Status Report #30

     It feels like only two days worth of work got done in a week. Dropping from 9 hours a day to 2 feels like torture. Homework is killing me when all I can think about is how I could be spending that time doing something that mattered infinitely more. I did get some interesting work-in-progress screenshots of the pause menu though, so catch those below the break.

     Here's what I managed to do in my little work time.

Scrapped: Overmap

     Sometimes removing features can feel just as good as adding them. Shrinking the game's scope to increase feasibility boosts morale and brings the game's release day closer. I was thinking hard bout the pickup and play feel I wanted the other day and felt that getting around the map needed to be faster. If some players are only playing in stretches of 5-10 minutes at a time, there needs to be a fast sort of warping system in place. It'll make dashing out of a dungeon or forest to stock up on items and warping back smooth and quick. Why waste time roaming a map when you can press a button?

     I also wanted to reduce the scope a little. Having a world map means making more sprites, spending time defining a good look for it, and working out how to control Clover on it. Cutting this feature probably saved me a couple weeks of development time. I think the world will feel better as a Zelda style connected whole in the end anyway.

Check below the break to see what I have in mind for the world map and it's varied regions.

Choosing UQ's Platform

     I chose Android first and foremost because that's where my experience lies. It's the most fun for me to develop for and I feel like the market desperately needs more games with substance like Unicorn Quest. It's also a platform with hundreds of millions of users. I'm hoping a small fraction of that population catches wind of my little game and at least gives the demo a try.

     I'm not releasing on iOS because I don't have a Mac with the latest OS which I need to publish games. That's why DragCore isn't on the iTunes app store. I want to release both DragCore and Unicorn Quest on iOS as soon as I can afford a computer that costs over $1000 (which won't be for a long while). I also have vague dreams of porting Unicorn Quest to Playstation Mobile, Ouya, Desura, and Steam so it can reach as many people as possible. It'll be the same price across all platforms too. No more than $3.

    My focus right now is finishing the game at all. Launching on something like Steam is a project in its own right. I'd need to address the right press, make additional promotional art, and test out literally everything to fix bugs. Once I have a product, I can give it the focused porting and marketing it deserves. That's just the kind of mentality I have. Make the most awesome thing ever, then try to get a reward when it's finished.

     Unity let's me easily build to so many platforms. Why not take advantage of that?

Gushing About: Fighting is Magic

     This is the game that made me want to become an indie developer. This is the game that made me start looking up how to make games myself instead of relying on school to do it for me. This is the game that showed me that it's possible for a small group of fans to get together and produce a work with professional quality. This is the form off creative brony work that showed me just how powerful mixing my two favorite things in the world could be.

     This is a post about Fighting is Magic.