Introducing Dryad Quest: Breeding Expeditions – First Playable Prototype + Dryad Engine v0.4.0
Hey everyone, sorry for being quiet for a while, I’ve been swamped with all the work the results of which I’m going to announce here.
But first, I want to say Thank You. I am able to dedicate myself fully to development only because of this cool community and your support. None of it would be possible without it.
You already know about the engine I’m building. Now here's the first real game that is being built on it.
Dryad Quest: Breeding Expeditions – a rogue-like expedition crawler set in the same universe. You play as the Dryad Queen, sending dryads into contested lands to seduce creatures, breed an army, and fight rival factions for control.
What's in the prototype:
Breeding system – seduce creatures, manage pregnancies, birth offspring that inherit traits
Grid auto-battler combat – tactical grid with unique stats, abilities, and damage types
Faction warfare – Rival factions competing for territory
Survival management – keep your warband fed while rearing offspring
Dynamic regions – each land shapes which factions thrive.
Note: This is a working prototype, not a finished game. Balance numbers and art are placeholders. The content is a minimal showcase slice – the full vision needs far more of everything.
So what's the plan going forward?
Breeding Expeditions serves two purposes. First – it's a stress test for the engine. Building a completely different genre forced me to solve problems I never would have hit with just an RPG, and every solution makes the engine stronger as well as growing my skillset as a game designer. Which leads to the second reason – it lets me experiment with new ideas in a smaller scope before committing to the massive undertaking of porting A Tale of Lust and Glory, which has grown huge at this point.
But make no mistake – Breeding Expeditions is going to be a game in its own right. Going forward, I'll be developing both games in parallel, both running on the same engine, both benefiting from each other's progress.
What I need from you
Give it a try and let me know what you think. I'm genuinely excited to hear your reactions. What works, what excites you, and what falls flat.
Spread the word – if you know other players or devs who might be into rogue-likes, breeding mechanics, or game design in general, point them this way.
I'm looking for a game designer with experience to help author content – events, factions, balancing, creature design. The entire process happens inside the engine's visual editor, so no coding skills are required. If that sounds like you or someone you know, reach out.
Note: the game requires the newest 0.4.0 Engine(you can see all the changes by pressing the version number in the main menu).
How to playtest the game
1) Download the latest 0.5.0 engine here(windows or linux version): https://mega.nz/folder/cRUjSZLD#m55VFuI-7q138TZZYGtbuQ
2) Extract the engine’s zip file and run 'dryad-engine' executable.
3) Download dryad_breeding game here: https://mega.nz/folder/sIFmDRZY#ZWj2TpdZCZ7sPIxpT_pjcA
4) Do NOT extract the game’s zip file. Put the .zip into assets/install folder and install the game from the Main Menu(Install button in the top left corner).
If you're enjoying what I'm building and want to keep it going, please support me on Patreon. It's what keeps the lights on and the development moving forward.