Path of the Warmage
Real-time tactical fantasy game made during a game jam. Grid-based combat, pathfinding, puzzles, and portals.
Path of the Warmage
Path of the Warmage was a short but solid game jam project — a tactical top-down game where you guide a spell-slinging warmage through puzzle-filled levels using smart movement and environmental tricks.
I focused mostly on gameplay programming, but also did some design work along the way.
My Contributions
🔍 Navigation & Movement
- Implemented A* for grid-based pathfinding.
- Implemented path smoothing using a modified Bresenham’s algorithm to clean up jagged paths and make the movement look more fluid and intentional.
🎮 Gameplay Features
- Built the key-and-lock puzzle system to gate progression and add light puzzle elements.
- Added teleportation portals and other traversal mechanics to expand how players move through each level.
- Hooked up smaller gameplay elements like interactables, gates, triggers, etc.
🗺 Level Design
- Designed a few of the early levels to show off the mechanics and give the player a clean on-ramp to the puzzle logic.
- Focused on clarity, pacing, and giving the player a few fun “a-ha!” moments even in a short jam window.
🙌 Special Thanks
Big thanks to Lucas Perlind for building out the core engine and handling all the heavy lifting on low-level systems. The game wouldn’t have been possible without him.