On my birthday 9 months ago I posted my first gameplay gif to reddit and got some very critical and valid feedback. I was told that I needed to improve the look and feel of my 2d-platformer game before I shared it any further.
I took the criticism to heart, hired an illustrator (who is also a co-worker at our day job in the solar industry) and worked with an animator to create the sprite sheets. I then spent way longer than you'd expect learning how Unity's Animator works, attempting to bypass it with Playmaker, and then finally having it click in to place one super productive evening. The result is a game that I believe looks far better, and it "feels" pretty good to play as well !
Now I could use some help deciding what to focus on. This is very much a nights/weekends hobby for me, time is limited, but focusing on improvements that will result in more interest from a core group of supporters is my main objective. If this where your game, what would you focus on next: Deciding between the most impactful but difficult option (#1)and the easier to implement
- Improving the "baddies" in appearance and function . The "coal chunk chuckers" which are currently just black blobs that don't move, and the tornado which currently looks like a 5 year old drew it. Making the bad guys look cooler and chase down the character will clearly make the install seem more interesting.
- Effect/Splash/Animation when panels are installed. I think some sort of "flash/firework or other visual indication when every panel is installed would make the game look more interesting.
- Make/improve background and stationary items (like house). I think a slick parallax background might make the game look more professional, and that the houses could look a lot more polished and professional.
- Choose your own suggestion: If you think there is something more glaring I should focus on, or a better opportunity to focus on, please let me know!
After:
Old Screen Shot: Ugh, why did I ever share this, lol?
For those who haven't figured it out yet, Clean Energy Creatures is about a Disc-Golf Loving Alien, Sent to Earth to Save us, One Solar Panel at a Time!
Links if you're interested in following along:
twitter: https://twitter.com/CleanEnergyFun
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website: CleanEnergyCreatures.com
itch.io: https://cleanenergyfun.itch.io/clean-energy-creatures