I’m a solo dev working on this tiny building game in my free time…
Over the last couple of weeks, I worked on a hexagon-based tile placement game. I envision a combination of “Dorf Romantik” and “The Settlers”.
I want to make placing tiles satisfying, so I worked a lot on game feel and other basic mechanics of tile placement logic and resources. Not only that, but I’m also revamping the scoring logic, more on that update.
Here’s a sneak peek:
Development Focus Areas
Tile Placement Mechanics
The core gameplay loop revolves around satisfying tile placement:
- Hexagonal grid system: Each tile connects to six neighbors
- Resource management: Collect and spend resources to place tiles
- Scoring system: Points based on adjacency bonuses and set completion
- Game feel: Satisfying animations and sound effects when placing tiles
Scoring System Overhaul
The scoring logic is being completely redesigned:
| Old System | New System |
|---|---|
| Simple point per tile | Adjacency bonuses |
| No set completion | Set-based rewards |
| Linear progression | Multiplier combos |
| Static values | Dynamic scaling |
Current Progress
- ✅ Hex grid foundation complete
- ✅ Basic tile placement with animation
- 🔄 Scoring system in development
- ⏳ Resource economy balancing
- ⏳ UI/UX polish
Technical Details
Engine & Tools
- Unity 2023.2 LTS for stable development
- C# for game logic and mechanics
- DOTween for smooth animations
- Custom hex grid library for tile management
Key Challenges
- Hex coordinate system: Implementing proper axial/cube coordinates
- Tile adjacency detection: Efficiently checking neighbor relationships
- Animation timing: Coordinating placement animations with game logic
- Performance optimization: Handling large grids on mobile devices
What’s Next?
In the coming weeks, I plan to:
- Complete the new scoring system implementation
- Add resource generation mechanics
- Implement basic AI opponent for single-player mode
- Start UI/UX design for menus and HUD
Stay Updated
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Related Resources
- Mobile Game Design Process – Design methodology for mobile games
- Best Unity Assets 2025 – Tools used in development
- Unity Coroutines Tutorial – Animation techniques
Have suggestions for the scoring system? Share your thoughts in the comments below! 🎮✨