I will be using the Express version of C#.Net. (I just downloaded it and installed it).
I've used C# for three years at work so this shouldn't be any problem, right?...uh, right?
Well, it could be a challenge. This is game development, not database app development. I'm not really even sure how to generate a random roll of the dice for "saving" rolls. After all, you don't use randomize functions with a database, unless you want some crazy results :).
Other design features, while I am brainstorming:
- XML data files. This will include the card info. This is good because then I could add character cards in the future (can you say "expansion decks"?). I sure hope that the Express Edition can read XML files and use datasets.
- AI - I want the game to have three types of AI players and be able to have specific rules based on these players, including agressiveness of play. I hope to save these AI config files as XML files also.
- It would be cool to have the game save the player's progress, with matches played, and fame, so that the player could advance in some ranking. This would require reading and writing to XML files (if I can't do XML with the Express version I am screwed.
- The game should have character cards, with some being common, rare, and ultra-rare. The available cards to each player should be dependent on some sort of probability of the card rarity.
- I plan on having fifteen character cards. This is limited on what artwork that I think Mindy can finish in 30 days.
- There will be ten bonus cards, which can be multiplied and reused by the computer. They may be common, rare, and ultr-rare also.
- I also will need some basic screen artwork.
- AI will definitely be the toughest part of the game, besides just maintaining the momentum to finish!