Finding my games identity | Devlog #1
Вставка
- Опубліковано 26 чер 2024
- Hello! Thanks for checking out the second devlog my game I'm working on.
::: Steam Page :::
store.steampowered.com/app/13...
::: Twitter :::
/ anderssonkev
::: Chapters :::
00:00 - Intro
00:21 - Content
00:30 - First game structure
00:53 - Current game structure
01:22 - Question
01:34 - Friendship
02:20 - Performance
03:12 - Future nnouncements
#madewithunity #gamedev #indiegame #gamedevelopment #unity3d #indiedev #devlog - Ігри
Ok, I actually got really confused because I thought I’d already seen dev log one, but it was actually dev log zero haha
I love Spyro, so I’m excited to collect eggs once more! I think it’s ok to unlock abilities as you go, especially if they correspond to the areas where you use them (again like Spyro, I guess).
Thanks for the updates as ever, and I hope you’re doing well! The house in the woods sounds like the dream - live your best solar-powered life
haha I know Jamie... I've seen others do Devlog 0 so I figured I'd do the same :D
Spyro is the best :D
Thanks for watching, really means a lot. I'm doing well now, will make sure to have more footage of the woods and the house once we move there
Love it so far man! Personally, I enjoy unlocking abilities as you go, even if they're minor or just upgrades on abilities you start out with. Just helps the player feel like they're progressing WITH the player, and I think that bond is special for the experience.
Appreciate it
@@WhyKev I also like unlocking abilities as you go, but personally I feel like some abilities that are anti-rage abilities should either be unlocked from the start or really early on, (for example double jump and wall sticking).
The rule I use is the character should feel fun to play without the abilities, or your audience won't bother sticking around until they have the abilities.
Also for me I really enjoy going back to old levels with new abilities and being able to do new things, like going back to bob-om battlefield with the flight cap in mario 64.
@@slBrelaz Yeah I 100% agree, should be fun enough for people to stick around :D I'll keep that in mind as I design it.
This looks so cool, well done! Amazing style and really cool character.
I really appreciate that, makes me very happy! :)
Hi, I just saw your game in the wholesome direct and I fell in love with it :)
About the abilities, I think that the best aproach it's usually a middle point, you start with all the basic abilities(double juming, triple jump, spin, dash, ledge grab, etc...) but unlock more specific things(like for example the ability to destroy some walls), that way the game feels good since the start but the player feels rewarded with progress and you can add a little of optional backtracking(with the same example as before, putting breakable walls in world 1 but you only unlock that ability in world 2). I think this way is the one that follows games like a hat in time(with the hats), demon turf(the abilities) or even mario(with the power ups, even if they are temporary abilities) which are some of my favorite 3d plataformers
Hey Xavi, thank you so much for coming here from the Wholesome Direct! :) I like how you think! I haven't finished Hat In Time yet and I plan to play through Demon Turf this summer :) I really want my game to one day be listed among peoples favorites :)
House in the middle of nowhere was my strat too. Miss your streams Kev! 😭
hehe hopefully it will be a nice experience! I really appreciate you saying that, hopefully I can begin a bit more when I've moved and got settled in the house.
Appreciate that you are sharing the journey. Happy to see your game's identity manifesting. I enjoy earning abilities, and then being able to replay from the start finding areas that would otherwise be inaccessible or hidden (even if it does not make sense story-wise).
Thank you so much Brian! I like the idea that you could get back to a previous level, I think I'll allow players to freely go back to earlier levels and explore.
Unlocking during the game is awesome. I want to add Mario Galaxy as well to the table for your inspiration. A twist for the narrative; The bigger chicken is afraid of flying, that's where the little chicken comes in as the tougher one and enable the flying and other stuff. The adventure between them two is to make them equal. Just small idea. Keep up the good work!
ooh I really like Mario Galaxy, great idea!
I like that they help each other on the adventure! Will keep that in mind for sure!
I Personally like the idea of unlocking the abilities as I go thru the game, and dayum boi, making games now in a house in the woods sounds really peaceful, can't wait to see more!
hehe I'm so excited for this move :D
Looking awesome! Love the art-style
Appreciate that so much :)
Awesome to get an update, been waiting for that; looks like a really cool project! Personally I think unlocking abilities as you go is the best, let's you get comfortable with the mechanics before adding more to it, otherwise it can feel overwhelming to learn all at once, plus it's rewarding and adds a feeling of progressing/achievement. Keep it up, looking forward to next update!
Thank you for that! :D I'm not sure on a schedule yet for the devlogs as I don't want to put too much pressure on it but I'll probably aim around the 20th every month
Whatever direction you take this is already a must-play for me as a massive 3D Platformer fan. As far as abilities go, I think either is fine but I lean towards having some unlockable abilities as you go which could lead to some exciting moments. Just when you think you've experienced it all, here's a new ability to try out. Either way I'm all in and I can't wait to check it out when it's ready! Great Devlog and I look forward to checking out more bits of development and future Devlogs!
Wow your comment really made my day! :D Thank you so much for watching!
I like to unlock abilities. It gives you something to look forward to. It also lets you master the previous mechanic before moving on.
100% agree, hopefully I get to that point :)
I like it better when abilities are unlocked as you progress with the game. That gives a better sense of progression and would allow you to introduce complex mechanics since they don't have to be shown and understood on the get go.
I think you are 100% correct. Thanks Rodrigo :)
Another devlog, another banger! You will def find the right feel homie, you got this and great work!
Haha you're too kind! I'm happy with this devlog and in general my workflow to make videos :)
Great work mate! The direction the game is going in sounds great, can't wait to see how it turns out!
Abilities as you go definitely feels better to me!
Also living in the woods sounds super cool! Hope that goes well
Thank you thank you friend! :) I'm excited for what's to come!
This looks fantastic. It has so much character and charm. Very well done
Thank you so much Olly, I'm really trying for that :)
I like the style, it's astonishing! Keep up doing the great work! 💪
Hey I really appreciate that Oblivion!
I could go either way with the question. It would be easier to know everything going into the game at the start. However it would feel more rewarding to unlock more moves as you go on with the game
Yeah I hear you, I think there's also the option to have bad versions of the glider (for example) and then unlock a better one later. So you get some sort of a taste of what it's like.
Gamedeving in the middle of the woods? Sounds like a dream come true, good luck!
hehe I know! I acknowledge that a lot of creative people out there dream of this in some way. So I'll make sure to incorporate some footage from the woods :) Thank you!
I feel like the concept is also comparable to Jak and Daxter, and I'm here for it! Love that game, and I'm excited to give this a shot😁
oh yeah you're right! Thank you thank you! I recently finished the first Jak & Daxter. Going to start the second one soon I think.
Congrats on the move. The game looks so cool. I love the idea of a little character in the backpack of a larger character. For the abilities I personally like it when you can unlock abilities and go back to old areas to unlock new cool stuff or to progress in the game. But is just me personally. But I don’t think there is much point in restricting abilities at the beginning if there is no reward for coming back with the new abilities. Anyway love seeing and hearing more of the game
Thank you thank you! Yeah I want to make sure it's still fun to run around and jump in the beginning
Unlocking abilities as you go, 100%. This lets you tutorialize aspects of the abilities (such as combat applications, traversal usage, and how they interact with other abilities) in discreet steps, which sounds like it'd fit your "hub with offshoots" concept nicely. The player gets an ability in the main hub and then goes to each branch to learn and exercise how to use it, accumulating enough eggs to then repeat the process.
I really like how you put that! Thanks Thomas :)
The rotating cube thingie is so good! Maybe as mini games somewhere?
This game is going to be so great!
Thank you so much Spice :D Yeah that's a great idea!
I love to unlock abilities while playing to get a better sense of actually progressing
Perfect, I'm more for that style of games!
I like having all tools/abilities at the beginning that way i can get used to them and get better at them as the game goes on
Thanks for sharing, I hope that I have enough movesets in the beginning to please those players who like that and then add some abilities or improvements
unlocking during the game is great, since it gives more of a reson to progress! anyways great devlog :)
Yeah it can totally help keeping the player "hooked". Thank you :)
Looking really nice! I prefer to unlock along the way. With unlocking new abilities you can reuse a level multiple times only so you can come back progress with the new skills.
Sweet, yeah I need to figure out how much I want the player to come back to levels in order to 100% everything.
Best thing about Spyro was the enemy personalities
Oh yeah I loved that! will try to keep that in mind when I make proper enemies
Hey this game is officially my inspiration and motivation to make good games I loove your art style and it's the same I am trying so wish me luck
and about the ability system I think you should get abilities by doing tasks or npc stuff or exploration. And it also makes it interesting for the player to find new abilities that was my thought
Hey thank you so much for that, really makes my day! Best of luck to you!
ooh I like that approach, rewards the player to fully explore
Niceee video and handsome man agian. I personnaly prefer unlocking abilities overtime cause I think you are more forst to play with all abilities and also learn to use them.
haha this comment really boost my ego :D
I definitely like unlocking abilities as you go because it can further the story by a lot, and gives a lot of reward to the player when they explore, even if the ability is small, and I hope moving goes well!
That's nice ot hear! I hope so as well :D
Hah. "Cross that bridge when I get there", said while crossing a bridge on screen.
I'd agree that unlockable abilities, while keeping the base movement abilities enabled from the start, would be fun.
Do you plan on allowing backtracking to older levels? Unlockable abilities would certainly encourage that.
But if not, I still think "get the ability when you need it" is better for easing the player into things.
Then of course, you could have a new game + where the abilities are all unlocked from the start, which could make for fun alternate routes. Replayability AND another speedrun category. But y'know... Scope creep.
Haha glad that you noticed :D
I think it will be so you've got base movements and then get some more abilities that are tied to objects (glider for example). Right now I do think I want players to be able to go back to older levels but I don't want to force you to do it. At least that's what I think right now.
It's always nice to be able to unlock skills during the game, so you can go back to certain levels and reach areas you couldn't before!
Yeah I agree, I just need to find a good balance for how much content that's "locked" until you come back and also to tell the player that they have to come back at a later point.
I personally love the thought of having all the tools at the start of the game, but you learn how to use them in a certain way as you play. So that when you replay the game you can chose where you want to go first.
I do agree that it's cool to be able to get better navigating the player, hopefully I'll find some cool balance between all this :D
Yes
Good
Although it is really hard to setup and implement, it also doesn't work as intended for 100% of players, having all or most of the skills from the get go, and levels/areas where the player is strongly hinted at some particular combos or weird ways to use them, it's kind of the best approach imo. Works with interactable elements too btw. I don't know, like a wall jump having an angle and a different velocity from a regular jump, or a 'bumper' with weird interactions with velocity and angle. At face value it's your typical platformer elements, but with curiosity/guidance it becomes a 'new' gameplay element.
Curiosity and ingenuity of the player is why it doesn't work for 100% of players, but it is also why it is so great of a system, it rewards clever players. This is also why it is hard to implement, because it has to be hidden in plain sight, while somewhat difficult to guess, or else it can ruin the flow of the game. A hard thing to balance.
oh for sure! I guess I'll have to do some tests and see where I land :) What works for me and what doesn't
I think you're on such a good track. Great work! Really love the direction you're going with for level/world design. A Mario Odyssey like hub with 3D World like levels in it seems to be the direction Nintendo is going (judging by Bowser's Fury).
As far as abilities go, the most important thing is that skilled (or knowledgeable) players can speed run somehow from the get-go. I like unlocking abilities as you go, as long as there's no need to backtrack and you're not hiding the fastest moving abilities for later (Kazooie's Talon Trot is as late as I'd teach an ability like that). Of course, some acrobatics built into the core-mechanics like Mario Odyssey would be nice, although might not be the direction you want to go.
I think you're right with that, make sure that it's still possible to move around in a cool way from the start and expand on that. I played Bowser's Fury but got stressed everytime it started to rain :D
@@WhyKev Understandable, Bowser's interruptions are hit or miss. I hate that when you're in flow, the rain comes, it gets dark, and the music changes ruining the vibe. I couldn't stand it at first, but on a replay I found I enjoyed it a lot more.
Very cool =) !
Thank you! :)
I think a semi-large well defined skillset is nice at the beginning of the level, so that the game does not feel too linear at the start, and hen with special abilities throughout, that you might also be able to use when you replay earlier levels to unlock secrets that was not accessible before
Yeah this is very true! I need to find some sort of balance of how much I want the player to go back to earlier levels.
If the thing you have to unlock is something like the paraglider I would like that as an unlockable, but on the other hand, in a platformer I wouldn't add basic movement abilities such as jump (I know I exaggerate a lot), crouch or whatever thing that doesn't require an extra object. Btw, love how the game is turning up, it looks awesome.
I totally hear what you say and it makes total sense. I agree!
Thanks for that, I'm having a lot of fun in the process :D
It's definitely better to unlock abilities. It will allow you to create many levels were they can "master" the ability before you give them a new one, and it will feel a lot better to do a section where they use one they already know along with the one they're learning.
You're totally right, I like this approach!
Nice
Unlocking new abilities is always nice, just make sure you don't make the character boring before they get any of those abilities. It needs to be fun to play without the abilities too or people will just ditch the game right away.
You are 100% correct. I need to make sure it feels good from the first time you move the character!
so good
🙏
Whether you should make the abilities unlockable or give all of them at the beginning heavily depends on the abilities and the game's structure. On one hand, making abilities unlockable will allow you to put puzzles in early stages that require an ability that you'll unlock later on, which will encourage the players to go back to previous levels. But it also comes with the risks of not having enough interesting abilities at some point in the game and disappointing the player with an ability that didn't meet their expectations. On the other hand, giving the abilities from the start will put emphasis on the player's actual improvement. Take Mario Odyssey as an example: you didn't gain any new abilities, but as you progressed through the games you got better with the controls and managed to do jumps you weren't able to do before, even though your character didn't change. Your character didn't improve, you did.
At the end of the day, it's your game and it depends on how you want it to turn out. Since you know your own game better than us, you should be the one who decides what fits it the best.
Oh yeah it's my decision in the end but I totally agree with you. I think I want to unlock some abilities.
Reminds me of super mario galaxy one of my favorite games ever
I like to have all skills unlocked at the start so I feel like getting somewhere feels like I did it myself rather being unlocked for me ;) super meat boy was like that as he doesn’t get better or worse. It’s skill that evolves during play that gives the sense of accomplishment. Hope this helps ;)
Hehe I appreciate you sharing your feedback Matt! I really liked that part of Super Meat Boy when I played it :)
I like skills added overtime if they are not essential things like double jump
100% agree! I will most likely link them to objects so it feels better
I love unlockeablity loved it in YookaLaylee one thing they got really right in that game🙌
Also love how this game is looking😍
Agree, that was fun! :)
I prefer to unlock abilities so I feel like I'm growing/progressing. In some platformers, the only way to feel achievement or growth is just by the number of stars/eggs/whatever going up. Nothing much else changes... so getting abilities feels good to me :) that might also unlock some potential to revist levels now that you have the new thing in order to get the secret collection egg or w/e
Not a bad idea! I'll keep that in mind as I make the rest of the levels :)
If you want to add some replayability to the levels, unlock skills through progression like spyro, if you want to make thos explorable areas as a challenge for the player I think it's better to give them at the begining like mario odyssey.
Cool looking game, bro.
Hey thank you! Yeah I was thinking that I could also have the ability that you need is unlocked in that level.
@@WhyKev That's a good idea, too. If you're planning to make the player access to new worlds in a linear way (like odyssey, first the hat world, then dinosaur world, etc.) you can make one challenge in the new world using the skill on the previous one as a test to get the next skill and a new challenge for the new one, so it will end up like:
- world 1: u get skill 1 and a challenge to teach how to properly use skill 1
-world 2: u get a harder challenge for skill 1 with skill 2 as reward and a skill2 challenge to teach how to properly use skill 2.
and so on.
@@6gory9 100% a good idea! :D That could easily be a natural progression as well
Regarding abilities, some prefer to have them all at the beginning and others as you go. Why not a little of both?.
How about some timers for abilities. In an area where you cant reach a certain platform, theres an item that gives you double jump but it has a timer.
There could be areas where this could work or for some abilites even!
I like the idea one prob i noticed were unity
Thank you but why is Unity a problem?
is there gonna be boss battles in the game or even enemies because i didnt see any in the video or is it just gonna be a platformer
There will be enemies and some bosses. Think on the same level of the Mario games. The main focus isn't on them but it will be there :)
Please share lighting and visual setting
I can see what I can do in a future video. This isn't final for me as I want it more colorful and pleasing for the eyes :)
Visual
i would prefer to unlock abilities so the player has a goal on some levels
I like that as well! :D
please make it so you slowly unlock new abilities like a metroidvania
I like that idea, but we'll see what happens
i like to have a lettele number of abilities but i rather have them from the start
Right, got it!
i don't mind unlocking abilities but it also feels a bit tedious and supports backtracking which can be boring. What I recently discovered to be a lot of fun is in games like "lonely Mountains" you have all kind of paths open to go for but 1. you have to discover those paths first and 2. you have to get a certain player skill so you have to become good in the game to take those paths. maybe that's an idea! :)
ooh that's not a bad idea at all. I really like that game! I'm leaning towards learning an ability in an area and then that's where you have to use it. So in theory you could 100% the level you're at before moving on.
@@WhyKev that reminds me of all earlier N64 3D platformers. I like it!
🙂👍🇧🇷
make it unlock by the time
Will do :)
If there are more than 3 abilities, then they should probably not be given all at once. It could be too overwhelming.
Hmm that's an interesting angle to look at it from. I'll keep that in mind! :)
Unlockabilities
Perfect, thanks :)
What game engine do you use?
I used Unity for this project.
you're gonna get cancelled so hard@@WhyKev
@@ChillaxeMake Why do you think that?
Also, great video going over the Unity pricing and sharing your thoughts on it. Do you want to be a commentator about what's going on in the gaming industry? :)
If I may make a suggestion. I got a different feel from the other games you used as inspiration and yours. I think it's the colors. The chicken game feels like it should be a very happy and kid friendly game, but compared to the others it is very moody instead of bright and colorful.
Oh yeah you're 100% correct. I need to go over the colors of the game. People have brought this up before :)
Give the functions throughout the game, I never like it when A game that doesn't need a tutorial just puts one in anyway even though any boy or girl would know how.
Yeah I will probably just add new abilities as you play and hopefully with level design teach how to use it
The real name of the chicken game is...
I'm not gonna tell you ;)
But I bet I scared you a bit Kev.
haha YOU BET I GOT SCARED
The Adventures of Buk Buk Boy (and little chicken)
if there is a feedback I can give from watching the video is that the characters feels so slow for a platformer game that should be fast and responsive, jumping from platform to another require many things is no fun, the jumps are so short and slow which make the character feels floating and so heavy.
I appreciate the feedback, luckily these are things that can be changed fairly easy :)