2022 Goals and Progress Thread

[cthulhusquid]

After months of not touching it, I'm finally back with revamping The Cube Trail (which I'm sure no one remembers, I released a demo of it around 2 years ago. If you do find it, please don't play it. Seriously.)
Anyway...
I've added a lot of new items, and have remade most of the skills. If anyone cares for what I have planned for the revamped demo, then you're in for a treat.

• All new maps with the Ancient Dungeons tileset.
• Deadly combat with 100% hit rate, so no whiffing attacks (mostly, some enemies are a little agile).
• 39 variants (I may or may not add more) of each monster, you never know what version you'll fight next. For instance, a humble rat. Will you face a Boss Rat, a Paradox Rat, or even an Exploding Rat?
• Lots and lots of items and equipment to choose from, like Bottled Demon Lords, Tasty Blue Liquid, FUN! Potions, and Scrolls of Massive Explosions . Also, lots of colored rarity names! And lootboxes...

 

[BreakerZero]

Sad news today regarding my project. Due to recent circumstances I have added a dedication statement to my credits scene on a tentative basis. I don't technically need it unless and until the matter goes terminal, but I am adding it in advance as a matter of preparation.

I cannot elaborate further per the wishes of those involved, so please don't ask or suggest any possibilities thereof. With that said, I'm stating my intentions now in terms of dedication so that if it does end up happening then I won't have to add it in later. (Not to mention that I already know what I want to say if it happens.)

 

[StrawberryFlower]

I've started a game almost a month ago, an RPG based on my friends and me as modern-fantasy characters. I THINK I have made good progress so far (bare-bones starter dungeon and opening cutscenes are done).

Unfortunately, like most of my projects, I always get stuck on what should happen next. So I haven't been able to work on it.

 

[slimmmeiske2]

I've been slacking a bit this month. It's a tough slump to kick out of, so hopefully posting here more will help me shake it off.

* Play & rate the other entries in the Harold jam. So far I've done 8.

I'm counting this as done. I didn't play them all, but I did end up playing more than 50% of them (17 in total) prior to voting closing. I'm also pretty happy with my own result (15th out of 32).

Moving on to a different jam, I have a very vague idea for my Hawktober entry. I'll see if I can actually get to it though, since I'm working on my Drifty jam entry first. (Unfortunately, I couldn't combine the ideas together)
Progress on that one has been slow. I've written a lot down when it comes to gameplay, but story is quite lacking currently. In editor, I have one map so far, and a couple of sprites:

 

[ElCheffe]

It's the first of the month, time for another update.

Targets for September:
Create a posting in "Games in Development": 100%
Integrate final bust in chapter 0: 100%
Format and adjust some conversations: 100%

So I have to admit, last month was amazing. I believe it's the first time I was able to achieve every goal set. Let's hope this continues.

Targets for October:
Complete main storyline for chapter 1 / part 1
Rework last maps of chapter 1
Update "Games in Development" posting
Create first 2 sidequests in chapter 1

So basically the content of the demo/chapter 0 is finished. I just have to integrate the last graphical elements (custom SV battlers and walking sprites) as soon as they are ready and the demo can be wrapped up and published. Seems feasible till the end of the year.

 

[BreakerZero]

With Windows 11 officially releasing this week I have made the decision to migrate the computer systems that I have which can handle the requirements for the upgrade. Downside is that my primary development system requires a processor swap before I can install the update, however I have already prepared it to be able to handle the part swap and priced it out on my Amazon account.

Owing that the update is not officially ready to roll out, I will not be documenting my experiences with development of my project on the new Windows version until at least October 5th (because reasons) however I am preparing now so that I am ready to go when the time comes.

Regarding actual progress, I have rewritten my closing track and have made the decision to file a licensing assistance request to actually roll it out in the final version subject to content approval. In addition, my goal for the month is to build out the Wukong scenario (which has been on delay while I tested and updated my assets and build provisions) as well as to set up a system for publishing assistance requests (and since I was recently approached with a message from someone who also wanted to target Xbox I figured that I would add this in as a business service, including publishing and filing for accepted projects). I also hope to make this new service competitive with established publishers, but with a dedicated focus on RPG Maker games which from my experience has been extremely lacking of existing providers of publishing services.

 

[fungolem]

I just want to finish my demo this year, is that too much to ask

 

[BreakerZero]

On crunch time with my Google account and closing in on testing my Android build so I can get it in the system before I lose my development tools. Once I verify that the touch input is working, I will create the bundle and upload it so that I can keep my account active.

Other than that, nothing much to report.

EDIT: I lied. There is one change I'm going to make. When I mentioned that I was adding a tribute message it was because I didn't know how my mom's operation would go today. Thankfully she came out okay so I am going to hold back on the tribute unless her situation turns sour again.

I also wasn't going to mention this, but the reason she was under the knife today was because she developed cancer. Thankfully it hasn't spread so they were able to remove the affected part without any issues.

 

[Robert-Developer_of_Bis]

I've made a lot of progress this past week and a half, maybe more than the past year and a half.
I've:
-Designed, partially detailed, and organized the files for the wall objects, as well as some pillars. (I use Sixth's Map Objects script for walls, so each one is its own file.)
-Fixed countless small errors across 12 parallax layers for my testing map.
-Created the basic floorplan and collision for a new map, that connects to the first map. I won't work on it too much until I have the environments set up completely.
-Fixed two bugs.
-Identified the cause of two other bugs.
-Made a new list of tasks which I need to do, as well as bugs, needed scripts, etc., since I lost the last one in the harddrive crash.
-Retested old features, and discovered new issues with them, likely caused by script updates.
-Made several pointless status updates for no real reason other than I felt like it.

To finish environments satisfactorily, I need to commission or obtain 9 scripts/ bug fixes. Then, I can focus on menu work, which will require learning and setting up the Luna Engine. These 9 include 4 fixes to a shadow script, 'simple' layer-based lighting (light blocking?), a circle of partial transparency when standing behind a wall, an 'elevation map' script that will visually raise sprites in that area by a matching number of pixels, and two scripts that are already in progress.

After that? Well I still have many maps to make once I have the environments done. I will need enemies to populate these maps, which will require specially written pathfinding AI to work with everything. Once I have those, it's a matter of adding upgrades, NPCs, items, gameplay, etc.. Honestly the bulk of things I need are for environments and menus. Once those and the enemies are done I'll be able to work on a good 90% of the game unimpeded. The rest is commissioning art or miscellaneous features that I'm not skilled enough to make.

TLDR? I'm broke and need to commission way too many things. Hope is dead. Run while you still can.

 

[BreakerZero]

The new Android release hit a snag as I found out that my solution for warp transport effects was way over the limit for asset delivery, so I decided that I would have to make it a cloud-based game on mobile devices. This will require a boot test for verification that the game will load, but for size reasons I have no choice.

 

[BreakerZero]

A snag with the Android release is holding up testing as I have run into an issue with game saves. In addition I have given up on requests for other platforms right now and will release initially on Xbox consoles for the purpose of my current project.

As for actual progress, I have encountered an inconsistent behavior with the built-in encounters system when using common events to define global switches and variables so I had to code my own which required a lot of trial and error to get right.

 

[slimmmeiske2]

I feel like everytime I post here saying I'm going to try and post more I don't actually end up doing it xD

Update from last month:
I finished my Drifty's jam game: Captain Silver's Secret Treasure. It's a bit buggy, but at least I was able to submit it. No idea how I did yet; they'll be announcing the winners today.
I decided not to submit anything for Hawktober, as I didn't have the time not the motivation to make a 10 minute game.
I made some (fun) sprites for an upcoming release. Keep your eyes peeled

November goals:

• Fix bugs and upload fixed versions of my three jam games.
• Play through my main game. Last time I actively worked on it was in May, and I need a reminder of what I still need to do/fix.

 

[BreakerZero]

I have officially got the word out about my game this month with an announcement regarding my Xbox plans and the overall release targets that I'm looking at. Also I have restored macOS to my targets, but only for contractual reasons as there are certain timing and expectation parities that I have to hit as a condition of my Xbox release. The only thing I'm not 100% sure of is in regard my new spatial sound development plan. I have decided that I will be using audio proximity in an upcoming scene that I'm planning out, and I have just started using THX spatial audio drivers on my development rig. Needless to say but I'm not 100% sure of the guidelines for citing the use of this setup, however will keep an internal version of my splash that contains a variant of the classic THX startup sequence for now. Obviously I'll have to check with legal before shipping like that, but I'm saying it now just because.

Regarding the project itself I have removed the old, mouse-based poker minigame and swapped in a much cleaner (and more traditional) setup (thanks to @hiddenone for the great card deck tutorial) which came out nice. Also, I decided to make a chain business out of my casino implementation so it will show up in many more places than just the one that shows up mid-game. I also removed a few troop encounters from the world map because they were interfering with other encounters because of a design glitch, and have updated an entire scenario to use my crisis theme while in the respective township.

EDIT: I threw in an extra bit of hocus pocus for my project as well. After reading this discussion on casino "save scumming" I decided to use a a stacked base64 effect on my casino token count so that it's less susceptible to player interference.

 

[ElCheffe]

And a new month again. Time to look back at my previous targets.

Targets for October:
Complete main storyline for chapter 1 / part 1 - 100 %
Rework last maps of chapter 1 - 0 %
Update "Games in Development" posting - 100 %
Create first 2 sidequests in chapter 1 - 50 %

Guess I wasn't able to achieve all of my goals, the main reason being that I somehow overdid it with the first sidequest by not only adding a new area but also a new miniboss. But hey, I believe the result is better than originally planned, so I see no issues here.

The next two months will be focused about completing and polishing the demo, so here we go with this month:

Targets for November:
Implement Monster Audio for all enemies in chapter 0
Create the credits page for chapter 0
Comission and implement new event background for chapter 0
Adjust the loading screen
Update "Games in Development" posting

Sounds like a lot of stuff but in fact it is more optimizing and tweaking as the maps, the storyline and the conversations for chapter 0 are completed.

 

[BreakerZero]

Closing out October and I got my first press release out, updated my poker game, programmed in a custom solution for enemy encounters to accommodate an inconsistent behavior with the default implementation, set the casino tokens variable to use a stacked base64 conversion process for extra security and updated my achievements list so that it works as intended.

For November I will be starting the addition of proximity-based audio effects (which will likely involve a legal verification for the citation of my setup now that I'm using THX audio drivers) and have a very heavy scene that I intend to plan out (for which I am probably going to draw on material from my original prototype that I originally used prior to rebooting the project). I will also be scaling back on the intro sequence so that it's not taking up as much time and still gets to the point, and am testing out the possibility of adding in some "disc two material" (meaning that you think it's over only to find out that the whole thing was cover for an even bigger foe to rise up and raise threat against the very epicenter of existence). Also on the agenda is to update my casino prizes (I ditched the goldbrick item for balance reasons), replay the story to where I left off in terms of content, finish prototyping my expeditions mode and throw some environmental hazards into the mix. I will most likely be updating my encounter variables to also use a stacked base64 conversion process to discourage cheaters from gaming the system.

 

[BreakerZero]

Not much in progress for anyone this month? Anyway, I decided to add another modern convenience to my project by showing a pop-up message to inform of new and completed objectives as they occur, and have updated the Xbox build to centralize all of the resources used in the game (previously things were duplicated as the multiplayer is implemented as a separate game package for policy reasons and simplicity, owing that Xbox requires a subscription to play with other people). I also decided to roll back the casino's goldbrick item removal, however I have increased its redemption price for balance reasons (which also means that I will have to replay a few sections of the game and possibly adjust some weapon and armor prices down the line).

My next change will probably be the on-screen placement of the cards in the poker draw minigame so that they don't overlap with each other.

 

[cthulhusquid]

Not much in progress for anyone this month?

I've mainly been working on revamping another one of my projects, The Cube Trail. All I have left to do is add in the emotion facesets, make most of the party member skills (there are 4 main characters with 3 party members each), make some monster skills, make some skill animations, add new icons, add a few more monsters, add a variety of things in the last map of the demo, and possibly add a new soundtrack to replace the RTP music.
That sounds like an awful lot, and it is. However, it's mainly busywork so I can knock it out if I have the time.

 

[VVraith]

It's a bit late for a end-year goal but I feel like establishing the intro, designing custom tileset for intro maps, and completing drawing the two main character portraits as well as define a template for their combat/skill progression moving forward are all good goals.

Of course, a lot of the groundwork for my project is being paved/arranged (plugins and my personal plugin troubleshooting and adjustments), this month I have been majorly focusing on the combat system mechanics. Most of the story is already mapped out, although side story content will have to be established more as I world-build and plan progression rate.

I've added options such as game modes which will adjust battles ranging from making them easier to making them chaotic or comical. I plan on connecting bonus content based on game mode selected and how many fights a player wins in certain game modes, but I will not cut any important content off for players who play on Normal or any of the Easier adjustment game modes. The important part is that the gameplay is fun, this isn't really to add replayability -- game mode can be adjusted in the options menu at any time a player wants, even during established saves.

 

[ElCheffe]

Well, first day of the last month of 2021. Let's see what was done in November:

Targets for November:
Implement Monster Audio for all enemies in chapter 0 25%
Create the credits page for chapter 0 90%
Comission and implement new event background for chapter 0 100%
Adjust the loading screen 100%
Update "Games in Development" posting 100%

At first it might look like I wasn't able to achieve my goals, but in fact I worked on topics not planned so I am quite happy with the current status. Additonal things done:
Reworked all battle animations for the main character
Created a game over screen
Integrated the first voice acting for one of the key scenes

So, what's up next:
Create Tutorial Videos
Create Intro / Outro for Demo
Integrate more voice acting
Continue to implement Monster Audio for all enemies in chapter 0

Let's see if I can make myself a christmas present and complete all of these tasks in December.

 

[BreakerZero]

Ultimately, I didn't make it to the end of my content so far in terms of getting back to where I left off (I only really played as far as the second guardian!) but I did manage to make a number of improvements and changes in the process. I'm hoping to do so by the end of the year, though. December may be a half month due to Christmas (although this is still undecided), however I do intend to use at least part of the month to implement my first rough translations of the dialogue to at least one other language.

In the meantime, I have entered the game into a competition being hosted and judged by some really big names (IGN, Reggie etc.) and I'm cautiously hopeful that I can possibly get some attention out of that.