And it's time for another full-doodle batch for May.
Starting with Terraria's 8th anniversary:
Colored ninja doodle for Jenosis' birthday:
MiltVala's Nixa and Balthasar in the Rythm Heaven wrestler format:
Nageru and Samantha sharing stories during Mother's day:
And random doodles/requests I did around:
And randomly Ctrl Cactus related things:
Most of the other time has been spend working on the game project.
However, It's sure that if I've already felt tired, it won't help to pressure myself even more to put a deadline to it.
One of my local friends have told me if it's really worth pushing it much further than it needs to be.
And I have to agree that I went too far for it with my current ability.
So instead of continiously working on it, I've decided to finish it up this month and put it on hold.
so I've once again the time and space to think about other things again.
Sure, building it all up only to partially cancel it was a difficult descision.
So I'll probably going to tell more about it soon enough, and what my future plans are. So you can stay tuned for that:
More info coming soon.
Have I prepared most of this batch just to say this? I probably have. But I'm glad that I can finally leave it alone soon enough.
With that been said, Much luck to everyone still doing finals or ending their schoolings, and have a great holiday when you do.
It's been a long while that I've talked properly about game development,
I bet some doesn't even know that I've been doing that besides drawing too.
But as you may have noticed in the previous posts. I've been working for a long while on a new game project.
Pretty much since the Nintendo Switch was released. I already had in mind to start with it.
The title itself is still kind of a placeholder, so during the development, it went go as project: "Hjort Helten".
Hjort Helten, which translates to 'Deer Hero', is my platformer game experiment I’ve worked on during my sparetime.
Due to my interests in Metroidvanias, I would have loved to try making one of them by myself.
The game itself is greatly based on the Momodora series. As I found that a neat example to show how other small indie developers make Metroidvanias.
As far as the story goes, it’s about a young huntress named Samantha, seeking around in the forest to save her pet deer from the big bad wolf.
Yep, that’s the main story in one sentence. Keeping the story simple helps me from focusing more on the other parts.
The idea of itself was short and clear, and I've started experimenting with the platforming mechanics on my own.
It went off a great start, as I was already glad that I managed to make this:
(Collisions are horrible)
This started becoming a Caffeïne meme on the group chat I shared it. So Samantha's been unintentionally related with coffee now.
Thanks to HeartBeasts platformer tutorials. I managed to get a decent platforming engine working:
And from that point, it was all for myself. And well, it's been a ride with ups and downs:
Short Story:
For over 2 years I've been working on this project and while I knew Game Design shouldn't be underestimated, I've still underestimated it a lot. I formerly didn't expected that it would take this long after my first game example, but with all other ideas I had in mind, I've started to grow exhausted on it.
And eventually I've decided to wrap it all up and put the project on hold since last month.
Because of my method of design, I’ve wanted to avoid showing anything about it in public, to avoid building up any interests until I know I’ll be able to finish the game.
But as time passed, the anxiety of expectations started to grow too, so that standpoint had changed to ‘not showing anything until I know it’s looking good.’
And that’s been going on for over 2 years…
I saw myself looking pretty critical on games, which was good to know how to know game design, though that also hits back at my own design, looking deeper into the gameplay and wanting more than formerly was needed.
So it has been a struggle to balance it out:
Keeping the game simple to simplify the work, but also wanting to make the game look good for my own needs. It were two opposite poles.
So the game has changed a lot since it’s former idea: Having ideas to implement, shrinking it down, having different Ideas I would like to see too, shrinking the game down again. Willing to work on things that It’s far from ready yet. Or willing to work on things that were never planned to begin with.
Eventually, things like drawing ideas and new games have caught my interests over it, and I’ve also been procrastinating it for a while, even while it was still on my mind to keep working on it. And since October last year, I’ve decided to stop procrastinating on it and put the development on main priority, So I’ll also be able to finish the game so I can stop thinking about it.
Thanks to my work’s schedule, I could make monthly todo lists myself. And so progress started growing a lot since then. Though because I was also still working full-time, I was basically doing twice as much work. Which slowly starts becoming exhausting.
there were also lots of ideas to draw and also smaller game projects I wanted to work on, but I disliked to dismiss this project after so much time was already spend on it.
So I've nearly stopped drawing things that weren't related to the game, stopped playing new games to avoid addiction, or cancelled friend invites to play games together just to focus on this project. It were difficult times.
That leaves me here at May, where a friend of mine noticed my exhaustion and started wondering if it’s not better to let it go. The decision to do that was tough, as I didn’t wanted to let it go abruptly. So I took that last month to finish and polish up the details I wanted, and decided to put the project on hold at the end of the month.
So, where does that leave the progress of the game itself so far?
Well, technically speaking:
The game itself is already playable from start to finish, though in it's minimalised and shortest approach.
It is still lacking the amount of polish I wanted to give it. But maybe most of them may not be necessary.
Maybe this current state could also be seen as the 'small project' that I had in mind since the beginning?
This does leaves me in a tough descision what to do with it, either:
- I could leave it on hold, and only release it when I'll find it ready.
- or I could partially release it here silently on the forums, so you'll all understand why Terraria 1.3.6 is taking so long to finish.
I find it a tough choice. So it's something I'll have to keep in mind.
I think I may have hoped a bit too much to create a game with a 'wow'-effect from the players, but I think it's way to early for me to take a huge step from that.
Maybe it feels like something doesn't look ready in my eyes, but it could already be more than enough for something else.
So yeah, in that view I've learned a lot of the progress, so even though I've not finished it, I won't regret my choices made. As I've also learned to keep holding on a certain goal for an extended period.
I've grown great respect for all the solo-indie developers out there.
As it's more than just keeping focussed on it, but almost putting your whole life into that project to make it reality.
But then again, I probably have thought too big about this project from the start, and I should have started much smaller on the first place.
So that's something I'm going to keep in mind the next time.
It was kind of funny, when I was just done with finishing up, I've seen this quote the next day,
and I guess that sums up my feelings about this project really well:
"Happiness is a journey, not a destination."
---
So, where does that leaves me next?
First of all, I'm going to take it easy and recover from the effort spend on this project. Then return into drawing again as a hobby, not as a restriction.
And as far as game development goes, I'm having some small ideas in mind I would like to work on for variation. But I'm going to give it a thought of three before starting a new one again. It's gonna be certain that I won't take an approach as big like this soon again. (Even though I do have a working platformer engine already, so the next platformer should certainely be faster to make)
Whew...glad that it's all out my mind for now.
I think if anything, this was a great way to keep me busy while waiting for Terraria 1.3.6.
Pretty somewhat fitting to talk about this during E3. I noticed.
In that case, This was pretty much my contribution to it.
Hope you'll all have a great time watching the rest of the E3.
Even though the game doesn't look exactly flashy ( no super-duper visual effects ), I still think it seems pretty solid judging from what little you've shown to us. If the whole game works like this, then it would definitely be something nice to play right now.
But since you're not satisfied with what you've got... What I would advise is thinking a bit, during the hold-on, about what could be improved or added first without taking excessive amount of time. Small things, basically, eventually they might add up.
Also I would recommend to take some inspiration from Hollow Knight as well, since it's an another prime example of a good Metroidvania game ( even if you keep in mind it was greatly funded ). One thing Hollow Knight did was having free DLCs released in form of updates. You could basically release the game later in what you would deem a "reasonable" state and keep polishing it with updates, in the same time adding new content you had to cut or possibly putting in new ideas of yours. Regardless of what you're gonna do, you've done a good job on this game and I hope you will finally be able to fulfill your dreams regarding it. Good luck!
On another note: that animation with Sam clipping through the floor and Trex saying "Don't get too excited." cracked me up.
Even though the game doesn't look exactly flashy ( no super-duper visual effects ), I still think it seems pretty solid judging from what little you've shown to us. If the whole game works like this, then it would definitely be something nice to play right now.
But since you're not satisfied with what you've got... What I would advise is thinking a bit, during the hold-on, about what could be improved or added first without taking excessive amount of time. Small things, basically, eventually they might add up.
Also I would recommend to take some inspiration from Hollow Knight as well, since it's an another prime example of a good Metroidvania game ( even if you keep in mind it was greatly funded ). One thing Hollow Knight did was having free DLCs released in form of updates. You could basically release the game later in what you would deem a "reasonable" state and keep polishing it with updates, in the same time adding new content you had to cut or possibly putting in new ideas of yours. Regardless of what you're gonna do, you've done a good job on this game and I hope you will finally be able to fulfill your dreams regarding it. Good luck!
On another note: that animation with Sam clipping through the floor and Trex saying "Don't get too excited." cracked me up.
Thanks for the feedback, it really helps to hear what others think about it.
I havn't really gotten in touch with Hollow Knight as the artstyle and atmosphere wasn't to my likings. (Why do so many Metroidvania's have to be dark?), but might think about it when it comes to learning it's game design.
And like I said before, the game already feels playable, just not in the expected state I wanted.
Though if I had to leave my 'great design' approach aside and keeping up my 'small game' approach, then it's already pretty solid looking. And I think I should leave it that way too. I start to notice it's better to start smaller too.
I'll probably consider giving it a second look to see what's currently necessary and what can be saved for later. So it'll look more polished if I'll eventually release it.
So, after I've taken the time to think about it, and given it a second look at the remaining things of the platformer game.
Looking back at it, it already does look fine as it is, especially just coming from me, and it would be a waste to put it on hold now untill it's full release.
So, instead, I've decided to give it the last needed polish, and then release it partially as a working Beta.
It'll still remain on hold, as I would like to work on the finishing and extra touches later on. But that way I can let it go with statisfaction.
The polish shouldn't be taking too long, but there's no need to rush it either. So I'll talk further about a release date when it's done.
I'm no longer disappointed on what I havn't managed, but proud at what I've already archieved.
And so we've reached the end of June already, happy Terraria 1.3 anniversary!
Plenty of stuff has happened in the meantime, and I'm looking forward for what further things it'll bring the next month.
I've given a try to do a Terraria request for the chance to open them again,
whether I'll do that before or after my vacation trip is yet to decide, it's still a month away.
So far, here's the request I did for @Oleg34518
I've also started to become more active on my Twitter too, and I'll be posting there just like my profile posts here.
It's been a while since I've been posting stuff there, but I'll give it a try and see how things goes, you can follow me any time you want: Steven (@ppowersteef) | Twitter
And with the recent sale, I've aquired a new power: Clip Studio Paint!
For the first time I'll be working with a paid drawing software, but wow, the options available are quite exploding in your face.
I'll probably take a while to feel comfortable with it though, but I've seen options available that I found missing in Medibang, including animations!
So I'm going to find it a good step forward regardless.
And with these news said, it's time for the other arts:
I managed to install SoulCalibur VI, and started to love the character creator.
The one that really liked to turn out was Silvyne, using the Cobalt Naginata as her weapon.
Had the intention to leave it as a doodle, but I had too much interests to finish the picture anyways. I see that desire as a good sign.
I've also tried doing a ranked match with it, but man, these competitive plays are brutal.
I still managed to see some fair fighters around there, and even though I've lost, I've still had an exiting match out of it:
A lot of Metroidvania titles have also been released this month, so far I've already counted 4, and all of them great in their own way.
Too bad that with deadlines and projects that are almost done, I can't afford the time yet to get distracted at new games again.
Still managed to get hooked on SoulCalibur VI, so it's already been a struggle to leave that game alone.
And a bigg doodle for MiltVala's birthday!
Even though you're not hearing much from him on this site, he's still a great friend I can talk to any day. :v
Valkyrie girl Sapphire is still an OC with an unknown backstory,
though I'm having ideas I may or may not work out with her:
Some small sexy sketches. <w<
And some doodles that don't need much context:
And finally, the progress update for the game project:
I've spend the last month well to fix everything I've wanted to fix.
And now, even though it'll still be a beta build, I can count it close enough to fit as a working game itself.
Though, the last change just happened yesterday, and even though I've already gone through a lot of overall testing,
I think it'll be too early to release it right away.
I wouldn't have mind releasing it early if I can hotfix it later.
But this game is designed for progression, and I rather want to avoid unnecessary hotfixes if it causes save files to become corrupt.
So, speaking for an actual release date would be too broad to say clearly. Would it be ready in 4 days? one week? two weeks?
Putting a certain release date probably causes too much rush, so I'll probably just go cheesy and say "It's ready when it's ready."
And that's all for now, hope you all have a great holiday!
And at long last, Hjort Helten Beta has been released!
Technically, I've drawn all the assets by myself, so I could count this whole project as an artwork.
But the original announcement is mentioned in my Indies thread, (which was previously just called "Space Siblings")
You can click on the direct link here to download it on itch.io, or you can see more details on the second link on TCF.
But please keep any feedback in my indies thread on the second link.
And at long last, Hjort Helten Beta has been released!
Technically, I've drawn a lot of sprites by myself so I could this whole project as an artwork.
But the original announcement is mentioned in my Indies thread, (which was previously just called "Space Siblings")
You can click on the direct link here to download it on itch.io, or you can see more details on the second link on TCF.
But please keep any feedback in my indies thread on the second link.
Most of the time has been spend for the final tests of the game and resting off.
The game has come through many hardships, and I've had to ignore many ideas to keep the progress going.
But the project has been finished as of now. Though due to exhaustion and health issues, it's recommended to not pick up the gamedev for a while too. And I think that's fine.
Several OC's have been created during the game development too, which I also had to ignore at some point.
Hopefully I can spend a little more time with them together now that the project is over:
I've started to watch the classic Pokémon movies again,
Some of them are such a huge step-up from the original series, that I called them 'Legendary' in my nostalgic ages.
And even until now, they still feel very special to me. And it was worth drawing one of my faves to remember them:
June was quite the month of indie Metroidvanias:
Bloodstained and Gato Roboto got released, Touhou Luna Nights got their final update, Blaster Master Zero got available on Steam.
I've already played 3 of them and they're all enjoyable in their own way. Maybe I'm going to pick up Bloodstained or Hollow Knight sometime later:
And an Alraune OC concept, used to be some sort of boss concept, but think it's also fine as an individual character:
Vacation is coming and I'll be off tomorrow. I've been really looking forward to it. And I hope you all will have a great time too!
And it's time for the art thread update of August (No, it's not 1 Sept yet, It's timezones, yes)
I've already started going back into drawing again.
Though, I've also been hooked on Minecraft lately, the game has changed so much since last time I played survival.
Maybe I could share some of the builds I've made, but I don't think that'll fit this thread well. That's yet to decide.
Since my artstyle has changed and several characters got a redesign, I found it worth updating my OC group again:
I've ideas to reïntroduce my OC's again so their roles and backstory are fresh once again. some of my characters original roles have been pretty dated.
But that'll probably come once when I'm done with Minecraft...eventually...
Gift art for an artist on DeviantArt:
Brave Frontier Ophelia for MiltVala
Brave Frontier Luna:
Axolotl girl for Dragonith:
Flan slimegirl:
And a Birdday gift for me. c:
I've done several drawings for other people lately. I think that's a good way to get into requests again.
I'm thinking about eventually opening requests again, the question is only when it's a good moment, Because I do want to get some other things done first:
Okay, that's all the time I've got, I gotta get back at playing Minecraft on my Nintendo 3DS.
For those who go back to school, good luck on your next year!
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