New game
The collaboration with the designer and graphics artist Bart Metselaar takes shapes. Over the past 2 weeks we had frequent meetings to get an idea of the game we wanted to make.
The main character is a fox, in search for food, and winter is coming.
Here are some initial drawings to get a feel for the characters and their surroundings:
The next question is: what kind of game will this be? We don’t fully know the answer yet, but this is what we got so far.
- Multiple animal-like character with each one specific abilities to get around obstacles
- Different seasons that influence the gameplay
- Progression mechanics: an increased toolset to complete your objectives
- Full 2D with sprites or 2D sprites in a 3D world
- Direct character control, with side view or 45-degrees 3rd person view
Here is a video of one of the prototypes that resonated the most with Bart and me:
Stay tuned for more updates! Follow me on twitter to receive the latest updates, you get an update every day I work on the project and that’s 2 or more times a week.
Post release: Gearful
With the new game idea’s getting shape my just launched game ‘Gearful’ isn’t on top of my own mind anymore, but that doesn’t mean that its forgotten!
I got a lot of positive feedback on the game. It seems to be pretty funny and quite challenging at times, more than I imagined. Thanks for playing!
If you haven’t played it yet, I even have a Google Playstore download now! Due to the worldwide Corona pandemic the store rollout got slowed down by Google, but nevertheless here it is:
And, in case you just want to play it in your internet browser, for free: https://gamefeelings.itch.io/gearful
O, and for those wondering: hey in the Google Playstore it is called Gearfull with to ‘ll’. Yeah, that wasn’t supposed to happen š
Business side
On the business continuity side things are still going well. My main source of income is showing no signs of problems so I will be able to continue working on my games in 25% of my time.
However the business project is getting ready for the final phase. In 1 or 2 months the project is over and I will need to look for a new one.
Depending on the situation in the world and progress on the new game project I can choose to spend some dedicated time on the new game or to get another business project.
- Dedicate time to the new game: due to the Corona pandemic gaming is facing all time highs so releasing a game during these times could really pay off. Financially I can already sustain a few weeks without income so it is a viable option. I could even use it to search for a new project without the need for hasty decisions, so this option is the most likely for me if the game is at a viable stage.
- Get another business project immediately: there is a lot of uncertainty in the economy currently but even now there is a search for developers. What I fear more is what will happen a few months later because a recession is very likely. So saving money could be a wise move, especially because I’m a starter.
So overall I am optimistic of the prospects of my company. I have a lot less to worry than a lot of other freelancers at this moment. I am very grateful that I still have payed work, my wife can make a difference as a nurse in the lung ward, and I don’t have serious ailments in my family at the moment.
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