HEXIT Devlog 05: Small Armies, Distinct Decisions
Reusable abilities and varied movement/action priorities create tactical identities without requiring a bespoke system for every figure.
A figure with Vector Hook selected. The yellow range boundary and the targeting prompt make the ability a distinct action, while its description remains contextual.
Variety should change the plan
An army can contain different portraits and still feel mechanically uniform. If every unit travels the same distance and resolves at the same speed, changing the roster may not change the decisions that matter.
The roster work moves toward smaller, clearer identities: melee pressure, ranged support, durable control and mixed formations. Movement distance, range, attack, defense, life, movement priority and attack priority provide different tuning axes. A mobile unit does not automatically need to hit first, and a durable unit does not have to be slow in every sense.
The current army set includes Sunblade Charge, Ironbriar Phalanx, Voltstep Longwatch, Coilgun Bastion, Aurelian Patrol and an Ability Vanguard test roster. These are prototype compositions for exploring matchups—not a declaration that every pairing is competitively balanced.
Abilities belong to the roster assignment
The important architectural choice is that an ability is not permanently hardcoded into a particular visual figure. An army slot can assign an ability identifier to a unit. In an online launch, that assignment comes through the match descriptor supplied by the backend.
Unreal uses the catalog for labels, targeting affordances and presentation. The remote authority decides whether the action is legal and what happens. A local deterministic implementation keeps the prototype playable without a backend connection.
This separation makes it possible to test a familiar unit with a different tactical tool without building a new character class or duplicating its UI.
Three deliberately simple tools
| Ability | Current prototype rule | Tactical question |
|---|---|---|
| Backline Breach | Target an enemy within four hexes and move to a legal free hex behind it. | Can a reposition create pressure that ordinary movement cannot? |
| Vector Hook | Target an enemy within five hexes and pull it toward the source along a legal path. | Is displacement more valuable than immediate damage? |
| Arc Bombardment | Target a hex within five; apply one damage to units there and on its six neighbours, including allies. | Can the opponent’s formation be punished without hurting your own? |
Each currently has one use per match. These values describe the September prototype and remain tuning parameters. The area attack’s friendly fire is particularly important to communicate: a highlighted enemy is not the whole affected set.
A button is not an interaction
The early ability work exposed a familiar problem: adding a command path does not make the action discoverable. The player needs to see availability, enter a recognizable targeting mode, understand what is eligible and receive a useful response when an order is rejected.
Ability activation is available through the unit card and its configured shortcut. The default moved to F to avoid stealing Q/E from camera contexts. Yellow indicates ability range; the hovered target, path or affected area can then carry more specific feedback.
The roster exposes the same ability vocabulary without requiring a unit selection. This makes remaining uses and targeting rules available before committing to an action.
Speed must govern abilities too
Attacks and abilities now share the local battle’s ordered action sequence. The unit’s attack speed provides its ability priority, and the current state is updated before the next action is validated.
That matters when a fast pull removes a target, a teleport changes an angle or an area attack eliminates a unit before its planned action. Cosmetic playback follows the accepted sequence; a longer animation must not become a hidden initiative penalty.
There is still parity work to validate across older simulation paths and remote integration. A common command vocabulary is a foundation, not proof that every consumer is already identical.
The next balance question
The useful measure of variety is whether a roster changes how players approach the objective. If the melee army always loses before reaching the middle, its identity is not an interesting trade-off. If a ranged army never needs to reposition, the map and objective may be as important as its stats.
The next iteration therefore needs army, map and ability tests together, with human playtests alongside simulation. The goal is different decisions with understandable costs—not just different numbers.