Hello, my name is David O'Toole and I am working on a new game called "1x0ng" (pronounce it ONE-zong.) I would like to run a devlog here on the Itch.io forums, and share the game's design and development processes with you.

Playtesting of new stuff has always been a crucial component of gamedev for me. Talking to users, watching them play my games in-person, or communicating with players online through IRC or web forums is very important---whether it's a bug report, a suggestion, a simple "kudos", or even a whole new feature idea that I never would have come up with myself.

I like to think of it as User-driven gamedev.

I have a playable alpha build of 1x0ng ready now, with all the main gameplay ideas implemented. You can find screenshots, video, and downloads for Windows and Linux here on Itch.io: http://dto.itch.io/1x0ng

I invite you, itch.io community, to play and critique! If you find a bug, have an idea, or wish to speak your mind about things generally, then please post here in the topic.

I will gather all reports, fix bugs, implement suggestions, and issue updated game builds on a semi-daily basis.

I hope you will enjoy this game :) I'll keep the thread updated as I work on new parts.

Here is a video:

I've just released version 0.3 with several improvements:

• Fixed issue with player becoming stuck in wall at start of some levels
• Fixed color-contrast issue with one color theme and the tracer's red wire trail.
• The oldest chevron on the board (out of the 4 allowed) now flashes, indicating that it is the next to disappear when you lay a 5th chevron.
• New tiny musical fanfares when levels open
• Improved, more satisfying death sound!

My next task for v0.4 is to improve the random level generator so that levels are more architecturally coherent and more varied. I also need to further adjust the difficulty progression, allow oversized levels, and possibly add more enemies/objects.

I'm pleased to announce the release of 1x0ng version 0.4, with the following changes:

• Gamepad support for solo play (press ESCAPE to configure)
• Two-player Co-operative play, using gamepads (press ESCAPE to configure)
• Fixed a bug where player couldn't fire ball when standing on chevron
• The squareball is now a bit faster
• Black holes are now destroyed permanently when enemies fall in
• Fixed slowdown issue when a tracer gets stuck.

I playtested the co-op with a friend today, and it's quite fun! You each have a squareball, and can only catch your own ball; however, you must SHARE the supply of 4 chevrons between you, and verbally coordinate in your efforts.

While more needs to be added to flesh out the design and levels, I think the game is coming along very well. I hope you enjoy it! And please let me know your thoughts.

1x0ng version 0.5 is out. There's a creepy new creature to find past level 5, and more improvements/adjustments.

I'm pleased to announce the release of 1x0ng version 0.6.
New changes in this version:

• Level generator has been rewritten
• Increased enemy speeds
• Tracer trail length now varies by level
• Fixed diagonal tracers getting stuck in rooms
• Fixed redundant gates being added to some fortresses
• Fixed several audio glitches
• New crunchier death sound

I hope you enjoy this work-in-progress, and I welcome your feedback and opinions. Now that the basics are implemented, what remains is to improve the level generation and difficulty progression. I may also add some more enemies and even a boss or two :)