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Kingdom: Two Crowns dev explains how they made a strategy side-scroller

by rawmeatcowboy
06 February 2019
GN Version 5.0

Kingdom: Two Crowns is a very unique strategy game in that it plays as a side-scroller. Most strategy games are viewed from the top down, or with a three-quarter view. Why was a side-scrolling perspective chosen for Kingdom: Two Crowns and how on earth did the devs make it work? Creator Thomas "noio" van den Berg explains in a Gamasutra interview.

I like the panoramic visual aspect of it, as well as the fact that it equates moving through the world with "panning" the map. Actual platforming movement (e.g. jumping) would get in the way of the strategy aspect, I think.

However, in terms of strategy, it can be hard to find gameplay mechanics that allow very complex tactics by the player. Units are either in-range or out-of-range on a one-dimensional line, there's not much more to gain from squad placement.

What is also interesting is that when units are placed on a one-dimensional line, you are forced to allow them to "overlap," which means that multiple units can be in the same place. That has some consequences for the design behind area-of-effect weapons (like the catapult boulder in kingdom). When you add hard defenses (walls) to that mix, it means that 20 enemies will pile up in the same spot and are all hit at the same time by a boulder. This makes some game mechanics much less predictable/controllable.

[Link]