Posted September 07, 2018 by Synthnostate
I've been busy the last two weeks whipping the game engine into shape for private alpha testing in late September, checking off milestones on the roadmap:
The "problem libraries" were ok (not good!) for prototyping but they're a massive production headache. They're overkill, too big for what they are, with funky build scripts. Some are LGPL-licensed, so you can distribute the DLL with commercial software but you can't static-link into the main EXE.
We want small libraries that do one thing well, that we can compile from source code in our CMake build process. No 'autocrap' build scripts please! No strings attached - MIT-style license, public domain, or GTFO.
That's Free Software at its finest. Free as in freedom, free as in zero cost, simple and practical, and too small to attract self-serving corporate sponsors or worse, the dreaded "community".
Now that the engine's in a semblance of order, it's time to focus on narrative for a few days. It's been hard to focus lately, what with current events catching up to this fiction (even though it takes place a few years ago).
What are we trying to say with this game? Absolutely nothing. It's just a game.
What are we actually going to say? Too much. ;)
What are we supposed to think when we play this game for old time's sake in 20 years? Ah, the 2010s, when technology almost got out of control. Mankind dodged a bullet. (Fingers crossed, knock on wood)
What are we writing about? Characters, rivalries, sidequests.
When? Later. We have 6 months for all that, or more if we delay like pros!
Then what do we need now? Gameplay loops. Find clues; search for answers; get into fights and arguments; succeed/fail; claim your reward/punishment, advance the plot, and level up from time to time. Just give the alpha testers enough meat to sink a few hours into it, mostly in exploration and combat.