Battle Is Key! - Online Tactical RPG - Testers Needed

Email us for a build at : cenobiumsoftware@gmail.com

Battle is Key is an SRPG in the same vein as Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics with
a real time element. It comes with 2 modes Online versus(currently available) and story mode(wip). There is no random-chance in BiK - attacks don't miss… Unless you dodge! Games that would normally take hours can be finished in a matter of minutes!
The story mode will have similar gameplay with the additional skill tree and traditional rpg exploration. There will be no random battles as the enemies will appear on the map and engage you exactly where you were. At that point, the movement will become similar to the online battle component of the game. Online mode is finished , minus the assets , so we are running the Betas via Steam right now. Send us an email for the chance to join or you can become a patron an get a Key immediately. Don't wait… Battle is Key.

We've been GreenLit! Thanks for the support!

https://www.patreon.com/Cenobium
Video of a match in Beta:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV9N32bv29I

Current art direction(replacing all beta footage):



Entire cast so far 18 Units:


Red(mime) and blue(trapper) units are wip models till they are replaced:

/*
18 Units in total!
https://www.patreon.com/posts/8073049
Explanation of Crystal Mode - Creates a 'Chess-King' objective.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/crystal-mode-8073003
*/
/* 02-08-17
New units! We have 16 units in total now!
https://www.patreon.com/Cenobium

Hammer Knight - High damage while HP is near max.
MoveSet
Smash - 50 damage that causes quakes that push Units away.
Stir-left & Stir-Right - The 3 tile in front recieve damage that also 'drags' units hit and gives Confused ailment.
Spin2Win - Spins and attack all surrounding units. Then You become Confused.

Spearman - High Crit rate but poor damage if the tip of the spear doesn't hit the opponent.
Flurry - Attack 4 times in a row for high scaling Damage.
Poke - Just pokes once…. yup
Swipe - Cut 3x2 in front for poison damage. Then unit takes a step back.
Slam- Hit in front for Paralyze damage. Then unit takes a step back.

Trapper - This unit sets Traps on the map that disrupt formations.Traps are invisible until triggered
MoveSet
Chop N' Push - Hits a Unit and pushes it. Paralyzes if it hits a Unit from Behind.
NeedleTrap - Sets a D.O.T. needle trap.
Cutter - A spinning blade that pushes away and damages nearby units.
Bomb - An explosion that also lingers Burn Damage.

Mime - Like Final Fantasy Tactics, this unit will copy any Other allied units action on the map for free. It comes with 4 filters.
All - He will copy any unit anywhere.
3x3 - He will copy units around him.
3x2F - he will copy units in front
2x1 - He will copy 2 units behind him.

Each unit was made just this week (I'm doing this full time now) so testing the meta is going to be very interesting next beta!
*/

No subscriptions.
All units are available to anyone.
Ranked matches , Online mode and etc already built.
4 different Game modes.
AI vs on the way. Tutorials 1/3 way finished.
Polls for new units and map for frequent Updates.

And most importantly - The game , though grid-based , is REAL-TIME!

You can turn , walk , push , and attack multiple Units/Classes at any given time!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jV9N32bv29I&t=44s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW1DGQTRwDc

Examples of the Online Battle System above(WIP)

The addition of real time mechanics allows you to dodge attacks without resorting to luck
percentage based mechanics. This increases the competitive element between players.
It also means no waiting between turns... There are no turns! The game is as fast as the fastest character. The grid-based combat is a homage to the TRPGS of old like FF Tactics or Fire Emblem and gives the attacks and movement a sense of 'tick' / precision. Currently looking for more testers! And feel free to ask any questions!

We've Been GreenLit! Thanks for you Support!

Currently working on the offline rpg mode for Battle is Key!
We will have a game play video demonstrating the dynamic battle system.
In the meantime, the online versus mode has been re-balanced with win condition bugs
fixed.

The Steam process is done and soon we will have beta keys to distribute before we go Early Access. In the meantime , the beta can be accessed via Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/Cenobium

Happy New Years Guys! Thanks for the votes and support.
If anyone has questions regarding the game and / or mechanics feel free to
PM me. Or Post a question in this thread. The game is in Unity3D if anyone wants to know about game building.

Oh and I've started a git for releasing some of the code I used in the game.
https://github.com/AllFatherGray/CenobiumSoftwareTools

This looks like HOMM meet bomber man

Good luck, I will try to follow your progress.

BTW maybe drop "IS" from the name? "Battle Key" rolls of the tongue better.

Thanks for the response. We've got enemies walking on the map so the transition between combat and exploration is seamless. The footage before is all apart of the online versus mode. The RPG mode has Custom classes , AI enemies , bosses and much more! I just looked up the game you mentioned HOMM and I might have to make a purchase sometime. Some of my current game mechanic influences for the RPG mode:
Vagrant Story , Final Fantasy Tactics/Advance , Fire Emblem and Mega-Man Battle Network and Breath of Fire 3. I'd be happy to answer any questions about the game too.
Like classes in the online mode abilities etc. Some of that info is on the Patreon but I can go into detail here.

New Models!
Let us know what you think. So glad we are finally able to move on to custom assets!

Can someone tell me how to get images uploaded without URLS? I'd just like to show the
images without having to link somewhere else. Thanks in advance!

New units! Email for a steam key. We have 16 units in total now!
https://www.patreon.com/Cenobium

Hammer Knight - High damage while HP is near max.
MoveSet
Smash - 50 damage that causes quakes that push Units away.
Stir-left & Stir-Right - The 3 tile in front recieve damage that also 'drags' units hit and gives Confused ailment.
Spin2Win - Spins and attack all surrounding units. Then You become Confused.

Spearman - High Crit rate but poor damage if the tip of the spear doesn't hit the opponent.
Flurry - Attack 4 times in a row for high scaling Damage.
Poke - Just pokes once…. yup
Swipe - Cut 3x2 in front for poison damage. Then unit takes a step back.
Slam- Hit in front for Paralyze damage. Then unit takes a step back.

Trapper - This unit sets Traps on the map that disrupt formations.Traps are invisible until triggered
MoveSet
ChopnPush - Hits a Unit and pushes it. Paralyzes if it hits a Unit from Behind.
NeedleTrap - Sets a D.O.T. needle trap.
Cutter - A spinning blade that pushes away and damages nearby units.
Bomb - An explosion that also lingers Burn Damage.

Mime - Like Final Fantasy Tactics, this unit will copy any Other allied units action on the map for free. It comes with 4 filters.
All - He will copy any unit anywhere.
3x3 - He will copy units around him.
3x2F - he will copy units in front
2x1 - He will copy 2 units behind him.

Each unit was made just this week (I'm doing this full time now) so testing the meta is going to be very interesting this week!

Units so far:



Below the red is Mime and the Blue is Trapper. They are not done yet.

The Mime and Trapper models have been replaced.
2 more units!20 Units total! Bear in mind that these classes are for the Online versus mode only:

Ogre (200 hp)- High Poison Damage and can Auto-Track enemies and chase them down.
Can find Enemies in Grass. Eats grass for HP. Has a Gore attack that pushes. Extremely weak to fire. Both of his abilities allow diagonal movement.

BomberMan(100) - A unit that slowly loses hp over time and then explodes for massive damage upon death.

Golem will be in this Sunday(5th)! Also the VectoreMage will be in the next build. Golem gets a Punch the causes chain damage if it hit adjacent units.
Vector mage can set arrow sigils that redirect unit positions.

The pictures above will be updated. There are now 22 Units.

Golem and VectorMage are in! Next is Scorpion and Joker before we focus on the Graphical overhaul.