Zordak
Devlog - 51 [Important Info]
(WIP new sprites)
Changes:
Fixed player standing up when getting hit while crawling.
Fixed player knockback on hit so it now works correctly.
Fixed a crash related to an enemy.
Fixed a crash when trying to bind an action to a number key. (1,2,3,4 etc)
Fixed 9 other minor bugs / issues.
Added particle effect for tiles breaking.
Added gameplay option to disable interactable object outlines. (defaults to on for now)
Wrote and added a completely new sprite system to greatly simplify editing the player sprites. (preparation for player sprite reworks)
Added support for room tags and flagged relevant rooms as hidden.
Hidden rooms now use a different color tint on the map.
Added two features to an old upgrade.
Improved the localization system a bit.
Reworked / updated some old rooms.
Flyer enemies can now drop up to 4 items to reduce farming time.
Interactable object outlines are now disabled when choosing "no" on the "enable tutorials" screen and they are now enabled if selecting "yes".
Increased damaged helmet upgrade hitbox size.
Reworked an aspect of another old upgrade.
Tweaked player movement a bit.
Suit power now always displays as "1" when not having a suit.
And finally, started experimenting with reworking misc player sprites.
------------------------------------------
So, I'd be lying if I said everything has been good lately, in fact, it has not.
The week after my previous devlog was the worst one in a long time, first time I punched a wall in like 12 years.
One good thing came out of this though, it made me realize I had to revise my plan a bit.
I've come to the realization that I will have to start having an actual serious side project.
Not as ambitious as this but something that could possibly make me some money, so that it might help me get out of this place I'm living in.
I will not be able to finish this game within a reasonable time frame before I lose my mind from living here.
(EMPHASIS: the game is not dead, I'm not going to stop working on it, it just might get less attention sometimes)
So I don't have much of a choice but to try this right now.
I'll also have to seriously consider the idea of a Patreon and such things even though I don't really like it, maybe even a Kickstarter.. I don't know yet...
So this is why there was no devlog last week, but anyways, enough of this stuff.
------------------------------------------
I'm looking for any kind of feedback on these new sprites, they are not done but they show what direction I'm trying to go.
I'm also not quite happy with how the white one turned out just yet.
This will be the final full player sprite rework so this time we better get it right, or at least good enough.
That's all I got this time and if all goes to plan, expect to see a new game pop up from me some time "soon".
Comments
Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.
Or you can release this on Steam Early Access, even though you said you didn't want to. If you need money, you need money. Most of us here would buy it there, plus many more people.
That is technically an option but the problem is that it goes against my very nature..
Quoting myself in a previous reply here:
Releasing beta or early access stuff is not really something I'm keen on doing because once I put something out there, for example: something I don't want to show everyone yet, then it's very likely going to be everywhere, like screenshots, maybe a video, anything.
And this ruins the surprise for everyone, and I've stated many times I'm not a fan of spoilers.
And sure, once I release the game, everything will be out there anyway but I just don't want stuff out there before it's actually finished unless I post it myself.
I do appreciate the gesture but I don't want to undermine the vision of the game just because I need money.
I'd rather just make a completely new, less important game.
as I did mention on a previous comment, I'll be please to contribute and many will be. I know the struggle, working on a project like this by your own, while life catches you back and polutes your artistic asides. PLEASE, Make a kickstarter. I'm prety sure, you'll get some substantial incomes from there, some very good press and turn over online, and specialy, some essential motivation coming from passionate video game players. Your game as a potential to be good and loads of Metroid community players are waiting for it.
Yeah, I know and I really appreciate the gesture.
I don't know yet if I'll do a Kickstarter / Patreon or not, I'm going to have to think a lot more on this subject.
I get that there are people out there that would support a Kickstarter for a game like this but I just don't know..
It's just seems to be sooo much extra work running one and I'm already completely swamped up here.
Then there's also the fact that if it fails, then I've wasted all that time for nothing, well maybe not nothing considering possibly getting some press / exposure but you know, you should never get paid in exposure, although this might not really be a fair comparison.
So I just don't know, I'll be trying the side project thing first since this seems to be the easiest thing to do for me.
So while I do really appreciate the gesture, I'll have to think this over a lot more before doing anything.
The sprites look fantastic!
SOrry about the financial stuff - Kickstarter might be a good path, if you don't feel comfortable with a monthly Patreon goal to reach.
I wish you luck whatever you decide!
Thanks, the blue one has received some major changes though, you can see an almost up to date version on my twitter: https://twitter.com/ApapappaGames/status/1279597074846285824
So yeah I don't know what I'll be doing regarding Kickstarter and Patreon, I'll be trying the side project thing first.
But if I was to run a Patreon, I would run it like sort of a tip jar to help fund my games, and make it abundantly clear that there are no benefits for becoming a patron.
I would also make it clear that you should ONLY become a patron if you have NO OTHER use for that money.
The reason for there being no benefits for patrons is simply:
I don't feel like I have anything to give back and I can't really add much more workload / pressure.
This is why I feel like the side project thing is best for me because this way I will 100% give something back.
If I don't finish the side project, noone can buy it.
This, of course, also adds extra workload / pressure but it is the kind of pressure I can more easily deal with.
Anyway, enough rambling, sorry if the post became a bit long. (I didn't even get into Kickstarter yet since that's a whole different kind of beast)
Thanks for the feedback and good luck wishes. :)
i think you could work out a nice patreon, actually.
you could have tippers gain advanced access to updates, or beta material, whatever's on your plate that you need direct input on ( like these sprites, for instance )
you could have a regualr build here on itchio, and a " nightly " build for patroen users only, that's how the porn game devs do it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I mean, some of those I could probably manage to do but there are issues with this:
1. It adds more things to think about which definitely won't help as I already have 5 trillion things to think about.
2. Releasing beta or advanced access stuff is not really something I'm keen on doing because once I put something out there, for example: something I don't want to show everyone yet, then it's very likely going to be everywhere, like screenshots, maybe a video, anything.
And this ruins the surprise for everyone, and I've stated many times I'm not a fan of spoilers.
And sure, once I release the game, everything will be out there anyway but I just don't want stuff out there before it's actually finished unless I post it myself.
3. Only using patreon for sprite feedback and things like that kind of makes my discord server less valuable as that is where I do this stuff right now.
By nightly builds, do you mean after the game has been released or before it's fully released?
If you mean before, then #2 applies here as well.
So there you have a few of the problems I have with these things.
I don't mean to be all negative about your ideas or anything and I appreciate you trying to help.
But hopefully this helps you see where I'm coming from.
Sorry to hear financial pressures may force you to split your focus, but I think relieving some life stress can only be a positive thing overall. :)
I think the rework on the white one looks pretty good! The other one is fine too, though for some reason I keep feeling like I'd like it better without the low cut neckline. Maybe the story context makes it work better? The white one works because it makes sense that you'd just be in underwear for cryosleep. The other one seems like normal beachwear which is pretty incongruous.
Again, I don't know what the context for the new outfit is, but I find myself thinking something more like a high-neck neoprene diving bodysuit would make more sense, even if the arms and legs were still bare. :)
Yeah, we'll see how this side project thing goes, I started planning one yesterday.
The white one has received a few changes since this post and I'm still not quite satisfied with it, so I'll be tweaking it a bit more today.
The blue one though, it has been changed a lot, it is now a fully clothed jumpsuit / mechanic like outfit.
Same colors just more clothes.
It still has that low cut thing going on because I tried covering it up and it just looked less dynamic and more boring, so it'll probably stay like that.
You can take a look at my twitter for an almost up to date version:https://twitter.com/ApapappaGames/status/1279597074846285824
As for context:
The white one will still be used after you wake up from cryosleep to keep that "naked and alone" feeling.
Then after a number of rooms you will find some new clothes and become more confident, hence the stance.
That's the short version, you'll have to wait and see until I update the demo for a more complete version. :)
Anyway, thanks for the feedback. ^^