Hello folks, got a March devlog just in time for the month to end - so it counts!

Progress

Overall the update is coming along. Portraits are on their way, I’m getting the first drafts of writing, and now I’m starting on levels.

Designing the levels for the update after such a long time since originally making this game has been a process. Starting with drawing flows, then adding nodes into it as I implement. With them all plotted, now comes the hard part of playing & feeling out the timings.

shaders and visual improvements are taking a backseat and getting triaged into ‘yeah’ or ‘nah’. The original push of visual quality is running out of steam in me, but the game feels a lot more ‘full’ of stuff going on. Some last effects/shaders are on the way though.

Designing, Iterating

It’s been a while but my memory is coming back: these vague rules of trying to make a level be finishable or close-to-finish within 3 loops. I feel with these new levels I want them to be hard, and technical. The reward of finishing the game and getting these new nodes is a new challenge of technicality. From playing a couple of these levels, where I’m at is:

1. the initial challenge of a level is figuring out what the heck to do with it. Lines of nodes, where the goals are.

2. then it’s starting to fix it, seeing the combinations of nodes.

3. then fixing one path, then another path, until you finish it.

But the neat part this time is the Shard & Router nodes feel like they really mess up the last flows. They’re introducing a bit more ‘landscape’ or something - now I need to remember which paths are available, and changing my approach in advance of that. It’s refreshing.

Now to make 27 forms of that (at the moment. Maybe some of these will get trimmed)

Note: this is an early-draft level. Needs nodes and balancing.

Release Plans

At the moment the goal has shifted to late-April at the earliest. I’m hoping I’ll making some good progress to pin it down (and also test the rest of the game ahead of uploading). But the { h  u  n  g  e  r } is there to start on a new project - ideas are coming together, I have a pile of sketches to organise, i can feel it wanting to be made - but AFL is close! so it takes priority.