CheesenessFeb 4, 2022

For the past couple months, I've been working on developing Bonesweeper into a bigger game, with the support of a grant from Screen Tasmania! I want to share as much of the process as I can. Keep an eye to this thread in the weeks and months to come! :) #gamedev #indiedeveloper

If anybody needs/wants a RSS feed for devlogs, they can be found here https://cheeseness.itch.io/fossil-sweeper/devlog.rss

Show threadCheesenessFeb 4, 2022
Bonesweeper draws inspiration from Minesweeper and Tetris, having you dig up fossils and then assemble them into skeletons. I released a rough prototype last year exploring those core concepts, which you can play today! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aiW4770dkOQ
How to play Bonesweeper (a fossil-digging prototype)

YouTube
Show threadCheesenessFeb 4, 2022
If you'd like to see how the prototype came together over a month or so, you can check out these threads
https://mastodon.social/@Cheeseness/105712742537625211
https://mastodon.social/@Cheeseness/105733349194371746
Show threadCheesenessFeb 4, 2022
The full game will expand beyond the prototype, adding an interactive map to select dig sites from, a museum for assembled skeletons, and a customiseable player avatar (plus more species, more dig environments, and an optional less stressful skeleton assembly "puzzle mode")
Show threadCheesenessFeb 4, 2022
I'm really excited for the new dig selection screen, which will have a slider for controlling geologic time to give some extra context for where fossils came from (and will probably have more than just Australia).
Show threadCheesenessFeb 4, 2022
I'm also looking forward to the museum, which I hope will be a space for players to reflect on the cool stuff they've discovered, and maybe bump into` some educational content (like #HiveTime's "Beepedia" but more interactive) #fossilfriday
Show threadCheesenessFeb 12, 2022
Experimenting with using shape keys to get seamless dirt tile variants. Not sure if I'll stick with it, but it's an interesting way of getting a bunch of variation from a single model #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev
Show threadCheesenessFeb 19, 2022
Playing around with avatar scale during the dig phase #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev
Show threadCheesenessFeb 24, 2022
Dig phase is getting closer to being functional in the new codebase
Show threadCheesenessFeb 24, 2022
I've also added some camera controls, with the intention of having some dig sites that are bigger than a single screen when fully zoomed out.
Show threadCheesenessFeb 26, 2022
I want to give players the choice of a number of different "flag" types as part of character customisation. I don't know how widely they're used, but I've seen these little plastic markers in photos and thought they were cute #screenshotsaturday #gamedev #indiedev
Show threadErin
@Cheeseness I think they're pretty widely used, particularly with an identifying index on them? something you'd also be likely to see would be a size/color reference I think, something like https://twitter.com/KathyLueders/status/1495468126347141124/photo/1
but i've only heard about any of this as it has intersected space stuff
Kathy Lueders on Twitter

“Archaeology from space! This week, the @Space_Station crew conducted an archaeology study, revealing how astronauts use different objects and spaces over time. This investigation could contribute to better designs for future spacecraft and habitats. https://t.co/LwQAFaQikb”

Twitter
Feb 26, 2022 at 10:41amWeb
Show threadErinFeb 26, 2022
@Cheeseness I'm having a real hard time digging up any hard evidence of that though. color reference might be less important for paleontologists than archaeologists? articles I skimmed just now indicate paleontologists draw where the bone fragments are in their grid which says to me that they don't stand out well in photos but I'm inferring a lot
Show threadCheesenessFeb 26, 2022

@ChateauErin I haven't seen colour reference before, but I do frequently see size reference doodads such as what's seen in the 8th photo here (random image search result) https://findingadinosaur.com/gallery-3/

I'm in the process of lining up a chat with a palaeontologist where I'll run queries on this stuff, but most dig sites seem to have indexes hung from a string grid suspended across the pit (and rely on extra annotation on photos or field notes, I guess?).

Gallery 3 - Finding a Dinosaur

Hadrosaur Tibia

Finding a Dinosaur
Show threadCheesenessFeb 26, 2022
@ChateauErin I get the impression that there might be different markers used for "there's something we should be digging/paying attention to here" and stuff that finds its way into photos