What changed
0 fixes0 additions5 changes0 removals
changedFeature completeTo set the stage, let me shed light on my primary development objective over the past months (or should I say years). As I might have mentioned previously, I aim to sign a deal with a publisher or an investor to raise funds to wrap up the game within a realistic timeframe. This is a non-trivial amount of money that is required to recruit the necessary talent and allow me the luxury to focus exclusively on Selenwald, without the distraction of freelance work that currently sustains me. The problem is.. times are extremely difficult now. Publishers and investors have never been as cautious as they are now. They rarely fund/publish games which aren't already very close to getting released. For a debut title by a new studio such as mine, especially that—although not working entirely alone—I carry the entire weight of the project on my back, it is imperative that I have a playable demo which feels as close to the final game as possible. Being an indie developer with no money, this is a massive, and incredibly difficult undertaking. But it is achievable and I do finally have a playable build that has all the essential features in place.
changedThe essentialsspell conjuring system
changedThe essentialslighting and field of view working together to create a fog-of-war-like visibility system
changedThe essentialsNow some of these systems are still in their infancy or rather in the state known as a "minimum viable product". For example, the magic system is currently in a very simplified mechanic used temporarily until the target solution is implemented. It works and roughly shows the idea of how are spells going to function but doesn't have the desired depth yet.
changedThe essentialsThere are also features that are missing entirely but are deemed inessential. That includes, for example, procedural environmental puzzles with traps. Are they important? Yes, they are going to fit the vibe and the pacing of Selenwald very well. No classic dungeoneering is whole without some optional intellectual challenges. But they're not absolutely needed for the primary gameplay loop to feel complete (and solving them will never be the
Selenwald changes
changedTo set the stage, let me shed light on my primary development objective over the past months (or should I say years). As I might have mentioned previously, I aim to sign a deal with a publisher or an investor to raise funds to wrap up the game within a realistic timeframe. This is a non-trivial amount of money that is required to recruit the necessary talent and allow me the luxury to focus exclusively on Selenwald, without the distraction of freelance work that currently sustains me. The problem is.. times are extremely difficult now. Publishers and investors have never been as cautious as they are now. They rarely fund/publish games which aren't already very close to getting released. For a debut title by a new studio such as mine, especially that—although not working entirely alone—I carry the entire weight of the project on my back, it is imperative that I have a playable demo which feels as close to the final game as possible. Being an indie developer with no money, this is a massive, and incredibly difficult undertaking. But it is achievable and I do finally have a playable build that has all the essential features in place.
changedspell conjuring system
changedlighting and field of view working together to create a fog-of-war-like visibility system
changedNow some of these systems are still in their infancy or rather in the state known as a "minimum viable product". For example, the magic system is currently in a very simplified mechanic used temporarily until the target solution is implemented. It works and roughly shows the idea of how are spells going to function but doesn't have the desired depth yet.
changedThere are also features that are missing entirely but are deemed inessential. That includes, for example, procedural environmental puzzles with traps. Are they important? Yes, they are going to fit the vibe and the pacing of Selenwald very well. No classic dungeoneering is whole without some optional intellectual challenges. But they're not absolutely needed for the primary gameplay loop to feel complete (and solving them will never be the
Dear Scholars,
It has been nearly a year since the last entry. If you're concerned something might not be right, I'm here to reassure you it's actually very much the opposite. It has been an incredibly productive year so far and the restrain from writing dev diary entries was one of many, small, conscious decisions I made to ensure I can put as much time into Selenwald's development as humanly possible and arrive to a point of having a feature complete playable build.
Feature complete
I know what you're thinking - the release must be right around the corner, right? Well, not so fast. Let me clarify. While it's a remarkable milestone worth celebrating, it might not be what you expect.
To set the stage, let me shed light on my primary development objective over the past months (or should I say years). As I might have mentioned previously, I aim to sign a deal with a publisher or an investor to raise funds to wrap up the game within a realistic timeframe. This is a non-trivial amount of money that is required to recruit the necessary talent and allow me the luxury to focus exclusively on Selenwald, without the distraction of freelance work that currently sustains me. The problem is.. times are extremely difficult now. Publishers and investors have never been as cautious as they are now. They rarely fund/publish games which aren't already very close to getting released. For a debut title by a new studio such as mine, especially that—although not working entirely alone—I carry the entire weight of the project on my back, it is imperative that I have a playable demo which feels as close to the final game as possible. Being an indie developer with no money, this is a massive, and incredibly difficult undertaking. But it is achievable and I do finally have a playable build that has all the essential features in place.
The essentials
Yes - when I said "feature complete" I didn't mean every single aspect of the game is implemented. There is absolutely a lot of programming work still left to do (not to mention the actual content) but core systems and mechanics which are the backbone of Selenwald are finally in place. This includes:
very complex and elaborate procedural generation system
ranged combat with skillshot style aiming
dynamic melee combat with dodges
trait and stat systems allowing for deep character development and customization
stealth system allowing for sneaking by, assassinating, and even pickpocketing
character senses
unique inventory system
spell conjuring system
dialogue system
simulated character disposition system with factions and relations between every single creature
meta-progression
lighting and field of view working together to create a fog-of-war-like visibility system
procedurally generated playable characters
and more!
Now some of these systems are still in their infancy or rather in the state known as a "minimum viable product". For example, the magic system is currently in a very simplified mechanic used temporarily until the target solution is implemented. It works and roughly shows the idea of how are spells going to function but doesn't have the desired depth yet.
There are also features that are missing entirely but are deemed inessential. That includes, for example, procedural environmental puzzles with traps. Are they important? Yes, they are going to fit the vibe and the pacing of Selenwald very well. No classic dungeoneering is whole without some optional intellectual challenges. But they're not absolutely needed for the primary gameplay loop to feel complete (and solving them will never be the
