Yesterday, I posted the first video showcasing my newest Big Game Project, Arcanaclsym. (What was previously called Arborshire). I want to share that video here and discuss all the details that went into it. While it seems simple, this one clip would have been impossible for me to make just a year or two ago. And, it reflects a new (for me) development approach I am trying for Arcanaclysm.

Let me provide some context, then talk about what I'm doing differently for Arcanaclsym. My first major published project was The Last Librarian, which had a hugely ambitious scope for a first project, including an open-world and eight dungeons. But, I finished it! Meanwhile, I spent even more effort on my second project, Daughter of Dreams. And... I barely finished one chapter. It's still a huge chapter, but I fell short of my ambition.

The difference was polish. Daughter of Dreams was a better quality overall, including the art, writing, music, sound design, and code. This happened both because I had the skills to make it better, and because I held myself to a higher standard for my second project. But, I don't think I can have both ambitious scope and quality polish. Polish takes effort.

The balance felt off, for The Last Librarian AND Daughter of Dreams. For Arcanaclysm I am making two changes to my approach...

1) Narrow the scope, and keep the polish. For this game, I am starting much smaller. I have planned the entire game (the first version, at least), and it is very simple--almost something I could do in a game jam. I am using everything I've learned to make the small things as cool as I can.

2) Build one piece at a time. The smaller scope doesn't mean I'm not ambitious. When I finish the first Small Thing, then I will add another Small Thing. In some ways, this is closer to how I developed The Last Librarian. I didn't have a clear plan or know how to do it, so I did whatever I felt like that day. Arcanaclsym is also a roguelike (kinda), which will make this piece-by-piece approach more natural. I won't end up with a game that feels unfinished, because every version of Arcanaclysm will already be a finished game.

The portal in the video is the first Small Thing I finished. Behind the scenes, there are a lot of details I am quite proud of:

• The parallax on the space background as the camera moves.
• The green fire lighting as the player walks, the sound effects, and the little flare when it ignites.
• The artwork and variations on the ground tileset. The artwork for the portal.
• The mirror/shimmer effect on the portal (a modification of the water effect from Daughter of Dreams).
• The teleport effect itself, the sound effects, the increasing ripples, the way the ripples recede after the player vanishes.

I am incredibly pleased with this Small Thing. I did not have the skills to make all those details until recently. And, because the scope is small, I am still on pace to release the first playable version of Arcanaclysm in just a couple of months!

Stick around to play Arcanaclysm when it's ready. Follow me here, join my Discord Server, or Subscribe on YouTube. <3