Hey Steve! I'm glad you enjoyed it! I just uploaded a new update and changed things up a bit. Instead of timed, now you first have to look for an artifact and touch it in each world in order to open the portal and release the destroyer of worlds. So you can relax and explore each world until you're ready for action.
I added a settings menu with an option to set the resolution and to change the quality preset. The quality presets are:
High-Fidelity (default -> what turned your computer into a smoking pile of slag)
Balanced
Performant
Potatoe (Nuclear option)
You were running at High-Fidelity so i'm hoping one of the other options will work.
I have a known problem right now where the setting doesn't stick when you restart, but i figured i'd get it uploaded for you as is to get you playing before I fix that.
Gimme a couple of hours to get it ready and uploaded.
Thanks, Steve. I just uploaded on more update to version 0.5.0
This one cleaned up a lot of narrative progression bugs that were stopping me in my tracks.
Also, I want to make sure you know that the clothes you wear make a difference in your warmth. there are some thermal clothes you get here and there that will eventually make you warm indefinitely... at least until night time. Layers... it's all about the layers of clothing in the cold.
Steve, you and I are a lot alike as gamers. I love games like Mist Survival, Vein, The Infected, and even SurrounDead... I love them so much I have to ban myself from them while developing my games so I don't get pulled in and time warps.
There are 2 top things that feel off to me in all these games I've played throughout the years: 1. If I see something in the game, I should be able to use it, interact with it, destroy it, and even create it if i have the in-game means. Things in the game should always matter even if mattering means they should be destroyed or repurposed logically. And it needs to make sense. Something exists in the world because it has a history that brought it to that spot.
2. Purpose - I need to have an existential purpose in the game. It can't just be survive. It can't just be craft. That will get me maybe 10 hours of playtime before I lose interest and stop caring. I need to feel like everything I do is for a reason and building up to something more. Maybe something bigger than myself. So there is an existential component I need.
A narrative can provide purpose, but not as an after thought. The narrative needs to be the tip of the story of what created the world as it is in the moment you enter it.
To give you a concrete example, the Log Cabin. Why is it there? How was it built? What is John Walker's connection to it such that he knows where it is and that it's a safe haven? Who is John Walker.
These are the questions I ask myself before I even build anything.
Some of the answer are hinted at but not outright said, for example: 1. The cabin is a hunting cabin, built by someone who chopped down trees around it. And you can see this in game because there are a lot of stumps around the cabin. 2. John Walker is a forest ranger, responsible for this area of the Teton mountains, including this hunting cabin which he stocks with wood occasionally for any hunters planning on staying there. The shed in the back he stocks with provisions, this is why he knows all about it and why his inner dialog doesn't spell it out for you in an exposition dump... he already knows these things so he reflects on them as a matter of fact rather than an "as you know" type of dialog.
But what he hints at is just the tip of what we know, and I have it all sketched out so that I'm not making things up as I go (another pet peeve of mine with story creators).
I've probably over-thought everything involved in the creation of this game, so we'll see where it takes us.
Yup, saving is at the top of my list for this week.
Watching another real gamer other than me play through it was incredible. The way you approached the world and reacted to things really showed me that my vision is landing. Everything you mentioned, what you enjoyed, what felt confusing, and what you expected to happen, lines up with what I’m trying to build.
My goal has always been that everything you see in the game should have meaning or function in the world. Nothing should just be filler or decoration unless it is actually meant to be. If you can see it, you should eventually be able to touch it, use it, or understand why it is there.
Right now the quest-based storyline is very linear and acts as a gatekeeper for certain things, like doors being stuck or progress being blocked. Honestly, I don't like that approach. It was a concession I made to get the game rounded out enough for early access. My long-term plan is for the narrative to support the gameplay, not drive it. I just need more time to get there.
As a solo developer, time management is the hardest part. Some days I wish I could clone myself or work inside a time bubble where everything outside slows down until I'm done.
Thanks again for your playthrough and feedback. It really helps me see how the game feels through someone else’s eyes.
I just uploaded the latest version. The health system should be much less punishing now. I also added a new medical item, "Heat Packs". So you can use that to recover warmth fast.
Right now, there's no save. I was hoping to get Saving in this week.
I'm going to be working on a lot of the things you mentioned in the video this week so i'll keep you updated.
Ok i got to the part of the video with the warmth situation. I need to ad a lot more feedback and information to explain the systems.
So I have implemented a physiology simulation that works like this:
Your hydration increases by drinking water (this is obvious) Your satiation goes up by eating (also obvious) Warmth increases by consuming your hydration and satiation and external sources like the furnace.
So if you have enough food + water + external heat will raise your warmth faster. Also, the thermal jacket in your inventory gives you a warmth boost also.
These things are not obvious at all, I need to add a lot more descriptions and make things more clear.
You're right though, warmth is too hard to raise. I'm going to make some adjustments and get a patch out tonight... see how much i can jam into this patch.
I'm still watching your video. You have no idea how valuable this is for me. Your video alone is going to drive my next week of development... so much gold here. Thanks, Steve.
lol yup! I ran out of time, the next thing on my list was to add the quest system and resource respawn. Basically another 4 hours of work and that would have been in.
Thank you for the feedback! I really appreciate it!
