Posted September 07, 2020 by BowtieArtistGames
Hey everyone! It's been two months since the last Devlog, and I wanted to bring some new information to you guys about the next update.
First of all, I deeply apologize for the amount of bugs I did not find and fix in the last update. Only just yesterday did I notice the bug crashes that actually made in impossible to explore the rest of the demo past the entrance to the Woodbury Forest. Moreso, if you were able to bypass that crash, certain player transfer spots actually led to the wrong locations. So for that, I am VERY sorry. You had downloaded a version of the game that was only half-explorable due to my own lack of testing in certain areas. I'm not quite sure how these bugs went unnoticed by me, but again, I am very sorry. The next update will address MANY bugs and crashes due to these issues.
Recently, I broke a crash that happened anytime I put in an image and had it's display position as Center rather than Upper Left. This apparently was caused by a bit of code within Effectus, a script I use to make the game a little less laggy. With that chunk of code temporarily disabled, it seems as though Centered images are working again, which opens up a lot of visual opportunities. The only one I've worked on so far as the way player transfers work. Before, player transfers would be a sound, a fade out, layers loading, new area loads, and fade in. NOW, each town's theme icon (Woodbury is a scroll, forests are leaves, the Gateway is a gear, etc.) will do a tunnel zoom into black, then zoom back out again revealing the next area. A cool visual that I've never been able to do in this game solely because of that crash. While some areas don't have this feature in the demo, specifically the Tunnels and the Waterfall Cave, I hope to have them ready at a later date. If, however the game bugs out due to the removed code, this feature might be put on pause until further notice, but it definitely will be a part of the next update. You guys find bugs faster than I do, after all. If anyone would catch an issue, it'll be you amazing folks at home.
I'm not sure if I mentioned it in a previous Devlog, but there's going to be a new image-based title screen menu as well. Out with old designs, in with a brand new one. While there is a secret to this menu I can't discuss yet, I can tell you that I did fix an issue from long ago...yet another crash that happens when you load a non-existent save file. In fact, the load screen can no longer be accessed if the game cannot find a save file at all. A little conditional branch that calls a code to open the load screen if a save file exists, and blocks the call with an error popup if the save file doesn't exist. Pretty nifty, and something I couldn't do with the previous title screen.
Finally....FINALLY...the Otnemarcas Dungeon is complete. Update 1.9.2 saw the first introduction of the map, but unfortunately, without the bug fixes this update provides, you couldn't even see the old dungeon because you might not have been able to get to Otnemarcas in the first place without crashes. I'm happy to say that the dungeon is not only complete, but has new concepts thrown in as well as points of lore. I hope to see people maybe connecting the dots as the game continues development.
Many locations have seen upgrades in the last couple of updates, and this update doesn't stop the pattern. The Otnemarcas Hotel has had a renovation, as an example...which is a long time coming if you ask me. New carpets, wallpaper, specific areas getting their own room such as the bar and the restaurant, etc. The Wheeze shop has a new look as well, a more defined color scheme with new visuals. Take a look around if you'd like!
In the previous Devlog, I mentioned that, for the first time ever, I'd be stripping away some of that demo-only story that some game companies do. The prime example is New Woodbury as a whole. Heather walks up to you, joins the party, you go shopping, get hints to go to the church basement, battle some enemies, boom chapter pretty much done. In this update, prepare for a whole different scenario. I can't say much about it, but this demo will definitely give you more insight into the story I'd like to tell you.
Going forward, you'll begin the main story line for Carrasco as well. As you meet Jake/Pez, you'll get some insight on his type of character, personality, and his ties to other people. By the time this update comes out, you should also be able to complete your first Tournament with no bugs or glitches. I look forward to feedback on the Tournament. Within the next couple of updates after, I hope to bring you one or two more tournaments to keep the interest alive, as well as a secret tournament to look forward to as well.
Finally, a namedrop from early in development, "CUTO", will be present in this demo. Explanations of what it is and why it is important will be part of the story shown. This is a fundamental base to the beginning of our character's adventure, and a tip of the hat towards the full game's experience.
With the new update, you'll notice certain things have changed. Some menus have been tweaked in design, some popups a little more cleaned up. Not all, just a couple here and there. The music menu has a brand new graphical design, as an example. The Wheeze Shop, as mentioned before, has a new map tileset, and it's minigame has been updated by both graphics and name. There's lots of other bits and bobs I'd love to share with you, but that'll have to wait for the full update.
This next update was supposed to be just some bug fixes, maybe a tweak here or there for menus, and has blown up to be a bigger update than I'd have thought. Because of the time it took to get to where I am in development, I'm pushing even more content to make up for lost time. More secrets, more hints at lore, more attention to detail, and more story.
I hope you all can give me just a little more time for the next update. If you've come this far with this project and have liked what you've seen so far, I can say with confidence you will not be disappointed in this oncoming update.
I hope to talk to you all very soon!