Cassel:
Hello, this is Cassel, the developer of <Ratropolis> and <Ratopia>.
It’s been a while since my last greeting!
Starting this year, I’ve also taken on the role of raising a child, which brought a small change in how our team works. Our lead programmer, Cheese, has stepped up as the director of our next project, taking full charge of development. However, since Cheese is already overloaded with the maintenance of <Ratopia> on top of planning, programming, and managing the next project, I’ve decided to help out by writing and sharing the contents of these DevDiaries.
Somewhat like Asura mode I’d say
I’m excited to finally read Cheese’s own DevDiary, especially since he once told me he learned a lot from mine. So, without further ado, let’s take a look together at Cassel Games’ next project, <Ratocalypse>!
Cheese:
Hello! This is Cheese. From now on, I’ll be regularly sharing a DevDiary on the 1st of every month to introduce the development progress of our current project, <Ratocalypse>. I hope you’ll continue to give it lots of love and attention.
In the past, when we released DevDiaries for <Ratropolis> and <Ratopia>, both projects had already been in development for over a year. That meant the updates mainly covered progress that was already well underway or challenges that had already been solved.
But this time, <Ratocalypse> is still fresh—development began less than six months ago.
So unlike our previous DevDiaries, these entries will focus more on the ongoing aspects of development. Please keep in mind that the contents shared here may differ from what eventually makes it into the final game.
Choosing Our Next Project
Cassel Games’ third title, <Ratocalypse>, went through an even longer and more complex selection process than our previous two games. To give you a glimpse of what we considered when deciding on this project, here are some of the key factors:
- A more casual genre or game structure
- Visual graphics we’ve never tried before
- Potential connections to our existing IPs
- The possibility of supporting a multiplayer mode in the future
- A development structure that’s friendly to modding
- A scope that could be completed and released within two years
As we aimed to deliver a unique gameplay experience while also addressing the regrets we carried from our previous projects, combining all these elements with the team’s ideas and opinions was no easy task.
We drafted mini design documents for many different concepts, then spent three months narrowing them down. Much like a tournament, we narrowed the candidates through quarterfinals, semifinals, and finally the finals, until we arrived at the project we would develop.
Hope someday we can polish some of those ideas more
Introducing <Ratocalypse>
Now, let me briefly introduce the project that made it through our selection process: <Ratocalypse>. Its core genre can be described as a mix of turn-based + auto-battler + strategy + role-playing. The game takes inspiration from titles such as X-COM, Darkest Dungeon, Cult of the Lamb, and Wartales. In future DevDiaries, we’ll dive deeper into each part of the game and share more concrete details and examples.
We really enjoyed playing those in recent years
Our team has always sought to create unique games by blending genres, and this project is no exception. In <Ratropolis>, we combined deck-building and real-time mechanics within a defense game. In <Ratopia>, we built upon the city-building genre by weaving in economic systems centered around citizens, alongside a player character and combat mechanics.
Ah, our old kingdoms…
For <Ratocalypse>, our aim is to merge the strengths of turn-based and auto-battler systems, while adding more depth through AI design. Battles will follow a turn-based structure to enhance strategic decision-making, but by integrating auto-battler elements and AI-driven combat, we hope to keep the actual battles fast-paced, letting players focus on the strategy beforehand rather than micromanaging every move.
Strategic joy of watching each steps of automized battles
In this DevDiary, I’ll give a brief overview of the gameplay. At its core, the game can be divided into three main phases:
- Management Phase – The player manages their domain and prepares their characters.
- Expedition Phase – The player forms a party and ventures outside the domain.
- Battle Phase – Combat occurs when the party encounters enemies during an expedition.
During the Management Phase, players can use their administrative skills between expeditions to make progress a little smoother. In the Expedition Phase, players prepare by configuring the AI of their party members and building their own optimized tactics and strategies, ensuring they’re ready for the challenges that await.
You can set the character to use skills in what order and in which situations
In the Expedition Phase, players form a party based on the characters they prepared during the Management Phase, and then choose expeditions to gather the resources they need. While on an expedition, battles can occur. During the Battle Phase, the player directly controls one character designated as the “Leader,” while the remaining characters act according to the AI settings configured in the Management Phase. Once the expedition is complete, rewards are granted based on the chosen area and the outcome of the battles.
Some examples of automized battles
What began as an idea we thought would be fun also came with its share of worries—would the gameplay actually be enjoyable, and would it function as intended? After about two to three months of development, we finally reached a point where we had a build worth testing. Right now, we’re running internal tests to verify the fun of the core mechanics while also expanding the in-game content, feeling both excited and nervous to see if our vision truly works in practice.
Closing
We’re now about five months into development, and our current goal is to have a prototype build ready by December for a closed user test.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long entry. In the next DevDiary, I plan to dive deeper into either the game’s combat content or its visual design. I look forward to seeing you again in the next entry!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasselGames/
X: https://x.com/CasselGames
Cassel:
Hello, this is Cassel, the developer of <Ratropolis> and <Ratopia>.
It’s been a while since my last greeting!
Starting this year, I’ve also taken on the role of raising a child, which brought a small change in how our team works. Our lead programmer, Cheese, has stepped up as the director of our next project, taking full charge of development. However, since Cheese is already overloaded with the maintenance of <Ratopia> on top of planning, programming, and managing the next project, I’ve decided to help out by writing and sharing the contents of these DevDiaries.
Somewhat like Asura mode I’d say
I’m excited to finally read Cheese’s own DevDiary, especially since he once told me he learned a lot from mine. So, without further ado, let’s take a look together at Cassel Games’ next project, <Ratocalypse>!
Cheese:
Hello! This is Cheese. From now on, I’ll be regularly sharing a DevDiary on the 1st of every month to introduce the development progress of our current project, <Ratocalypse>. I hope you’ll continue to give it lots of love and attention.
In the past, when we released DevDiaries for <Ratropolis> and <Ratopia>, both projects had already been in development for over a year. That meant the updates mainly covered progress that was already well underway or challenges that had already been solved.
But this time, <Ratocalypse> is still fresh—development began less than six months ago.
So unlike our previous DevDiaries, these entries will focus more on the ongoing aspects of development. Please keep in mind that the contents shared here may differ from what eventually makes it into the final game.
Choosing Our Next Project
Cassel Games’ third title, <Ratocalypse>, went through an even longer and more complex selection process than our previous two games. To give you a glimpse of what we considered when deciding on this project, here are some of the key factors:
As we aimed to deliver a unique gameplay experience while also addressing the regrets we carried from our previous projects, combining all these elements with the team’s ideas and opinions was no easy task.
We drafted mini design documents for many different concepts, then spent three months narrowing them down. Much like a tournament, we narrowed the candidates through quarterfinals, semifinals, and finally the finals, until we arrived at the project we would develop.
Hope someday we can polish some of those ideas more
Introducing <Ratocalypse>
Now, let me briefly introduce the project that made it through our selection process: <Ratocalypse>. Its core genre can be described as a mix of turn-based + auto-battler + strategy + role-playing. The game takes inspiration from titles such as X-COM, Darkest Dungeon, Cult of the Lamb, and Wartales. In future DevDiaries, we’ll dive deeper into each part of the game and share more concrete details and examples.
We really enjoyed playing those in recent years
Our team has always sought to create unique games by blending genres, and this project is no exception. In <Ratropolis>, we combined deck-building and real-time mechanics within a defense game. In <Ratopia>, we built upon the city-building genre by weaving in economic systems centered around citizens, alongside a player character and combat mechanics.
Ah, our old kingdoms…
For <Ratocalypse>, our aim is to merge the strengths of turn-based and auto-battler systems, while adding more depth through AI design. Battles will follow a turn-based structure to enhance strategic decision-making, but by integrating auto-battler elements and AI-driven combat, we hope to keep the actual battles fast-paced, letting players focus on the strategy beforehand rather than micromanaging every move.
Strategic joy of watching each steps of automized battles
In this DevDiary, I’ll give a brief overview of the gameplay. At its core, the game can be divided into three main phases:
During the Management Phase, players can use their administrative skills between expeditions to make progress a little smoother. In the Expedition Phase, players prepare by configuring the AI of their party members and building their own optimized tactics and strategies, ensuring they’re ready for the challenges that await.
You can set the character to use skills in what order and in which situations
In the Expedition Phase, players form a party based on the characters they prepared during the Management Phase, and then choose expeditions to gather the resources they need. While on an expedition, battles can occur. During the Battle Phase, the player directly controls one character designated as the “Leader,” while the remaining characters act according to the AI settings configured in the Management Phase. Once the expedition is complete, rewards are granted based on the chosen area and the outcome of the battles.
Some examples of automized battles
What began as an idea we thought would be fun also came with its share of worries—would the gameplay actually be enjoyable, and would it function as intended? After about two to three months of development, we finally reached a point where we had a build worth testing. Right now, we’re running internal tests to verify the fun of the core mechanics while also expanding the in-game content, feeling both excited and nervous to see if our vision truly works in practice.
Closing
We’re now about five months into development, and our current goal is to have a prototype build ready by December for a closed user test.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this long entry. In the next DevDiary, I plan to dive deeper into either the game’s combat content or its visual design. I look forward to seeing you again in the next entry!
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CasselGames/
X: https://x.com/CasselGames