Vapourware Codexian Game Development Thread

[ForeverdarkWoods]

I've also been quite busy. Don't really have much to show for it yet, but I have sprites coming along nicely. Scrapped and remade them a few times and now the scale is ok.

I'm starting to realize that if something is ever to come out of this I am going to need to bring in some other people at some point, but I want to have something real to show before I attempt to go down that road (such as a design document and some basic alpha gameplay, perhaps also some funds).

Regarding the tiles shown before, I'm going to have to remake them, as the document in which I wrote down the procedure of making them has been lost and I simply can't recreate some of the effects I used from memory (so I can't make more of them). No matter. New ones will be made shortly. Perhaps I should show something. Here's a small slime creature sprite:

 

[shihonage]

Approaching putting Monsterland on Desura. Except, I got digestion problems and everything ground to a halt. Desura's founder responded to my first Email enthusiastically and then nothing for over a week.

I'm sure he's just very busy. Ah well, I still got some voice lines to process and menues to make...

 

[Zed]

nice slime

updatan on warmaiden of boobs

Spoiler

background boot looks like shit but so does a lot with this picture atm.
sword-arm will be resting on some sword or something while she leans on a tree.. like, recuperating. probably something like a shield near the tree as well.

 

[eric__s]

Approaching putting Monsterland on Desura. Except, I got digestion problems and everything ground to a halt. Desura's founder responded to my first Email enthusiastically and then nothing for over a week.

I'm sure he's just very busy. Ah well, I still got some voice lines to process and menues to make...

It's not rude to email him again after a few more days. Go for it. Do you have plans to contact other distributors? GamersGate, Steam, GoG?

That is a really good palette, Zed. The shading on the boots in particular looks really good. As a boob scholar and enthusiast, I have to say those boobs are bonkers though. Those are like J cups. Not that I'm complaining, she's just going to have back issues later on.

 

[shihonage]

Do you have plans to contact other distributors? GamersGate, Steam, GoG?

Yeah, but I want to do this when I have the launch trailer. Some stuff needs to be finalized before I can make the trailer... I just thought to start the conversation with Desura early... but maybe he, too, is waiting for the launch trailer now. In a very subtle, ignoring-the-emails sort of way.

 

[Zed]

shihonage I hope the Desura thing works out. Would it be for a beta/alpha version? If you're looking for retail outlets, you might wanna hear with Gamersgate. They're swedes. You can always trust swedes. When I interviewed their CEO I got replies within 3 minutes. At 2-3 AM.

That is a really good palette, Zed. The shading on the boots in particular looks really good. As a boob scholar and enthusiast, I have to say those boobs are bonkers though. Those are like J cups. Not that I'm complaining, she's just going to have back issues later on.

bonkers honkers makes life go 'round
- wise sage

here's a shot of how it looks now. going all fantasy and shit on this one.

Spoiler

 

[Destroid]

shihonage also if you just want a way to sell as opposed to market, http://www.fastspring.com/ has really good rates (much better than steam/desura etc.).

 

[shihonage]

shihonage I hope the Desura thing works out. Would it be for a beta/alpha version?

No, release version. Of course, Desura has a Steam-like patching process, which would be very beneficial for someone who's never done anything like this before. If I screw up somehow, I'd like for it to happen on Desura, where it can be fixed quickly.

If you're looking for retail outlets, you might wanna hear with Gamersgate. They're swedes. You can always trust swedes. When I interviewed their CEO I got replies within 3 minutes. At 2-3 AM.

I was gonna try them next. They don't have a standalone client - which is good for me as a gamer, but not good for me as a potential patch issuer...

 

[Zed]

dude just don't release shit that needs patching

 

[Surf Solar]

I've been experimenting with some different render stuff and layering. A friend of mine also works on some sort of engine where different layers are possible and the Fallout critters are implemented as testing sprites.

If I find the time, I'll finish a desert level and a vault level (since I have the existing assets created anyway) as some sort of proof of concept Fallout Platformer.

 

[OlivettiFever]

Working on menus and a GUI, trying to get as much as possible nailed down and mocked up before I start anything too officially... I've got two menu designs I can't quite choose between. One I prefer visually, but the typefaces are stupid-large on a high-res monitor. The other conveys a hell of a lot more information but is a little less eye-catching. I'd love to hear what you all think.

Fallout placeholder graphics will obviously not persist past mockup stages.

 

[Broseph]

I am expanding on my RPG Maker game significantly and will need some beta testers soon. Any Codexians want to pitch in?

 

[SCO]

I've been experimenting with some different render stuff and layering. A friend of mine also works on some sort of engine where different layers are possible and the Fallout critters are implemented as testing sprites.

If I find the time, I'll finish a desert level and a vault level (since I have the existing assets created anyway) as some sort of proof of concept Fallout Platformer.

Strange that the sprite works so well on that perspective.

 

[OlivettiFever]

I am expanding on my RPG Maker game significantly and will need some beta testers soon. Any Codexians want to pitch in?

Yeah, I'd love to. I'm a big fan of criticizing things, would that help?

 

[Broseph]

It would. I think the general state of the game is pretty decent right now but I'm adding some new mechanics to the game and I want to make sure everything is sound before I move on with the main quest and such. Anyway, if you want to do some testing just make an account on rpgmaker.net and shoot me a message (I'm hereisnowhy). I'll let you know when I have something ready.

 

[Zed]

updatan

Spoiler

I'm thinking this could be part of a splash screen/menu of some generic-as-shit fantasy game.

 

[Kosmonaut]

Offer to Cleve your skill as a pixel artist.

 

[Zed]

Offer to Cleve your skill as a pixel artist.

dunno if I'm triple A enough for that sort of stuff.
but I'm happy with how much I've learned with this picture. tree, clouds, woman, metal, textures. really good practice. I'm not done but it's getting there.

Spoiler

 

[Kosmonaut]

Looks really nice, just a little bit of dithering in the gown and maybe less pillow shading.

 

[Zed]

yeah I'll do proper shading when I've determined hues
also replacing the "background mountain" and adding highlight on "foreground mountains". also adding something cool in the skies, dunno what yet.

EDIT:
old

Spoiler

new (lots to do on the tree, still)

Spoiler

 

[shihonage]

It's infuriating to be so close. To the release of Monsterland and then hopefully resuming work on Shelter. Two weeks ago I got a fucking digestion problem and now it's gone but the oatmeal diet is not enough for my brain. Slowed everything to a crawl. And I'm still mostly on oatmeal. Motherfucker.

$*&#(*&$#

Also:

 

[Zed]

If you're in "slow mode", it may be a good idea to work on pre-promotional shit (or is that just promotional shit? whatever).

 

[shihonage]

Monsterland is a sub-$5 game. I just want to get it to Gamersgate (as Desura hasn't replied in 2.5 weeks) and go from there. I don't have energy for anything else. If Gamersgate for some reason doesn't take it, I'll use Fastspring. I just need this chapter of my life closed. Badly.

 

[Zed]

oh. I was under the impression that you wanted to make money, and that was the reason why you had to finish it before shelter.

 

[shihonage]

These days, all the PR you need is a Youtube personality playing your game and liking it. Or even just word-of-mouth. Whether that will happen, I don't know, but getting it on Gamersgate alone would be a major step forward. If the game's quality holds up, it will become visible. If not, then there's nothing I can do about it short of making a whole new game at this point.

If I understood the process better 2 years ago, instead of Monsterland I would've worked on an Oregon Trail clone set in cyberpunk universe (as Organ Trail is such a clone set in zombie universe). It would be much simpler, it would have a lot more "Youtube lulz" due to randomness, and it would not take 2 years to finish. Maybe more like 8 months.

I now understand the time investment vs. result formula much better. An indie game cannot have complex levels with scripting in them. It wastes a metric buttload of time. It all has to be procedural. Regression testing efforts have to be super-optimized, and that only can be achieved through the nature of the game itself.