Devlog 1 & 2 condensed

Hey all! Figures that I should upload the 2 devlogs that I uploaded to Game Jolt to here as well. I'm gonna condense them into 1 devlog together, with devlog 1 taking priority. Here's what younger me had to say;

"Every single system I have implemented so far is:

• Stealth mechanics!

  • DEVLOG 1: It's mostly cosmetic, but Villager can crouch. In some areas of the game you can be stealthy, which as you can see in the player detection bullet point below, it will sometimes be required.
  • DEVLOG 2: Not at all changed. These will be changed *very* late in proto1's development. I'm also throwing in the player detection system bullet point into here; still the exact same as well.

• ~Cutesy animations for the (very few drawn) party members~!

  • DEVLOG 1: Villager has a different animation for sprinting, jumping (but jumping may be removed), and staying idle. In separate animation sheets you can also see him swimming and stealth walking, all of which will also have their own sprinting and idle poses!The 2nd party member also has their own animations, but given that Villager is the protagonist, it isn't quite as many.
  • DEVLOG 2: Villager has been given a new flag for "stressed", where his facial expression shows his eyes widened and his mouth constantly open when sprinting.

• Footstep sounds!

  • DEVLOG 1: With the options to turn them off, make them loud or make them quiet. It is on quiet by default.
  • DEVLOG 2: Not at all changed. No new materials have been added, so it's not necessary.

• A custom menu!

  • DEVLOG 1: But I am currently working on remaking the options screen as I felt it was too basic and cluttered before.
  • DEVLOG 2: STILL working on the options screen. For some reason I lose steam when I have to look at that thing. You might understand why if I were to show you it. The animations for switching between the AUDIO and VISUAL tabs is done, just the animation for closing out of the menu is yet to be finished.

• Swimming mechanics! They are super prototype-y though.

  • DEVLOG 1: You can get in the water, you can go underwater (and drown if you wait too long), and party members will wait at the coastline for you until you get out of the water again.
  • DEVLOG 2: Not at all changed, and I'm not going to worry about it for proto1. It's not a priority.

• A day and night cycle!

  • DEVLOG 1: However it's been a while since I touched it so it might be broken!
  • DEVLOG 2: Still haven't touched it in a while, still could be broken. Again, a priority for later development near the end of proto1.

• A player detection system in an event that doesn't use plug-ins!

  • DEVLOG 1: It's only half finished though--meaning it can only work from one source and that source only.
  • DEVLOG 2: [See "Stealth Mechanics" bullet point above]

• Movement in the overworld very similar to Chrono Trigger!

  • DEVLOG 1: The player's sprite gets smaller (not squished, because that's weird. It's a custom sprite), diagonal movement and the smooth camera are turned off, and approaching buildings will show text on screen displaying what building you are at. If you press Z you will enter that building!
  • DEVLOG 2: This somehow BROKE a little bit since the last devlog. Specifically Villager's home no longer shows text, but Village 1 (temporary name) still shows its text correctly.

I unfortunately had to scrap the dynamic music system as the plug-in I was using was far too unreliable. Music would de-sync, BGS would be erased from maps when you left (meaning if you re-entered the map the BGS would not come back)... etc.

Some mechanics I am planning to implement or am currently in the process of implementing are:

• Job minigames!

  • DEVLOG 1: You'll be able to play Villager's main profession, a blacksmith, as well as mow lawns and be a farmer! 2 more jobs are planned but I currently have no ideas for them.
  • DEVLOG 2: I've cut the ideas I had for everything but the blacksmith job. The blacksmith job will be the only playable job. It's better this way, as I don't have to spend another 9 months of my life stressing out about how to make another job minigame, plus Villager probably wouldn't want to work 5 different jobs at once.

• The ability to hang out with NPCs!

  • DEVLOG 1: Hanging out with NPCs will level their friendship up, which can be useful for party members as their stats will increase. Non-party member NPCs will also benefit you by unlocking new minigames or giving you gifts/money!
  • DEVLOG 2: I've also cut this. In its entirety. You can check out the remnants of it in the game's files once proto1 is available for download, but it's too much work.

• A (HOPEFULLY) randomly generated mining area!

  • DEVLOG 1: The area will be pretty dangerous... but you can craft better gear for you and/or your party members, so it's not all bad! You can also replenish the blacksmith's resources by venturing here!
  • DEVLOG 2: I still want this in the game, even if it's not in proto1, but... again, it may be too much work. My idea for it is just to replenish materials at the blacksmith's job, since the mine is right outside in the backyard of the building anyway. I'm not sure if crafting better gear will be a feature of the mines.

• A 100% checklist!

  • DEVLOG 1: This will REALLY include everything... maxing out every possible relationship, doing every possible job at least once, doing every piece of side content... It'll be a toughie.
  • DEVLOG 2: (I forgot to touch up on this in my original devlog 2 post! I am still planning on having this in the game, but that might change.)

At this point this post kinda feels like an advertisement for the game, so hopefully that won't be how it is next time *-* "

Here's devlog 2's after-update section... I guess I can call it that!

"I've added a friend to the dev team! Give a warm welcome to @cadavercape. She is the developer of Steve RPG: New World +! Please check out that game as well, she has done very well with it so far! Hopefully, with her help, this game will be able to truly see the light of day.

To be fully transparent, all I am really aiming to do with proto1 is to have the server hub area complete-ish, and have a way to enter The Wild West's server, and MAYBE be able to do a couple things there. All I have left to do to reach that goal is finish the game's opening, add some villagers around town, have some scripted cutscenes happen at Villager's home, and open the floodgates - I mean, open the ability to travel to the server hub, and by proxy The Wild West. I am not going to be creating any more new tiles. At least, any new tiles that are not necessary. They will be left as default assets for a while, maybe even until the release of proto1. This all should be doable quite soon, as long as I still have the motivation.

Thank you for tuning in! I hope to update you all again soon. You also may have noticed that I have updated the Game Jolt page to include more songs, and the thumbnail + header images are now the same as the title screen art that I made."