turn-based strategy game

Hey all,

I'm new to Construct [I love what I've seen so far!] and was wondering how difficult it might be to create turn-based games, specifically strategy and board/card games-- I've tried similar projects in Game Maker 7 and I've always found that making the NPCs wait their turn is a bear [I've implemented a binary 'on/off switch' system in which variables become zeroes or ones for specific objects at the appropriate times]. Defining paths for the NPCs was even worse I used a proximity-ratio evaluation algorithm I affectionately dubbed the Pathologic Algorithm {Path O' Logic} which first determined the broad cardinal direction to head, and then decided specifically based on tile width and height which of the eight possible movements it should make to adjacent tiles to reach the target in the most efficient manner. Of course all this does is make the NPCs intelligently head towards the player; it doesn't even scratch the surface of strategy that involves thinking ahead more than one move, lol. Anyway I'd like to know if Construct has a relatively simple function that helps define turn-based gameplay or if it is mainly focused on developing real time applications like Game Maker.

P.S. I am familiar with neither GML nor Python, so please keep advice to the WYSIWYG interface if possible.

P.P.S. I DO plan to become familiar with both GML and Python when I've mastered the WYSIWYG interfaces, so if scripting is necessary or the easiest route advice involving it is certainly still welcome! For anybody who knows GML and Python, which do you find easier/friendlier to learn and use?

Thanks everyone!

Construct has nothing to do with GML and Python is effectively broken right now (in terms of Construct).

yeah, gml, is game makers scripting

as of now python doesn't work with the picking system, picking being central to making construct awesome. But scripting is unnecessary, which is also what makes construct awesome.

making a turn based game should be no trouble, I recommend the ghost shooter and platform school tutorials. learn the basics. try your turnbased ideas a little, and then ask more specific questions if you run into trouble

welcome to scirra

Thanks guys! Yeah I know GML isn't related to Construct, that's actually one of the reasons I'm looking forward to Construct's fully working implementation of Python [much nicer than GML, which has some fairly nasty reviews regarding its handling, or lack-thereof, of arrays and memory leaks].

Have a good weekend all!

Real making a turn-based strategy game in construct is very advance in terms of knowledge of the program.

There's a good chance that you are going to have to build the the engine for the game from scratch.

You are going to need to now pathfinding algorithm like A*(pronounced "A star"), Dijkstra, Heuristic, and apply them the accordingly to movement range,and cost of terrain on the map.

This is hard just from the player aspect of the game play.

Now for the enemy NPCs It gets a lot harder.

Enemy NPCs pathfinding condition are always changing based on players movements.

when player gets to a certain spot the NPCs move to closet player character.

As it get closer it and more character are made available to the NPCs pathfinding condition may changes again to compensate for that.

Not to mention the the stats, items and other thing that make these games great.

Well as for turn-based strategy game, demo, or tutorial there are none at the moment.

Construct

I hope to change that with my TBS I got in the works.

Anyway like Lucid said.

learn the basics. try your turnbased ideas a little, and then ask more specific questions if you run into trouble