icons, Encounter backgrounds, and Quest illustrations.
• Added PNG, JPEG, GIF, and BMP imports that are copied safely into the project.
• Added battle animation-sheet previews and dimension validation.
• Established a 640×360 reference resolution with integer pixel scaling.
• Added Retro 16, Standard 32, and Detailed 64 art-grid profiles.
• Expanded the automated regression suite to 319 passing tests.
• Completed the full native-window combat acceptance test.