Should I Add Secret Caverns to My Open World Game? [ Devlog 5 ]
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- Опубліковано 6 чер 2024
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🔖 CHAPTERS
0:00 - Finding your first cave
1:28 - #meirl: the art director failure
3:40 - How to build a cave
6:23 - Adding a puzzle to the game
This is my fifth devlog for Night Stones -- an open world game developed in Unity inspired by the likes of Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Animal Crossing. In this episode, I'm adding a network of secret caves to the game. The caves a great way to mix up the aesthetic of the game and they also provide a fast travel option for you guys. Enjoy!
🪄 GAME ASSETS
Toon Fantasy Nature: assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Human Characters: assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Animal Characters: assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Buildings: assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Caves:
assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Character Controller: assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Prefab Painter: assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Post Processing: assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Shader Editor: assetstore.unity.com/packages...
Looking for another game asset? Check out the Unity Asset Store: assetstore.unity.com/?aid=110...
DISCLAIMER: The above links are affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. Thanks for your support!
🎵 MUSIC
Created by the amazing Jon Oster -- check him out!
www.jonathanoster.com/music
#devlog #openworld #unity #indiegame - Ігри
![Adding BEAUTIFUL Music To My Open World Game [Devlog 6]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/leU3_NdOFTQ/mqdefault.jpg)
![Adding BEAUTIFUL Music To My Open World Game [Devlog 6]](/img/tr.png)
![Planning my HEART Out with a New Town for my Game [ Devlog 4 ]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/SWG5HKiuGsU/mqdefault.jpg)
🎮 Play the Night Stones Demo Now 🌙👉
store.steampowered.com/app/2300340/Night_Stones
Love all of the progress! I'm no artist, but I think it would be cool if the cover art demonstrated some of the elements in the game, such as the day/night mechanic. Maybe the cover art could be half day/half night with the stone in the middle? I think it would stand out really well on a store page!
Now this is a good idea. I love it. Thank you!
@@ShaolinDave oooh yess i like that
An idea for a cover image: A night stone sitting on a mountain during the day, The background would be day but everything through the crystal (what its covering) wouled be night and wherever the sun is covered would be the moon
I'm French and your Bézier pronunciation is on point ^^
Really? Thats great to hear. I actually used google voice to hear these words in French so I practiced. But the reality is, I just wanted to take a big bite of sourdough bread on camera 😀😀
So i'm not the only french here lol
The blue color on the houses might be too saturated. Good luck with your game. It’s very interesting to follow your journey. 💕
Hello!
I was absolutely BLOWN by all the cover art and progress you showed for this new devlog! But I had a thought when it came to the cover art! c:
Regarding the design style of the character for the cover art, maybe take a couple screenshots of the model in like a tpose or a pose or something and do a turnaround! Like the ones you would see animation studios use.
Ooh! And maybe you could prep a little photoshop document or pdf with your inspirations for a style (anime, Windwaker Zelda, kirby-like, etc.) you'd prefer the artist to work in and maybe even colors and color schemes (you can even color pick from your game screenshots or put your screenshots into a color palette generator like Coolors) I believe these are called inspiration boards! These could also help you pick out what you expect from the artists you would work with and who to choose based on specialty!
Can't wait to see the rest of your progress! 💎💎💎
(Oh! And maybeeee fans could be called "Gems" "Little Stones" or "Shinies"!)
Yo! This is some solid feedback that will help me alot. I truly appreciate you taking the time. I'm on it with the inspiration boards. And your fan name ideas are amazing! I'm having a tough time deciding but I think my fave is "Little Stones". You'll hear it in the next devlog...
@@advancenine can't wait to see more progress yayayay!!! 💚💚💚
@@advancenineYeah, even trashy mockups or greyboxing can help too if you have a specific camera shot in mind. Basically, don't shy away from giving vusual aids for anything you want that's hyper-specific as well as describe it, maybe sit down and chat with the artist if you can. Also be sure to hire someone who's versitile (especially in art styles. I advise against one-style artists unless it's exactly what you want) and flexible that's willing to iterate and show you in-progress shots and work with you each step of the way so it gets you what you want in the least destructive way. The closer to game design or concept art your artist is, the better because they're specifically trained in iteration, flexibility, ans versatility and are used to tossing out (or just moving it to a personal portfolio) pieces clients aren't necessarily happy with.
Yup! Include cover art you like, or specific parts that are awesome!
Anything that can help the artist understand your vision and give him/her direction is perfect.
@@advancenine little stones sounds a little condescending to me personally
One Of THE MOST ANTICIPATED GAME in my Wishlist right now.
Your devlogs are helping me so much in creating my own open world game. Thank you!
You wishlisted it!? Thats the best possible way to help me and I truly appreciate it!
this looks like something Nintendo will make
OMG it would be so freakin sweet if I could get this on the Switch
This game looks to be coming together nicely. Amazing work my friend!
Thank you soooooo much for the rad supportive comment 😄😄
Honestly the cover art on the first one is gorgeous. Even in the night time atmosphere. Making that scene day time could also be very pretty
I agree. Maybee the character can be swapped with something more fitting to the game, but the background is awesome and appealling.
Using the same image and splitting it down the middle with one half representing daytime and the other half representing nighttime would be perfect in my opinion.
I agree. Plus, if I'm playing a game called NIGHT Stones, do I really want a cover with daylight art? No.
Wow guys this is really helpful and insightful feedback. I really appreciate this feedback. I'm definitely too close to the problem at this point so I REALLY appreciate your fresh perspectives!
@@advancenine I gave this idea a second thought. My photographer and designers mind couldn't let this go, haha. I think i have an idea that will work for you. My suggestion is to use the this first image as a composition/template to recreate the whole thing in 3D. You got the 3d models of the game. Convert those game models into higher detailed versions (and keep the cartoony look ofc). Maybe you can even add one of the Night Stones in this scene where the character touches it with his hand to show some action in the image with showing the key mechanic of the game. That image will be self-explanatory about the key mechanic of the game. Anyone would understand what's the game about by looking 2 seconds at such image and that is exactly what you want. Give it a thought. Good luck!
A word from a french : Merci pour tes updates, j'adore ton travail !
Aww thank you for the super kind words! Especially after i disgraced your beautiful language with my poor pronunciation :)
Always great to see your updates! For the art, a shot of the envoriment with the player using glider could look awesome
Been checking your channel everyday since your last 2 devlogs can't wait everytime thanks for making these video's
Awesome... You're back 😊 been looking forwards to more of your Dev log 😎👍
Thank you! I'll never be gone that long again!
Awesome devlog! I strive to be where you are currently. The editing, the voice lines, the game itself, mixing in personal bits like your family, a mini history bit, etc. It gives me a bit of imposter syndrome watching other people's devlogs, but I love them. Everyone's bound to struggles and doubts themselves I think. Anyways, I feel you on the cover art. They look amazing, but I'd try to put in the game character itself, like the model. Maybe the art styles would clash, but it's a thought. Looking forward to more videos.
Can't wait for this. I've been sick for the past few days so I haven't been able to work on game dev as much but hopefully this gives me some inspiration.
That would be great to have system like "If you use night stone, you get older by 1 day", so the ending could depend on count of night stone uses. Interesting twist in a storyline
I love this idea so much. I’ll definitely be adding some time effects to the game. Thank you!
The progress is amazing! Keep it up man
This looks incredible, keep up the good work! 💯
Another devlog! This series has been very inspirational to me. I’m not developing a video game, but a card game. Seeing your amazing progress has pushed me to go forward!
Rad! I can’t wait to play your game!
I think you're doing fantastic job so far, it's really interesting to see the progress over time
Wow. You are so kind. Thank you.
Your videos are an absolute treat! I can't wait to play!
I've been watching a bunch of your videos (out of order!) and I really love seeing the process and progress you make. Tempted to try some devlog videos myself... not something I had considered before.
Wow! I really like how to take the time to explain everything. Also the cave puzzles look awesome!
Glad you like them! Thanks so much!
Wow, idk how i even came across this video but I'm blown away...very impressive. And taking feedback from the community...my god how awesome, more devs should be like you. Ill be following closely, cant wait to play it!
🎮 Wishlist Night Stones on Steam Now 🌙👉 store.steampowered.com/app/2300340/Night_Stones
Great to see your progress! I'm in no place to offer assistance with art yet, but maybe a few years from now. 🙂🙂 However, I finally sat down to make some music for my own game (which doesn't even have 3D models or 2D art at this point). I was able to create a song I feel good about, which is a lot of fun! It makes my story seem even more alive than just in script form.
It really is a lot of fun when we're further ahead in our game projects than just the story scripts we've developed initially! 😊😊
Its amazing to see the first devlog to now. The game is looking absolutely amazingly awesome!
The progress is stunning! I can’t wait to play! It would be nice if the paths through the river were raised up to show a shallower area in the water for the path. I think it would be a nice visual feature. I love the cave access as well. Keep up the great work!
Amazing work! I love seeing your progress- very inspiring. I just started my game dev journey and I have kids as well. I guess it can be done! :)
Yeha new devlog from my new fav series
You were the first comment! So cool. I didn't even know you could comment before the video released if it was a Premiere. You taught me something :) Thanks for the rad support!
@@advancenine well im an indie dev as well, so watching your series really inspire me 😊
The art style and sound design will really help this game sell. Good Job, Keep it up!
I also agree that the first cover was the closest, but should include day shifting into night or vice versa, and gradient across the screen through the dawn/dusk colors.
I do think the character is a better focus than the night stone, however. I believe him sitting looking out across the adventurous land shifting from day to night better captures the mood and feel of your game. It balances the dreaminess and the adventurousness.
Also, facing away does more than help shift focus to all the little details in the distance that you want to explore. It also avoids the face problem, and allows the player to more easily identify with the character.
Still, the character as he's currently drawn in the first cover is slightly too realistic to match the in game character. Slightly more cartoonish proportions would help, though it could still be slightly more realistic than in game.
I hope this helps, I enjoy seeing how it's coming along!
Man this is really looking great!
amazing progress. a truly talented man at work here. very impressive how much you've achieved as a single developer in such a short amount of time. very inspiring. keep up the good work.
Geez what a nice thing to say. Thank you!
Loving the progress, keep it up! The graphics are STUNNING!
Awesome video, great progress too! Looking forward to the time management video, been struggling with this exact time constraint and I'm curious as to how you're handling it. Cheers!
Looks stunning as always! :D
Thank you! 😊
This is looking to be something really inspired!
I'd love for you to go into more detail on how you go about creating those custom scripts for the rivers and the cave ropes! It's always great to find ways to streamline the development process and it'd be cool to hear about how you went about it :D
I just binged all your devlogs and I'm looking forward to more! This game looks soooo charming; I'm going to wishlist it right now ^_^
Hooray! So happy to be binge worthy! Thanks for wishlisting the game. Thats the best possible way to help me and I truly appreciate it! Thank you!
the editing skills to the gameplay you featured are amazing
That's really nice to say. Thank you!
Just discovered your channel and LOVE the dev logs you've shown. Absolutely gorgeous gameplay, very excited to see more updates! :)
Welcome aboard! Thank you!
Love the updates! So nice to hear you talking about what you're doing!
I did notice a small typo at 0:50 though, it says repsonsible instead of responsible ;)
big same en goed gezien ook :)
OMG what a #noob mistake. I'll fix it. Next devlog: how to use a spell checker in Yarn Spinner! Thank you!
Great video as always, the game is really coming together nicely!
From the cover arts you showed, I really enjoyed the first one, maybe the character could be touched up a bit, but the style fits well with your game. Also I loved the magic trails in the caves, they look amazing!
Your videos continue to be a highlight of my day for me! So fun to watch the progress.
Perhaps it's already been mentioned - but are you going to incorporate a map feature? You mentioned fast travel and it made me think of that.
Nice Devlog as always! The cave turned out super cool with the Bezier ropes and magic trails!
Thanks a ton! That’s really cool of you to say!
@@advancenine Sure! If it fit's in one of the next devlogs, it would be interesting to hear something about your shaders, e.g. the toony rocks in the cave or your general shader with the white fresnel edge.
I can barely wait to see the next night stones dev log. I love this series and I got to say the game looks amazing so far
It's gonna be sweet! This game REALLY comes to life with music and sound effects.
Being a sort of designer myself, my thought is that you should heavily emphasize the “day-night” idea of the game in the art since it so integral to the mechanics of the game. Maybe a split in the middle with the day on the left and a few points of emphasis, then the night on the right with a few of the night highlights (for example a scene from the cave). For the characters, I’m always drawn to action scenes. For example, maybe show the main character in flight in between the scenes, the action makes me want to try out the flying mechanic in your game. Anyway, hope these thoughts are helpful in some way, enjoying your content and your process. Keep at it, watching you work through this project is seriously inspiring!
Your feedback is super helpful. Thank you. I will absolutely include this feedback in the next version :)
Loving the Devlogs! And the game looks fantastic 😍
Oh cool. Means alot coming from you. I think your game is awesome! Thank you!
I LOVE waking up to a new video!!!
Great devlog as always, cave looks reeeally good! good work!
Heck yeah dude! Thank you! Means alot coming from you.
Love the underground cavern! Very nice addition!
Love the new cave and excited that you opened a Discord!
Ok, so I found your channel last night and as I'm binging your devlog series, I'm blown away by the Venn overlap of what you're making and games I really enjoy. As a fellow dad, I have limited time as well - mad props that you're doing such a phenomenal job while obviously retaining focus and effort on the family where it matters!
I was originally going to say something about the water - which I really like as is - about making the water darker where it's deeper or more transparent where it's shallower. Now I kind of have anyways, but that may not fit with the look and feel of the game, so take it with a grain of salt!
Dude thanks for the binge and the kind words, fellow dad! I appreciate the water feedback. I'll test it out and see how it looks. You are awesome!
Great dev log. I'd be really interested to hear more about your background in game dev. Maybe you could consider making some videos about that and/or more broad content, like advice for beginner game devs? I think that would be really cool to watch! You're doing awesome.
Love to see the progress
Made such good progress, great job.
Can't wait for the release! With full controller support coming to the game, with the girl character, maybe this was an offline multiplayer teaser?😉
It honestly wasn't... but now you got me thinking...
man you're an inspiration for all of us beginner game devs
Great news! I got Steam to work finally and was able to wishlist NightStones! (very tiny nitpick, but it feels better as one word NightStones than as two, Night Stones, for some reason to me)
Thanks so much for the wishlist! It’s the best possible way to help me and I truly appreciate it. And good call on the title. Thank you!
ask Porforever for a cover art - I have the feeling, their art will suit your game perfectly. Adventure and cuteness.
Wow good find. This is a super talented artist and TOTALLY in the game’s aesthetic. I’ll hit them up. Thank you!
You inspire me, bro. Thank you so much for your content.
You had me at the bread. Subscribed! (...so refined...) Oh, also the game looks great!
Thanks for the sub! The bread is how I get all the fancy people... :)
Last cover art guy (the one you thought was creepy) is actually super stylish and cute!
Keep ut the fantastic work! This game looks like something I would pay for :D Right up my sleeve. Working on a top down 2D game my self.
Hi! Loving the devlog series :) One small suggestion: it would be nice if the character's facial expression changed when the idle animation plays. Their current expression is sort of smiling/determined, which is good for when they're on the move doing something, but when they're impatient or bored it doesn't really fit. I don't know if it would be worth the effort, though... you've rigged the body for animation, but I don't imagine you've set up a way to vary the eyebrows and mouth shape. OTOH perhaps if you rigged the eyebrows and mouth, you could animate them at other times too, like when the character is conversing with someone.
Nice devlog. Great progress!
Those magic trails are so well done. Cool shader, super well animated, and to top it off, interactive?!
Heck yeah. Thank you. Took me a while to get there but I'm pleased with the outcome too :)
Your game have some of the greatest ideas that I have ever seen
Wow that is such a nice thing to say. Thank you. I’m putting the finishing touches on the trailer now and I have to admit: you haven’t seen anything yet :)
Please keep update your devlogs, you are doing great job!
When you walked through the water at the end of the video, a thought occured.
What if there were seasons that interacted with the world. Making water, or even ponds / lakes dry up / fill up during certain seasons. (Un)locking areas / rewards / etc. you can only visit during certain times. Things like that make revisiting areas you've already been to much more fun and make the world feel even more alive.
You could also apply this to areas being overgrown in summer, but accessible during winter. Im sure theres many many more applications.
P.S. You're doing great!
This is such a good idea! Thank you so much for this!
Super cool video series 😍
The coverart actually looks really cool!
oh wow!! so glad this was on my recommended videos!!
I’m so glad you clicked it!
In the cave you should add echoes to the step, some water drippage, falling stones/pebbles if you walk close to the edge and maybe the crystals can have different color blooms depending on where you are on the map
Awesome high quality video, like always! I enjoy each and every devlog. And you make developing seem so easy! Even though I know that it isn't.
Just a little feedback on the game: Make sure that the player really understands that the caverns can be shortcuts to places that they can also reach above the surface.
Since you built the world, you know it extremely well. But players who explore the world the very first time probably have a weak sense of orientation and all the possible options (e.g. quick route through caverns vs. long route above surface) should be somehow explained/displayed to them, so that they can decide.
Love it! Excellent feedback. You are completely right. Thank you!
Def interested in learning how you juggle your time between family, a full time job and this awesome looking game
That first cover art was dope, damn!
And with this video I have clicked on the coveted notification bell ... I have only clicked it on 3 channels in my decade of loosing time on UA-cam , can't wait for the next one, I might even join the discord after the next one who knows haha
Oh wow! That means a lot to me. Thank you so much. What a cool thing to say. You were smart to miss the discord opening. I made so many mistakes and was overwhelmed by the response but I think everything is working great now. I think 🧐
For some game art I had the idea of making it have one side be day and the other side be night, with a smooth transition between the two (same scene, but different times), and then in the night sky you could have some kind of ominous shadow that represents the game's conflict, whatever it may be. In terms of something that would catch the eye, I think this would automatically do so because half of the image would be contrasted to where, at a glance, it would appear to be 'missing' to the mind, which should prompt the viewer to actually pay attention to the image's contents.
To be honest I am very hyped to play this game, and I haven't played any game since a while because I am busy with university and they all seem
boring. I don't develop games but this dev logs are awesome and I also like the way you make every dev log personal by telling about your own experiences.
Secondly, I like the fast pace of the dev logs. You cover every important step on the way to making your game. It's awesome to see the progress and it brings up an interest to make my own game for mobile.
Last, I wish you a great journey in your way to making night stones. Greetings from the Netherlands 🙂
Cool! Greeting from California! I really appreciate your kind words and feedback. My sport of choice is Track & Field and its been cool to watch Femke Bol these last couple years. Go Netherlands :)
That night time cover art was awesome.
The cave looks absolutely amazing
Awesome devlog! Im a big fan of the games art style so Im all for some awesome screenshots.
Thanks for the good feedback!
I just stumbled across your videos. Super cool stuff, man! You know, you don't need to use "actual" lights. You can bake your lighting into your scene.
Your work is looking really nice. Your coding is way above my head!
All in all? Best wishes and godspeed to you!
I think your game name would look good if set into a kind of ornate medallion or compass motif
Oh that’s a good idea. Thank you.
Awesome game! So much potential! :D
I think a digital render in blender, using the models of the game is the best choice. And as a suggestion, I think if you put something on the background of the cave, deep deep down would make it look even better. Some foggy atmosphere with sharp rocks... you get the idea.
Finally a new devlog!
Nice scene form Prague with Renaults :D
📣 Back Night Stones On Kickstarter Now ✨👉
www.kickstarter.com/projects/advancenine/night-stones-an-open-world-adventure
Loving this so far! I work in cybersecurity and was working toward a certification recently, which I got! I want to get back into learning game development but also want to sink some time into D4 and tears of the kingdom xD
Love the look, one thing I'd note is the edge of the paths looks very much like unity terrain with 2 layers - maybe you could put something on the edge or do some fancy texturing to change the edges of the paths
That’s helpful feedback. Thank you!
"It makes me feel so refined", had me laughing out loud.
Another great update 😃
I just wanted to talk with my mouth full on camera :)
Bucket list item? 😉
@@thenicearms yup. Check…
So cool! Love that fast travelling is just a lil level under/inside the world. Really cool!
Re: the cover art, I liked the layout/style of the first one. The character though never felt right for your game. I'd say that one was the closest IMO to being Steam ready.
This is really helpful feedback. Thank you. I truly appreciate it!
animation during talking is pretty smart nicely done
Hey there! I've been subscribed since devlog 1 and I havent seen any plans to make a map of some sorts. I think it would really help out the player with navigation and stuff if there was some sort of minimap in the corner. I'm guessing you already had plans for this once you were fully done the world but its just a suggestion. Also, your videos are great! Keep up the great work.
You are so right. I haven’t started working on the map but I agree, the game will definitely need one. Thank you for the kind reminder!
Tip for the curves as ropes: make the middle control point be an automatic point be in the middle (average the position of the two end points) but lower specified by a "sagging" value. Then you can easily add a bit of wind to the line by oscillating the point left and right rotating it around the hypothetical line from the start point to the end point.
Oh heck yeah. Really good idea. Less work to level design. That’s for the rad recommendation!
the art style ♥
Been waiting for 😍😍
For the cave you could add minecart rails which go up, around and into the abyss. also, maybe on one or two of the rails you could have minecarts which pass by occasionally which can just bump you back to be nuisance.
something you might consider.. the stones that shoot two energy beams to manipulate bridges.. if [something] blocks one beam, the other could have 'more energy' and turn the other bridge further. so.. an enhanced puzzle mechanic. another possibility is that if you can throw things, the ability to put something to block a beam, but also to knock that blocking item out of the way as well. maybe... if the beam hits a certain kind of crystal, that crystal grows in place to block the beam, but you can also shatter the crystal from a distance.
great work so far.