Trevor#GDevelop is killing it. The new 3D editor looks really good, and the Advanced 3D Features plugin looks sweet. It is giving me the itch to get back into gamedev - once Christmas gift builds are done, I'm going back to my game #bHopper.
YouTube
#ScribesAndMakers catch-up from July 1: What do you want to work on this month?
I already have a bunch of electroluminescent tape on hand for my littlest's Tron Halloween costume. She wants to be Quorra from Tron: Legacy. I need to experiment with cutting it to length and connecting it to power via wires. I should also stock the EVA foam I need and get serious about patterning. I should also also start modeling the child-sized identity disk for her. I don't want to get to October and be suddenly behind the curve.
Otherwise, have writing to do. I would like to crack open my MG fantasy adventure #PersephonesChampion to finally knock out the last edits I want to do before a brief but wider round of beta reading & prepping for query. If 2025 goes by and I don't have query letters sent to agents for this book I will be justifiably disappointed in myself.
Other than Persephone, I am researching and outlining for my next book - an extremely Canadian adult historical fiction.
I have test casts of my concrete sculptures to do. I have wire mesh to strengthen them and I think that's very necessary, I just haven't actually gone down into the shop to do it yet.
And I will continue tinkering with my video game #bHopper. That includes streaming it on Twitch from time to time. Join me, won't you? https://twitch.tv/lovemakeshare
New #devlog! While I am mostly out of commission on my usual computer, I took some time to write up how I improved the Hunter AI in my #gamedev project #bHopper. I love working in #GDevelop, and I am starting to learn that things that I think are limitations often have workarounds I simply need to discover.
https://lovemakeshare.itch.io/bhopper-hunted/devlog/966785/fear-the-hunter
#ScribesAndMakers 113 June: Self-Promo day: Show us what you're proud of.
I am pretty pleased with how my little retro game #bHopper is progressing! I made my first handful of 3D models in Blender recently, and have been steadily devloping both the look and feel and the functionality of the game. I am learning SO much. There has never been a better time to make a video game.
Quick #bHopper status check over lunch, tweaked and marked stuff off my Trello board. Keeping my pillars in mind and seeing where I am in the "Project Relaunch" to-do list.
I got into #Blender and UI stuff instead of focusing on the refactor and AI items - which I think is helpful, and exciting, but I really should return to some core gameplay items soon. There's only so far you can go in a prototype with programmer and temp art before you need to start to *see* the game.
While all of the to-dos are important, I think the next thing I need to really *see* in my game is the Hunter as a more imposing force. I have a state machine planned that I think will make it truly fearsome. It legitimately jump-scared me last night while testing - appeared from the side like the raptors in Jurassic Park and annihilated me mid-delivery - but it often gets a little stuck, trying to pathfind and not being as aggressive as it could be in terms of firing on the player. And *that* is not very intimidating. It should be as scary in the open as when it sneaks up on the player.
Thus far, the pathfinding behaviour has been a real barrier to making more quick, responsive, and dynamic movements for the Hunter. Fortunately, adding the 3D Hopper and learning how to swap between 2D and 3D physics taught me how to activate/deactivate behaviours, so I can now switch from pathfinding to phsyics-based movement once the Hunter is near the player.
Had trouble winding down last night, so I spent a little time expanding the pickup/delivery system in #bHopper and putting a new build up at https://lovemakeshare.itch.io.
Now, every pickup location has a menu of orders, which are assigned randomly to the pickup object. When the player picks up the object, a new notification pops to show what it is you've picked up and what the initial value of the order is. (Setting up a dynamic timer system to make sure that notifications didn't get hidden prematurely if two overlapped was a fun challenge!) Soon enough it'll also have a delivery confirmation with the name of the person you delivered to (and a star rating?).
There's also now a countdown timer associated with the pickup, to add a little bit of urgency. It's more generous than the delivery timer, to give the player time to try and purchase ammo, repairs, or pay fines, but it still lights a fire to get to the new pickup location. It's a little buggy - I reduce the time available for pickup/delivery based on the score multiplier, to add some escalation to the difficulty, and sometimes that means a 0 or negative time available, which isn't fair) - and I am using the same list of available orders for every pickup location.
But there's more UI, there's a more consistent (if still very unfinished) design, and there's more gameplay to deal with, so I'm happy with this update!
My focus for the next set of updates to #bHopper is fleshing out the main delivery loop a little, and giving myself the tools to build out the world. There isn't going to be much *text* in the game outside the information you get during deliveries. Additionally, I'm building out the UI. I want to make sure that we're communicating *enough* and *appropriate* and *timely* information to the player. (Also I'm getting sick of staring at those floating numbers at the top of the screen!) The large location notification doesn't stay on the screen, it appears and disappears contextually so it doesn't obscure the screen when it's not needed. Work in progress - but it is finally in progress!
#gamedev #indiedev #solodev #cyberpunk #retrogaming
#gamedev #indiedev #solodev #cyberpunk #retrogaming
Me: Why are the mobile controls for my game not working properly?
WELL THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM!
(I disabled a bunch of events for testing purposes. More details in alt text.)
#GDevelop #bHopper #gamedev #indiedev #solodev #nocode
WELL THERE'S YOUR PROBLEM!
(I disabled a bunch of events for testing purposes. More details in alt text.)
#GDevelop #bHopper #gamedev #indiedev #solodev #nocode
ICYMI: A #devlog, of sorts! I talk through my recent adventures in #Blender and #GDevelop, learning to embrace the third dimension in my little cyberpunk vehicle combat game.
https://youtu.be/vD7fykji9lg?si=3MmYjJtVsnehrw91
#gamedev #indiedev #solodev #opensource #foss #nocode #bHopper #retrogaming
