#0 - 2021/04/11 - 05:35 AM

This is the first devlog I ever do.

I didn't plan anything about it

But this is what I'm gonna do

I'll work on a sidescrolling shooter game

The theme is magical girl

This is not gonna be platformer or puzzle

It will be focus on action

What I'm gonna do?

I'll work on basic systems

Movement, Shooting, and engine

Then I'll work on design

Characters, Environments, and effects

Last thing will be AI and BGM

I'll focus on boss mechanic

because this is the key I want to pursue

Of course I won't forget

to work on basic AI

Because it's important

To always have playable game

I could always work on other stuffs

after the alpha version is finished

And here is my goal for alpha version

playable game with a finished level

I'll work on assets myself

Most of them might be placeholder

But I'll finish them

once the design is finished

so in conclusion

It'll be prototype version ASAP

=====================================

CONTEXT

I'm clearing my desktop and clean up many things on my PC to improve my work environment and essentially increase the overall productivity and efficiency.

I found this one in the notepad file which is the only devlog I made outside of Obsidian.

It's also not even a devlog. It's like just the initial plan for working on the new project.

In case you're not notice. I was thinking about making 2D side-scroller.

Why?

Easy, gamedev community were making 2D side-scrollers and most of them were making 2D platformers in retro pixel style.

That's right, it's the cult belief.

I was panned out enough from the common theme of "platformers" and "retro pixel style". But it's still the same old 2D side-scroller.

Back then I was still using Unity 2020 LTS.

But not long after, I changed into unreal. I think it's 2 weeks after the time on the devlog.

=====================================

VENTING

I'm always working hard.

Though there were many occasions where I stressed out and coping with various things. Sometimes gaming, read novels, manga, etc. There were also time when I watched Jumong, Three Kingdoms, and various wuxia series like The Legend of Condor Heroes.

I was like a drunkard going to a bar just to drunk everyday. I tried to rant out my frustration in life but nobody listen. So I just drank in silence.

During the period of 2021 to 2023, I wrote and published a few novels that didn't get any sale. I did it to prove to myself that I can work on long projects just fine. No offense, but game development especially solo project, is the hardest of them all. Writing novel for me was just easy time keep writing and working around the stories. I'd say I'm rather good at writing novels, but I never publish my masterpiece because of various reasons and one of them is moral issues.

In 2024, I was so frustrating during January and finally got myself to start working on my game once again a few days before March. Then after several bad attempts during the time before May, I published some tech demos here which contained the systems I spent most of my time developed them.

Late May, I joined GDTV Jam 2024 and published Abyssonance. I used Udio to made the source music and remix them into the version I used in the game. I used 3 AI generated images as background and the narrative character portrait. I got backlash just because of small amount of AI stuffs despite 99% I shed my blood and sweat to work. People just don't care all the efforts I spent. How much tears I shed and how much blood I had to swallowed to finish Abyssonance within the designated time.

Even with that, it's not even borderline ready to publish commercially. Not to mention the fact that I didn't work enough on the world building of Sorcery Tech.

I'm sorry, but I probably can't continued with Abyssonance Emergence. It's died before it has a chance to see the world. Don't worry, I'll keep working on the world building while working on something else.

I spent 2 months tried to work on Abyssonance Emergence after the jam. But there was nothing. I'm serious. But I learnt many technical skills during the time, so I guess it's fine.

Then a while ago, I made Eternal Moon Pavilion(Yongyue ting). The original goal was to join pirate software jam 15. But the problem was the HTML5 build won't render skeletal meshes. That's why I scrapped the idea of joining the jam and just published the game on PC.

I'd say Eternal Moon Pavilion is kinda fun. I had my 10 minutes fun and that's enough for the game I made within 3 days.

At least I found that even if the game I made don't get enjoy by others. As long as I'm contented with them and had enough fun, then it's enough.

=====================================

ANNOUNCEMENT

Alright after you read this long, it's mean you interest in me or my works enough.

I'm working on a new project called "Corrupted Dimensions".

I think I have a game with the same name here on itch.

Well the concept of the game was actually the one I had been working for so long.

It's actually the exact same concept which I refurbished into Sorcery Tech. It's just Sorcery World, without 'Tech'.

So I'm back to the generic fantasy once more.

The protagonist is still "The Guardian", but this time without the idea of organization.

If I have to say, it's like I'm cutting any excess elements from Abyssonance Emergence and made into this game.

Honestly, i decided to make Corrupted Dimensions instead because I could perceived that Abyssonance Emergence would take me at least a year to finish if I have to follow the schedule, and that's already a given for the case I could always work in optimal efficiency.

Now Corrupted Dimensions got announced as a 100-days project.

So I'll have to do everything to finish this project and publish within 100 days.

Today is the 12th day of the project since announced. I didn't start working on the project until I announced the project, so it's kinda progressing slowly.

===========================================

Day 1, I forgot to write the journal on that day but wrote the next day. There was only GDD and plans for pre-production phase.

Day 2, I also forgot to write on that day. I worked on the plans and made milestones to track my progress.

Day 3, I simplified the project design, planning, and stuffs. Because the plan was too complex.

Day 4, I got burnout after a shorter work session. It's about the plans for pre-production.

Day 5, I got depressed because life situation...and the country, and the world, everything is just depressing. But I still made simple props models. Despite being depressed, I still managed to ignited the fire for this project.

Day 6,  I spent my time playing PoE and stay in denial. I actually hate the grindfest though. I love gameplay but hate grindfest, if that make sense.

Day 7, I forced myself to force my way to start working once more and done about half the environment props that'd need to work on initial game builds.

Day 8, I cancelled 5 models because they're too complicated to make and they don't seem to need custom shapes, so essentially they'll be make within unreal afterward. But I finished the rest of environment porps. I hit the roadblock at this point and need to think about stuffs.

Day 9, I finished a character. It's too simple to be the only one of the day. But I seems to got bogged at this point.

Day 10, I forgot to write on the day so I wrote on the next day. I was considering about the plan of this project once more and decided to make it into an action roguelite game. I wrote about the ideas in genres and stuffs but they're not important.

Day 11, I made the goblin model without head. I ran out of juice for the creative process and spent my day in escapism.

Well until the late night yesterday which I was in escapism, I decided to stop them all.

Whatever wasting my time and whatever I don't enjoy anymore, I'd just stop.

PoE got the league which is bad for people with addiction problem like myself. I mean the gold consumption land of eternal slaves is just too bad for people that can't help but have anxiety due to the fear that the town would stop functioning if I don't supply enough gold for it...too far tbh. I mean it's fun but it's junkfood level fun. It's bad for my health.

Zenless Zone Zero also bad. While it's fun for a few days, it's just that. If ZZZ is the only active game, I might still play it alongside the work. But along with PoE, it's overwhelmed. I must choose one but I couldn't choose. So I decided to stop both of them altogether. It's better this way.

Well the problem with ZZZ is actually the dailies and weeklies. I don't have enough time to take my time and slowly play them all. Before PoE new league started, I could finish them all leisurely in 5 days. But now....I didn't have the time to "leisurely play" because I had to "increase my gold reserve". This is the madness which capitalists have to experience in everyday life. I'm not willing to take part in this madness, sorry.

So I was overwhelmed.

That's why today, Day 12, I'm cleaning up all the mess and ready to work on my game more efficiently.

=======================================

This section is less about work and more about personal stuffs, but still involving gamedev.

I followed a person with YT name "The Infinite Inkwell".

I'm sorry for calling you out. I followed you since your day 1 of announcing to work on game development. You'd been uploading weekly until a month ago you stopped.

I don't know what happening to you. Maybe life stuffs.

But don't give up if you ever read this.

It doesn't matter if the quality is not to the standard. It's what you want to do which is matters.

You said you want to tell your stories right? Yeah, go ahead.

My goal is to create my own world. So I'm working on it. Slowly, with life problems, with personal problems, with skills issue.

I can't make videos to talk about stuffs because my aunt is talking all day long even by herself. So her voice will surely got record into the videos. I also don't have a good mic, no money to invest in a good mic either. If I have money, I'd rather use them to pay for steam direct fee.

That's why I probably won't have anyone follow me until I publish my first game on steam.

I actually published some mini games on itch, but I don't have much followers and most of them are fellow gamedevs whom joined the same game jams.

Most of my followers on X are porn bots. It's sad that I don't see any potential customers following me. But that's to be expected because I don't have anything to show properly. I don't have something that could get people exciting or hyping. My games would probably won't be as hyping as others.

Well it can't be help. My energy spectrum is darkness, it's the element which is the opposite of hype.

===========================================

Anyways if you read until now, make sure to follow me on itch and maybe on X ( https://x.com/Drakosea_Games )

I probably won't put my effort to work on mailing list like Thomas Brush.

I mean I want my success too, but I don't have energy to spend on stuffs. I mean gamedev is already hard and I won't approach any publisher like him.

Would I work so hard to gain mass success?

Probably not. I don't want to make a sacrifice that much.

Maybe one day if I have immense success, the indie dream succes kind. I'd hire my friends to help me think of ideas to make contents and actually work on them. To branch out and build my own branding.

But that's the secondary.

My priority is to make games.