Cubular is a minimalist RTS. It is a very typical RTS in many ways: Units are controlled with the mouse, resources can be obtained by these units, and from these resources buildings and units are produced to attack an enemy base.

This project was a solo-project. The game was developed in about two months in the winter of 2017.

Target Group

The target group of this game is on one hand players well acquainted with RTS
games that want a fresh mechanic and have grown tired of the classic UI,
on the other hand players reluctant of RTS games because of their perceived
complexity who will find this much more accessible.
Therefore players are not restricted to a particular gender or age, but
small children younger than ten years old might not understand every aspect
and not have as much fun.
In general, the aesthetic will please Indie Game players more than AAA-Fans.

Market

The game is, as most RTSes are, designed to be played on PC (Mac, Linux).
Indie game distributors such as Steam (in case of a sale) or Itch.io (in case of a
free release) seem most appropriate.
The new interface might lend itself to a port for mobile devices. More
innovation in the interface would be necessary, and performance issues are
evident because of the high cost of pathfinding.

Description

Here are some of the features that make Cubular destinct from its RTS contemporaries:

Units are Resources.

The basic 3 unit kinds, Warrior, Collector and Builder, are also the basic resources: Every building and composite unit are constructed from smaller units.

Context-Based Hierarchical Radial Menus

In game, no classical window-and-button based UI is present. All UI is realized with radial menus.

Abstract Setting

Most RTS-Games put the player in the role of a commander of an army or civilization. Cubular is abstract in nature, allowing for mechanics that would seem ridiculous in a naturalistic context.

Experience

Since this was my first solo-project game, I learned a lot about time-management and production. I was responsible for every part of the game, thats why I now understand many perspectives and have gained an intuitive understanding of the complexity behind such a project. Of course I could not have done it all by myself, my tutors and fellow students were always available for testing, feedback and help.