Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #66 (Demo 4 released)

     Now that was a climb. Demo 4 is out there on the web now and it looks like hundreds of people are enjoying it. Feels good taking another step forward, but this mountain is still another year tall. Plans for Demo 5 are written and ready to be executed!

     See what the latest release means for Yotes Games below the break.

Download Battle Gem Ponies -- [ Pre-Alpha V4!!!! ] --

     The latest Battle Gem Ponies demo is available to download just in time for Easter weekend! This demo introduces party management, bug fixes, battle polish, sweet music tracks, a pony follower, and some new artwork! Explore the town, cave, and island areas or battle against random computer opponents right from the main menu!

Download Battle Gem Ponies Here!

It's a simple RPG with a ton of features on the way. I aim to release the next demo in April.

     Most of the work this time around was behind the scenes stuff that won't be revealed for a while, but design-wise, the game is more thought out now and on a much more reasonable development schedule. The next demo will be the post-BYOC build and is set to have working multiplayer, tons of polish, and pony customization.

You can find details about the upcoming combat system and new release date on the dev blog.

This demo contains some placeholder assets from Pokemon as well as fan sprites by Wesley FG (pokefans.net)

Battle GemPonies DevLog #65 (Delayed. Again.)

     Don't hold me at gunpoint, but I think BGP is better off coming out Wed. March 1, 2017. I can take the extra time to polish it up and make the major story moments that much more memorable as well as balance the combat with extensive playtesting through Steam Greenlight.

     I'm sure to be drowned out by Pokemon and I need the biggest launch possible in order for this to work. Stardew Valley proved to me that a random indie game with a following can soar in early March if it's done right. It'll also give me time in January to reach out to the press and get people to download the demo.

    This should be the final delay since I know for sure that one year from now is more than enough time to make this game. That'll also put it at about 3 years in development. My longest, most ambitious project by far and at the far end of how long I'm willing to spend on a single game ever again. Battle Gem Ponies is the most important thing I've ever worked on and I'd hate to see that effort go to waste because of something as simple as bad timing.

Battle Gem Ponies Movesets (Light, Heavy, Status, and Special)

Exclusive move slots will make combo planning and class coverage more engaging.
No move will be definitively better than another in the same moveset section.

     Moves make up the core of the gameplay in Battle Gem Ponies. Having Light, Heavy, Status, and Special Attacks will promote strategic play. People will customize their movesets with the limitations of one strong move (with little GP), one weaker move (Enough GP to last whole match), a status move (affecting gameplay beyond just lowering enemy HP), and a special attack (wildcard moves that can't be learned naturally).

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #64 (Back to the Crunch)

     Spring break's over and I spent a lot more time relaxing than I thought I would. It's officially mid-March and demo 4 still isn't ready. Time to get serious. Take an hour off sleep, quicker showers, quicker meals, and less YouTube with friends. The next BGP demo needs to be ready to play in time for the My Little Pony season premiere weekend (March 26).

     Funny enough, that day also happens to be the next 12 hour game jam date. A nice reward for a fierce crunch on this years-long project.

Battle Gem Ponies: Ghost Class Moves

     These moves come from the ponies that go *bump* in the night. They attack targets through another channel of existence. Harnessing this spirit energy can trick your opponents and turn a number of scenarios in your favor. Check out some spooky Ghost Attacks below the break!

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #63 (Holding Back for BYOC Bomb)

     Battle Gem Ponies features are being scratched off my task list one-by-one. Some features like dynamic text reading, special battle move effects, stat buffs, and special NPC interactions will have to wait for the next demo. I have outlines for how they work in code and I have tested many parts of those features, but putting all those pieces together and testing them as a whole is going to take at least a week. I want demo 4 out by March 18th (week after Spring Break), so there's some higher priority stuff to get out before then.

     My school's BYOC game design expo is coming up on April 9th and I need a polished build to show to strangers one last time before BronyCon. That demo needs to be awesome and include basic multiplayer and special battle mechanics. It's a lot to handle in a single month, so I'm hoping Spring Break gets me ahead of schedule by a decent amount.

Battle Gem Ponies: Bug Class Moves

     Creepy crawly blood suckers draining your pony's life away! That's what you're up against when it comes to bug class ponies. You'd be better off practicing with one on your team. Creep on down below the break to see some Bug Attacks!

Battle Gem Ponies DevLog #62 (Catching Up)

     It's March now! New Pokemon games were announced! And on top of all that I need $3000 to start presenting my game at expos like MAGfest! I gotta hurry this up a bit. I want a demo out before the 15th, even if that means sleeping a little less.

    Right now I'm messing around with making an easy way to implement all the complex move effects that don't revolve around just depleting the enemy's health. With this out the way combat programming should come easy. After Magfest I'm more determined than ever to make a name for myself and be as awesome to other people as my idols are to me.