Adding Kickstarter Backer updates so that everyone with the Alpha can be in the know.
Kickstarter Update 35
The end of summer, and the lead up to Pre-Alpha 0.2
Hey everyone!
Last time I did an official update, we launched Pre-Alpha 0.1! And that felt amazing, getting a piece of the game out to about a 5th of the backers. Right after, we basically hopped right back in to continue working on our lead up to Pre-Alpha 0.2 and beyond.
*Brief note - Both Manny and I are probably at our most stable yet life wise. I just moved in with my fiancee (which killed a couple of days of work) and also taking time in Montana to discuss engagement with her parents was another few days. We're both employed full time, and that makes things go a bit slower, but also we're always super jazzed to work in the evening/weekend days. We are also being very mindful of burnout, and don't work ourselves ragged. Novel concepts, I know.
Next Steps
Pre-Alpha 0.2 is close - that’s all I want to say regarding a “date”. There was a period of about a year where we were *about* to release the pre-alpha and stuff kept getting in the way, which I think sort of became a sad joke. I don’t like letting anyone down, and believe me, no one was more disappointed than I was! For now I’ll just say, the next build will be out *SOON*, but I just don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up with an exact date just to dash them - and I’m sorry for that flakiness - we wanted to get builds out earlier, we really did.
Right now our main concerns lie in adding the last couple of gameplay features to the game, things that have only sort of worked in previous builds, that we think are very important to the game’s experience.
The basic structure of the fights is all done, and making new enemies with new moves, new behaviors, etc. PLUS adding all sorts of matchup configurations makes the combat very unique, and constantly a new situation - but there are some missing elements. The last pieces of the puzzle, which have been planned for some time, are Weapons, and Supers.
Weapons are assorted knives, 2x4s, police batons, pipes, etc. known in the beat 'em up world, so it only makes sense that players have the ability to pick up and use weapons against enemies, and for them to do the same to you.
Supers give you a chance to use a meter built by getting attacked/attacking, in order to perform moves that do a lot of damage, and get enemies off your back.
These two features are staples of the brawler genre (although there were no “supers” to speak of in Double Dragon, or River City Ransom…). Currently weapons are in and are working pretty well (after some major overhauling). That overhauling included reducing damage, increasing hit box for picking them up, etc. All sorts of dumb stuff under the hood.
Supers were fairly lackluster at first, and weren’t really jiving with the game, mostly because they weren’t implemented with a lot of necessary information attached to them which became obvious when we started playing. Supers are next on our list to make worthwhile in TiBC. I’m also looking at ways to make the UI to make it more exciting in general.
And that's it (development wise) for now! The next update will be when Pre-Alpha 0.2 is out!
I will be at the Media Indie Exchange in Seattle on September 1st showing off the latest build - if you're around, come by and see the latest updates!
Also, one final note - I helped organize the Game Devs of Color Expo year 2, where the game was also on display. We'll be doing Game Devs of Color Expo next year too, so if you missed it, check out the talks, and keep an eye/ear out for announcements in the next few months!