Games Crystal Companies

CrysCoGame.Com
Join our Discord Community and get a free Steam key for Crystal Companies Alpha!
​

Hey there!
My name's Bradley and I'm a cofounder Boreal Games alongside two other teammates. We are working on Crystal Companies, a tactical collectible card game.

We love card games but wonder why the genre has never been more than flat cards and a table. Our goal is to make a card game that is more immersive than the typical CCG.

Crystal Companies is a collectible card game played within an immersive 3D, hex-based environment. Collect mercenaries, build your army, and skirmish against enemy forces on an interactive battlefield. Use strategic positioning, spells, and your units' techniques to achieve victory!

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1120163111464301

​

While Crystal Companies contains many elements of conventional CCG's and turn-based strategy games, the opportunity to explore the battlefield and gather additional resources, fight or befriend roaming free agents, and capture strategic points of interest introduce a wholly new experience to veterans and newcomers alike.

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1890971300961785

​

Crystal Companies provides the familiar structure of a collectible card game and energizes the mechanics with a 3D battlefield. Instead of imagining what might be going on, the action comes to life!

​

If you'd like to learn more about Crystal Companies, follow us on Twitter (@boreal_games), sign up for our newsletter or read our devblog!​

Thanks!

Bradley

 

We've been working really hard this month to develop better UI, server-client efficiency, and character design.

We've posted a new update to our blog (borealgames.com/blog) but here is a summary of the UI enhancements. Let us know what you think!

​

 

Updating user experience and optimizing certain game mechanics have been two focuses for us over the past month. I was also lucky enough to attend an amazing tech conference called PopTech and become a tenant at my university's student incubator.

We've posted this new update to our blog (borealgames.com/blog). Here are some highlights!

Technique details are now automatically parsed!

​

Card search is now much easier and efficient with attribute filters!​

We also made a new feature video of Crystal Companies. It is a short video that overviews the core features of the game:

​

 

We have been super busy over the past month applying for a second grant, updating user experience, writing story, and drafting a demo for a big game conference application.

Check out our latest blog post! Or read them all at borealgames.com/blog

We made another video! Notice the cool visual effects and new environment!​

 

Our December blog post is LIVE!

• We've overhauled the battlefield upgrading the flora, textures, lighting, and structure. The new map provides players with three distinct regions, each designed around a general strategy.
• We now have a flat letter logo! Below is a treatment example but Will has been working on a detailed crest!

​

In other news, we just heard news that our second grant was approved! We hope to attend game conferences and learn about what others think about CrysCo. We're hoping to start a group of testers soon. If you are interested in playing CrysCo, I would love to know what you think!

Get updated on our progress! ​

 

Another of our monthly progress updates is LIVE!

• While we don't have a dedicated artist, we managed to focus a bit of our time cranking out art for many Spirit and Nature cards.​
• Will spent a lot of time implementing a tutorial into our demo which nicely introduces players to CrysCo's core concepts.​
• I spent most of my time tweaking countless areas of the game including fixing bugs, balancing card attributes, and creating a couple new features. I also made another raw gameplay footage video!​

Get updated on our progress!​

 

Another month in the books and we are still going strong! Read our February update here.

​

In short, we worked really hard last month to get a demo done for a focus group we hosted plus we revamped our website. The focus group attracted over twenty students and ran really well! We are already implementing new features and fixing bugs based on other players' experience with CrysCo.

If you'd like to play the demo, you can download it here!

We are also doing a giveaway for a Nintendo Switch. Just take a survey to enter.

 

We have worked extra hard this month to refine the battlefield, game mechanics, and user experience. Read our March update on our blog.

In addition to our progress update, we are now on Steam Greenlight!
Help us out and vote/comment your feedback! Thanks in advance

 

April was very busy for us: new UI, abundant bug fixes, beginnings of custom art, and winning 2nd place in a pitch competition!

Read about our progress on our blog!
Don't forget to vote for us on Steam Greenlight and take our survey too!


Isa, our first character we concepted. 3D model coming soon!

 

I realized yesterday that I hadn't posted June or July's update (oh no!).
Check them out on our blog!

​

There has been much excitement and progress with Boreal Games team in past 60 days: finishing up a grant, getting Greenlit, and of course developing Crystal Companies.

​

We've created some pretty cool new features to CrysCo, like these arrow splines to help visualizing movement, attacking, and using techniques.

​

Will has been working hard on the character detail panel (see above) to explain many of the smaller, intricate details of characters which would not be possible to show on a card.

I have been working on simulation code that mimics the server logic while not using the server whatsoever. This has led to a quicker, more efficient process for implementing new cards, abilities, and battlefields.

Devin has been working on creating new cards, developing the story, and working with our talented artists on new character models.

What do you think so far?

 

The last couple months have been full of great updates (aka JUICE!).

You can read our latest developments on our dev blog.

If you'd you can join our fledgling Discord community too!

Center HUD panel for more functional and space saving UI​

New draft mode UI for a more streamlined drafting experience
​

 

Another awesome couple of months and we have a lot to show for it! Steam integration, updated AI, and this beautiful promo piece done by Marta Nael!

Read more in our latest update~

 

Heyooo, we have a ton of new features packed into the newest update. New maps, investments, and cards!
~*~Read it here~*~

AND if you'd like to play Crystal Companies, join our Discord community! (discord.crystalcompanies.me)

​

 

We recently posted our 2017 year in review and update from December!
~*~Read it here!~*~

Here is a screenshot from CrysCo's new map, Taru Quarry:

 

Another couple of months, and a ton of new content. Read up on our January and February updates:

January: http://www.crystalcompanies.me/january-journey-1000-miles/
February: http://www.crystalcompanies.me/spoiler-alert/

Progress on our Cossack character model kit.
​

Play Crystal Companies!
Follow us on Twitter!

 

Things are ramping up as we start preparing for a Kickstarter!

Read about March's progress at http://www.crystalcompanies.me/what-spring-is-bringing/

New landscape artwork done by Marta Nael!​

Play Crystal Companies!
Follow us on Twitter!

 

After a long while in development, we have finished the deck editor! With temporary access to the full library of cards, you can construct some really interesting decks.

Read about the update on our dev blog: http://www.crystalcompanies.me/deck-building

Crystal Companies' new brigade editor.
​

Play Crystal Companies!
Follow us on Twitter!

 

Just posted a new update on our blog! We've got quite a few things in the works, but are showing off some progress on one of our models.

Read it here: http://www.crystalcompanies.me/sum-sum-summertime/
​

A sculpt of Saen, one of the captain characters in Crystal Companies.

Play Crystal Companies!
Follow us on Twitter!​

 

Looks very interesting! Can't wait to see the polished version I think it's going to be amazing!

 

Thanks so much! We're in the process of polishing game play and visual aspects of Crystal Companies. Slowly building up CC to be ready for Kickstarter.

 

We posted a new update on our devblog!

http://www.crystalcompanies.me/mid-summer-update-2018-edition/

We've been working on procedural battlefields, an in-game shop, and visual improvements (flora and Saen!).

A map generation run of 10 maps.​

 

Wow. This is looking really good! I like the generated maps. There's no limit to the variety people will want, so feel free to keep adding stuff as long as you can. After your 50th game, if you generate a map and see some new variety, you know you've got a quality game. Know what I mean?

 

Thank you for your feedback! I totally know what you mean about map variation. Our goal is to generate maps that always feel new and exciting, are fair for both players, and work with all sorts of play styles (quick rush, slow boom, midrange, etc).

 

Another quick update before our next blog post. We've been working more on map generation and here is a video of the progress!

 

We posted a new update on our dev blog today!

In addition to the progress we made on map generation, we've received a batch of custom environment models, including the rocks pictured below.

Really cool rock formations modeled by Johnny Halcyon​

 

Like the idea of an in-game shop, and that promo piece is outstanding. Would love to see more colorful, lush environments that draw the user in. The quality is great. Looking forward to more!

 

Thanks a bunch!

 

Looks really solid! Well done!

 

We just posted a new update on our dev blog! Check it out here.

We are currently in the process of refining lots of user experience issues as well as polishing gameplay mechanics. Below is a video demonstrating the updated hand interface.

​

 

This looks right up my alley and I tip my hat to Marta Nael, that art style is amazing. Looking forward to future updates. Great work so far!

 

Really great work! As an UI option, if the player wants to keep even further away of the "card game stigma", there could be an option to show, instead of cards, the actual 3d models with stats on their bases, like board game pieces, for example, like this



but with the black base vertically tall and with the stats and description. Just an UI option, if the person does't like card games because of cards.

Either way, the game is already looking great. Keep it on!

 

Thanks for the suggestion @RobsonCozendey! We're really interested in new ways we can introduce 3D elements into our UI. Right now if you hover over a card, it morphs from a static 2D image into the animated model.

 

Another progress update is live! You can read it here: http://www.crystalcompanies.me/1251-2/

We've been working hard at polishing and focusing the gameplay and user experience in Crystal Companies. Here is a video of a cool combo with spells and spell triggers:

Remember that you join our Discord group and get a free Steam beta key at cryscogame.com!

 

Updating this thread has totally slipped my mind for the past few months! We've been really busy preparing for a Kickstarter campaign that will start April 9th, 2019.

Here is our most recent devblog.
https://www.crystalcompanies.me/2019-ramping-up-for-kickstarter/




Procedural map generation has come a long way since our last update, and is progressing more and more with each week. One of our map editor tools even got featured by 80 LEVEL!

 

good luck guys!!

 

We've been super busy lately, but I wanted to announce that we're on Kickstarter!
You can check out the page here: ks.cryscogame.com

Here is a video I made displaying some of Crystal Companies features.

 

Here's the latest dev blog with what we're planning for Crystal Companies.
https://www.crystalcompanies.me/a-new-chapter-unfolds/

In short, we're making a singleplayer expedition mode inspired by Oregon Trail.

 

We're getting close to finishing an alpha version of our updated Crystal Companies Expeditions!

Here is a post of what we've been working on:
https://www.crystalcompanies.me/first-look-at-expeditions/


Some updated UI for the Frontier Fort, a trading post where items are bought and sold.

 

I was super late with the last update and right on time with our most recent one.

We've added new ability effects and game mechanics and reworked environmental generation.

Read the post here: https://www.crystalcompanies.me/summers-end-update-2019/


A screenshot from a scenario about escaping a blazing wildfire!

 

Another busy month--man does time fly! We've been updating many of the user interfaces in Crystal Companies along with adding in some fun mechanics like Explore and random Incidents during battle.

Read the full update on our dev blog:
https://www.crystalcompanies.me/fall-2019-development-update-🎃/


A screenshot of the update unit detail view.