Hello everybody, It's the start of a new month, so let's go over the latest progress. Starting with: the latest dungeon is now build and playable for alpha backers!
Full notes
Full Horn of Balance update
Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.
Repeated intro
Hello everybody, It's the start of a new month, so let's go over the latest progress. Starting with: the latest dungeon is now build and playable for alpha backers!
What changed
0 fixes2 additions1 change0 removals
Gameplay
Store
UI and audio
addedHello everybody, It's the start of a new month, so let's go over the latest progress. Starting with: the latest dungeon is now build and playable for alpha backers!
changedThis place is also fully optional in-game, so I held back less in terms of navigational challenge and puzzle design. In fact, playtesters even got stuck a few times (so I might need to tone it down slightly for the mid-game), but also described it as their favourite dungeon so far because of that. I'm extra curious to get feedback, so I can take some lessons into the next dungeon designs. Three late-game dungeons (incl the mines) will be more combat focused regardless, but I might sneak in extra navigational challenges in those as well, if this one also lands well with others. We'll see. NPC's, town and shops It has been too long since more backer rewards got locked in, so I spent time mapping out all of the game's remaining NPCs, shops, shop prices, houses, secret counts and (the rare few) quest lines in detail. And work on actually implementing it all is now ongoing.
addedSteam post image This little shop in the woods has been completed, including: - One backer reward. Lore on The Lichfinder can be read in the book on the table - One special NPC questline (not shown here) as a thank you for the game's German translator. - The shop logic. (= You will need the bring the witch elementals to have her expand her wares). As for the rest: - The town's exterior has been mostly tiled. The logic, NPC's and beautification are still left to go. I hope to have a functional town ready in a month or so, with stuff like secrets, roadblocks, custom spritework and special NPC logic to be added later on. - I'm partway done writing out all the NPC sprite specs. It's going to be a massive pixelart package, that can hopefully get started on midway this month. - All of the game's shops are currently being coded and tiled. With proper NPC visuals left to do as they come in. - The placement of the three backer characters (incl. the dog) is also final. Early room sketches for each are ready and will be proper tiled and finished next. - The placement of one more backer painting and 4 more backer lore spots is coming up. Their rooms/areas have been rough sketched, with more progress expected as new art comes in and proper tiling progresses. Other topics - I added proper L/R button menu navigation (on top of the current system). NOTE: There are no public demo updates planned atm, but know that things like this will be auto included when it does happen. - I added auto controller type detection. (Which you can still manually override in the options) - Work on the game's 4th intro scene (of 5) is underway. - All the game's enemies have now been named in the journal (also in German). It was way more of a task than expected, due to the large enemy count, but that's yet another task done! Couldn't have done it without the help of the "enemy naming squad" that came together, so the people in there have been added to the credits. - Made friends with more (zeldalike) indie devs, and will be exchanging in-game cameos with a few of them. Expect a hand full of subtle easter eggs for recent and upcoming games. And that's it for now. Till next month! Greetings, Martijn
Horn of Balance changes
addedHello everybody, It's the start of a new month, so let's go over the latest progress. Starting with: the latest dungeon is now build and playable for alpha backers!
changedThis place is also fully optional in-game, so I held back less in terms of navigational challenge and puzzle design. In fact, playtesters even got stuck a few times (so I might need to tone it down slightly for the mid-game), but also described it as their favourite dungeon so far because of that. I'm extra curious to get feedback, so I can take some lessons into the next dungeon designs. Three late-game dungeons (incl the mines) will be more combat focused regardless, but I might sneak in extra navigational challenges in those as well, if this one also lands well with others. We'll see. NPC's, town and shops It has been too long since more backer rewards got locked in, so I spent time mapping out all of the game's remaining NPCs, shops, shop prices, houses, secret counts and (the rare few) quest lines in detail. And work on actually implementing it all is now ongoing.
addedSteam post image This little shop in the woods has been completed, including: - One backer reward. Lore on The Lichfinder can be read in the book on the table - One special NPC questline (not shown here) as a thank you for the game's German translator. - The shop logic. (= You will need the bring the witch elementals to have her expand her wares). As for the rest: - The town's exterior has been mostly tiled. The logic, NPC's and beautification are still left to go. I hope to have a functional town ready in a month or so, with stuff like secrets, roadblocks, custom spritework and special NPC logic to be added later on. - I'm partway done writing out all the NPC sprite specs. It's going to be a massive pixelart package, that can hopefully get started on midway this month. - All of the game's shops are currently being coded and tiled. With proper NPC visuals left to do as they come in. - The placement of the three backer characters (incl. the dog) is also final. Early room sketches for each are ready and will be proper tiled and finished next. - The placement of one more backer painting and 4 more backer lore spots is coming up. Their rooms/areas have been rough sketched, with more progress expected as new art comes in and proper tiling progresses. Other topics - I added proper L/R button menu navigation (on top of the current system). NOTE: There are no public demo updates planned atm, but know that things like this will be auto included when it does happen. - I added auto controller type detection. (Which you can still manually override in the options) - Work on the game's 4th intro scene (of 5) is underway. - All the game's enemies have now been named in the journal (also in German). It was way more of a task than expected, due to the large enemy count, but that's yet another task done! Couldn't have done it without the help of the "enemy naming squad" that came together, so the people in there have been added to the credits. - Made friends with more (zeldalike) indie devs, and will be exchanging in-game cameos with a few of them. Expect a hand full of subtle easter eggs for recent and upcoming games. And that's it for now. Till next month! Greetings, Martijn
The jungle dungeon A playable build has just now been shared with alpha backers and I eagerly await their feedback. This marks the 6th dungeon that is ready for alpha backers, so we are past half the planned areas.
Steam post image Expect a non-linear dungeon that will leave you stumped, if you just try to blaze through on autopilot.
This place is also fully optional in-game, so I held back less in terms of navigational challenge and puzzle design. In fact, playtesters even got stuck a few times (so I might need to tone it down slightly for the mid-game), but also described it as their favourite dungeon so far because of that. I'm extra curious to get feedback, so I can take some lessons into the next dungeon designs. Three late-game dungeons (incl the mines) will be more combat focused regardless, but I might sneak in extra navigational challenges in those as well, if this one also lands well with others. We'll see. NPC's, town and shops It has been too long since more backer rewards got locked in, so I spent time mapping out all of the game's remaining NPCs, shops, shop prices, houses, secret counts and (the rare few) quest lines in detail. And work on actually implementing it all is now ongoing.
Steam post image This little shop in the woods has been completed, including: - One backer reward. Lore on The Lichfinder can be read in the book on the table - One special NPC questline (not shown here) as a thank you for the game's German translator. - The shop logic. (= You will need the bring the witch elementals to have her expand her wares).
As for the rest
- The town's exterior has been mostly tiled. The logic, NPC's and beautification are still left to go. I hope to have a functional town ready in a month or so, with stuff like secrets, roadblocks, custom spritework and special NPC logic to be added later on. - I'm partway done writing out all the NPC sprite specs. It's going to be a massive pixelart package, that can hopefully get started on midway this month. - All of the game's shops are currently being coded and tiled. With proper NPC visuals left to do as they come in. - The placement of the three backer characters (incl. the dog) is also final. Early room sketches for each are ready and will be proper tiled and finished next. - The placement of one more backer painting and 4 more backer lore spots is coming up. Their rooms/areas have been rough sketched, with more progress expected as new art comes in and proper tiling progresses. Other topics - I added proper L/R button menu navigation (on top of the current system).
NOTE
There are no public demo updates planned atm, but know that things like this will be auto included when it does happen. - I added auto controller type detection. (Which you can still manually override in the options) - Work on the game's 4th intro scene (of 5) is underway. - All the game's enemies have now been named in the journal (also in German). It was way more of a task than expected, due to the large enemy count, but that's yet another task done! Couldn't have done it without the help of the "enemy naming squad" that came together, so the people in there have been added to the credits. - Made friends with more (zeldalike) indie devs, and will be exchanging in-game cameos with a few of them. Expect a hand full of subtle easter eggs for recent and upcoming games. And that's it for now. Till next month! Greetings, Martijn
