#2 - Current State, July Demo, December Release

Current State of the Game

The first chapter of the game, which is where the player controls Nichols is nearly fully playable except for the ability to save the game and fixing glitches in the dialog system. The total gameplay for chapter one is about 15 minutes so the inability to save doesn't really hurt so much since it's so short. However, the glitches in the dialog system, frame drops in performance during heavy battles or bombing into new areas, and clunky feel of the encounter with Comandante Claus make me reconsider if chapter one should be released by simply trying to fix the glitches of the dialog or if I should push the release to revamp the dialog system entirely and use a more reliable system than the one I've cobbled together over the past few months. 

This would also allow me more time to improve the performance of the game and sharpen the encounter with Comandante Claus. I figured I could make this "little game" in 3-4 months since I was using a lot of code that was already working for me, however, adding the dialog system and fixing sound bugs took a lot longer than I expected, as did the artwork. I'm just a story teller so I've been overwhelmed learning all the other aspects of game development. However, I think these past two months have been very helpful in improving the experience for the player. I don't want you to play a game that fails to capture the magic that I see in the story. I want you to experience the lows and highs of saving Silver Pines. It's heartwarming yet witty and I don't feel this current chapter one build captures that. Nevertheless, since the first chapter is nearly ready, I will be polishing it up over the next two months for a July demo release.

Most of the game's mechanics are all working as intended. This includes the following:

1. Walk & Jump = jumping lets player have some control to jump forward or simply jump straight up
2. Dash = player can dash left or right and can do so while on the ground or at the apex of a jump
3. Attacking = player can use that character's weapon as well as peppermint bombs, which must be crafted
   1. Nichols = bow with regular arrows and peppermint bomb arrows, which must be crafted
   2. Wicks = peppermint firearm that fires a small peppermint bullet that explodes on contact
   3. Summers = uses no weapon in particular but is the only character who can use ANY weapon they find, even enemy weapons
4. Bombing = player can toss bombs to defeat enemies or blow up bombable walls/floors to access new areas
5. Crafting = player can use materials they find (arrows, explosive parts, chocolate pieces, & peppermint canes) to craft one of three items
   1. Peppermint Bombs = combine explosive parts with peppermint canes
   2. Peppermint Bomb Arrows = combine explosive parts, peppermint canes, & arrows
   3. Peppermint Patties = a favorite treat in Silver Pines that's become far too expensive so the elves have made their own
6. Inventory System = lets the player carry every special items they find to unlock new areas or new parts of the story
7. Battle System = simple side scrolling battle system. Player can fight or flee from enemies as they prefer, however, some boss fights can't be avoided.

New Release Date & Demo Release Date

I had originally wanted to release the game as one whole game split by four chapters where the player controls one of the three rebels, Summers, Wicks, and Nichols in each chapter then in the last chapter, the player would get to choose which character they wanted to close the game with. After getting about halfway into the first chapter, I saw the scope of the four chapter and decided to release the game chapter by chapter to avoid waiting a whole year to play the game in its complete form but now I'm back to the original idea. I think it's only fair I explain why. After re-tooling the dialog system to get that typewriter effect you see here, it got me thinking more about the narrative experience and the ability to interact with the town to really understand both the troubles of the townsfolk and the hope for changes that surrounds this rebellion.  I want to keep developing this dialog system you see here and polish it up so it not only looks better but also feels more purposeful and responsive. 

This part is crucial to the game since the player will be able to interact with anyone in town to dive into the story as much as they like. The town is very small and so everyone knows each other. The townsfolk help out the rebels in seemingly small ways that end up having big implications. So while it does bum me out not to have this game out by the end of Winter and then by early Spring, I'm just pushing the release until December 1st.  This gives me an additional seven months from now to work out all the kinks and really bring about that polish this game needs. 

Additionally, I won't be just fixing bugs (dialog system/frame drops) but also adding parts of the game I really wanted to include:

1. Voice acting for all the characters in the game. The dialog will be there but so will be the voice acting to bring the characters to life.
2. Ability to battle or flee from encounters with Comandante Claus. The final battle is still mandatory to fight. The rest will be up to you.
3. Comandante Claus can randomly appear in certain locations during certain points in the game, which will add a wave of tension to the experience
4. Ability to barter with friend and foe alike. Not all enemies will be open to it but some will
5. Adding the town of North Pine to the world map as well as the forest that separates it from Silver Pines. North Pine is the town that was once a friend of Silver Pines but since Comandante Claus took over, they've turned into bitter rivals.

This would complete this game just as envisioned. I will be providing monthly dev logs on here along with YouTube videos to show the progress, including the skill building I'm going through myself to bring this all to you. This means you'll see plenty of bloopers and odd bugs along the way.  I have new  gameplay that includes a boss battle with Dotson coming at the end of this month to show this month's progress.

The demo will be released in July. I'm very excited to be able to release this in July for players to get a taste of what's coming in the full release in December. In the demo, you'll get 5-7 minutes of timed gameplay to see how much of chapter one you can complete.  The time given will be just enough to finish it so speedrunners can have fun trying to complete this while also building on the skills they'll need to save Silver Pines in December.

Thank you for your interest and support in Comandante Claus. I'll be posting the video update in a few days on here, YouTube and Twitter as well. Cheers!