Cluster Combat and Visual Feedback

First weeks on the “polish phase” I focused on making combat more readable and adding more life to the battlefield. There’s also a major new system - cluster combat - that changes how engagements play out.

Destruction Effects

When a die takes lethal damage, it now shatters into smaller fragments. In fact all models have their own set of fragments so the shattering in slow motion looks exactly like a dice falling apart. Probably impossible to notice when playing on a map with 100+ units but I couldn’t help myself…

Cooldown Indicators

Another VFX addition - units after production or (or any other action that requires a cooldown) now display a circular cooldown indicator. Finally the player can see exactly when they can take action again.

Shader & Visual Tweaks

Initially I planned to rework the whole map visuals but the more time I’ve spent on it the more I liked my current placeholder map. Instead I’ve adjusted the lightning settings and the dice shaders so that their edges stand out more clearly.

No separate video needed - these changes appear in the other footage shown here.

Economy Balancing

Resource gathering was unrestricted meaning that producing workers infinitely allowed for exponential income growth.

Now the number of workers gathering simultaneously is capped at 10 (configurable).
Waiting workers now show a small red exclamation mark above them, making it easier to see who’s idle or waiting for their turn in the queue.

Introducing Cluster Combat

One of the game’s core mechanics has finally taken shape: Cluster Combat.
Instead of all dice fighting individually, combat is divided into local clusters - groups of dice determined by proximity. Each cluster resolves its own mini-battle in a quasi turn-based loop:

• All dice in a cluster roll (even the dice that were stationary when they were attacked).
• Once every die has settled “battle pairs” are formed and damage is dealt.
• Destroyed units shatter and are removed.
• Survivors re-roll, and the cycle continues until the cluster contains only one faction.

A defining feature of Die Commander: preserving the suspense of rolling dice without forcing players into turn-based gameplay.

Cluster Visualization

To help visualize clusters, a smooth outline now appears around each combat group.
The outline dynamically moves with the outermost dice, gently morphing as the battle shifts. It gives a clear sense of space and makes the “cluster logic” visible to the player.
I haven’t decided yet whether this will be in the final version but certainly it helps with debugging and understanding the “cluster combat” concept.

Next up: even more polish and feel - making sure the systems already in place communicate clearly and consistently before adding any new mechanics.