The first quarter of this year is very exciting for several reasons.
Here follows some of the new things that can be expected (in addition to continuous improvements and expansion of current systems)
Work on new levels
The first level (that's been playable to VIP members for some time now) will act somewhat as a vertical slice, and also, the level used to develop a lot of the underlying systems. So naturally a lot of energy has been put in to it.
But time has now come to expand on the game with new levels. Most levels have already been planned and has a rough design (along with some early prototypes). So asset creation for new levels will start.
This does not mean that the first level is done and will be left. The first level will still be worked on.
Player upgradability implemented in playable builds
As we start to see new levels, it makes sense to finally have the ability to upgrade the player between each levels. Systems for this has already been created. But since the pre-alpha builds only had one playable level, the upgrade screen has been excluded from the builds.
GUI design
As mentioned in an earlier post, work on design for a proper GUI has already started.
More public announcements and reveals
The game has, so far, only been shown to supporters and VIP members. The official public reveal has been postponed many times due to several reasons. No promises for a public reveal date yet, but every week is making great progress.
PS. You can see the game before the public reveal by unlocking the supporters posts with a donation/coffee, or even better, become a VIP member and play the game.
There are also other things related to this projects that hopefully will get revealed. And also more game mechanics will be implemented that are really cool.
Bigger push for financial support
Making games is hard, takes a lot of time, and thus can be very expensive. This game is fully self-published and self-funded (with the help of the supporters and VIP members).
Currently I'm balancing between pushing the game development hard and doing client work which can be quite stressful. Meeting client deadlines and dealing with unforeseen issues creates delays for the game and makes it hard to stick to a plan.
So, I will be pushing for ways to fund the development of the game (my time on the project primarily) without an external publisher or investor so I can focus 100% on the game without the need to compromise the vision for the game.
The development of the game is designed to enable the game to be playable, even during pre-alpha. This is important as I want to give back to people that want to support the project. As mentioned, VIP members can play the game already. And as a paying VIP member, after you reach 10 euros of paid support, you will be getting the full commercial PC release of the game for free at launch.
This is very important as I want to create the best game possible, have it released within a reasonable timeframe, and avoid myself getting burnt out. I will be writing a separate post on this subject. But for now, if you have the means and want to support the project, please consider becoming a VIP member and tell your friends and family about the project. 🙏
/Mike