That’s what all game developers say, right? Well, it’s true, though you never fully believe it until you experience it for yourself. I thought I was prepared… hell no!
So, my game – still no title (*cries*) – had it’s first proper play test last week, and the feedback I received was fab. Most of the feedback I usually get is responded with “I know, it’s on my to-do list”, but this time I received some fresh ideas and suggestions for huge improvements. Downside is, they’re going to take another couple of months to implement – urgh!
I bet you can imagine the size of my to-do list. Well, in case you can’t, I made a Vine of it. Those of you that think “but the second page is only half full” can screw off… This is only the feedback list! I have other to-do lists AND a bunch of post-it notes all over the place! To attempt a faster pace, I’m working more weekends and evenings now, much to my partner’s dislike. Actually, I also debated quitting the blog for a while, but I think the pros out-weigh the time it takes to do… just about! For now, I’m spending a little less time on my social media channels… although, as Leigh Alexander says, “Every content creator is now a community manager” so I can’t exactly stop doing that forever either…
But enough whinging: some of these to-dos are quick edits, others are complete game changers. It’s not all bad, but it’s not all good either, however, it will all be good once it’s done and in the game! It’ll be much more fun to play and break up huge chunks of story. Yup yup, gameplay feedback is super important! I can’t wait to get it all in, but it does mean that my demo will be delayed once again. Still, this is all for the greater good, and although I don’t need my game to be perfect, I do want it to be the best it can be in a reasonable time. I just can’t fall into the trap of taking so long that I hate all my earlier work and then keep redoing it over and over. Oh, how I’d love a small team to work with me…
Anyway, I’ve pretty much dropped my artwork list to work on the feedback list, but you know me; sometimes I can’t resist doing a piece of artwork, so here are a couple of CG scenes:
So, my game – still no title (*cries*) – had it’s first proper play test last week, and the feedback I received was fab. Most of the feedback I usually get is responded with “I know, it’s on my to-do list”, but this time I received some fresh ideas and suggestions for huge improvements. Downside is, they’re going to take another couple of months to implement – urgh!
I bet you can imagine the size of my to-do list. Well, in case you can’t, I made a Vine of it. Those of you that think “but the second page is only half full” can screw off… This is only the feedback list! I have other to-do lists AND a bunch of post-it notes all over the place! To attempt a faster pace, I’m working more weekends and evenings now, much to my partner’s dislike. Actually, I also debated quitting the blog for a while, but I think the pros out-weigh the time it takes to do… just about! For now, I’m spending a little less time on my social media channels… although, as Leigh Alexander says, “Every content creator is now a community manager” so I can’t exactly stop doing that forever either…
But enough whinging: some of these to-dos are quick edits, others are complete game changers. It’s not all bad, but it’s not all good either, however, it will all be good once it’s done and in the game! It’ll be much more fun to play and break up huge chunks of story. Yup yup, gameplay feedback is super important! I can’t wait to get it all in, but it does mean that my demo will be delayed once again. Still, this is all for the greater good, and although I don’t need my game to be perfect, I do want it to be the best it can be in a reasonable time. I just can’t fall into the trap of taking so long that I hate all my earlier work and then keep redoing it over and over. Oh, how I’d love a small team to work with me…
Anyway, I’ve pretty much dropped my artwork list to work on the feedback list, but you know me; sometimes I can’t resist doing a piece of artwork, so here are a couple of CG scenes:
 Zoe playing Edenscape late at night |  Emarin protects the party |
The second one is my first CG for Edenscape/ in-game section. I really loved doing this one! The team are in Golan dungeon, about to attack a boss which is hurtling objects towards the party. I’m going to animate the objects flying past within Renpy. Actually, that’s something I’ve been doing a lot of recently: adding animation and particle effects to the game. They’re still not done though, I need way more (so sayeth the feedback list)!
I’ve also been updating my character sprites so they work better in-game. Edenscape is loosely inspired by the Bible, so once the characters get exalted by a groups called “The High Heavens”, they grow a pair of wings, which means they can travel much quicker and freely across the world. Here are some of them (still unfinished!):
It’s a stupid amount of lore for a game within a game, but I want it to feel as real as any MMORPG out there. (I’d also like more games with sexy angels in them!)
Sadly, my UI still hasn’t progressed and I’ve only managed a couple more character sprites. I’m going to sit down in a couple of weeks and totally nail the UI… it needs cuter text boxes, notification icons, attack buttons etc. The reason I keep putting it off, is that the battle scenes need a lot of work. At the moment, they are lumps of mediocre text. However, I’ve finally figured out what I’m going to do with them to spice them up and keep them concise, so button making will soon commence!
Otherwise, I’ve been streaming live game development on Twitch. You can follow my channel here if you’re interested: http://www.twitch.tv/kinmoku87 At the moment, I’m streaming as and when I feel like it. It’s nice to do, but there are some weirdos on there which make it a little less fun. Oh, how I love you, internet.
Anyway, I’m definitely a busy bee right now, but I’m having 4 days off this week for a nice break with my family! I’m looking forward to it a lot, and then it’s Christmas, where I get a whole 2 weeks off! Resting and relaxing is important to game development too!
I’ve also been updating my character sprites so they work better in-game. Edenscape is loosely inspired by the Bible, so once the characters get exalted by a groups called “The High Heavens”, they grow a pair of wings, which means they can travel much quicker and freely across the world. Here are some of them (still unfinished!):
It’s a stupid amount of lore for a game within a game, but I want it to feel as real as any MMORPG out there. (I’d also like more games with sexy angels in them!)
Sadly, my UI still hasn’t progressed and I’ve only managed a couple more character sprites. I’m going to sit down in a couple of weeks and totally nail the UI… it needs cuter text boxes, notification icons, attack buttons etc. The reason I keep putting it off, is that the battle scenes need a lot of work. At the moment, they are lumps of mediocre text. However, I’ve finally figured out what I’m going to do with them to spice them up and keep them concise, so button making will soon commence!
Otherwise, I’ve been streaming live game development on Twitch. You can follow my channel here if you’re interested: http://www.twitch.tv/kinmoku87 At the moment, I’m streaming as and when I feel like it. It’s nice to do, but there are some weirdos on there which make it a little less fun. Oh, how I love you, internet.
Anyway, I’m definitely a busy bee right now, but I’m having 4 days off this week for a nice break with my family! I’m looking forward to it a lot, and then it’s Christmas, where I get a whole 2 weeks off! Resting and relaxing is important to game development too!