Silent Sun

I blame Maxis... did you read the caption from the end of the SimAnt gif? Who wrote that lol!? Does anyone else remember that?

Full circle moment:
- Played SimAnt as a kid and got eaten by antlions.
- Was a demented child dropping real ants into real antlion pits (sorry nature).
- Now a fully grown adult making virtual antlions eat virtual ants.

Feels right somehow.

#IndieGameDev #PixelArt #SimAnt #GameDev #Roguelite

I spent way too long getting the player to sink properly into a sand whirlpool.

Isometric, ellipse is offset, gravity, rotation, and the math fought me every step of the way.

Barely affects gameplay... but at least I'll be able to sleep tonight.

#IndieGameDev #PixelArt #GameDev #Roguelite #RPG

Been working on NPC conversations that happen around you.

Two talk about you leaving the Nexus, wondering if you’ll make it through your first day.

Then a tutorial NPC with full portrait dialogue... a more grounded, story-driven exchange.

#IndieGameDev #PixelArt #RPG #Roguelite #GameDev

Been testing a new system for contextual speech, and it’s changing how the whole world feels.

NPCs comment on everything now... where they are, what time it is, when a storm hits, when friends die nearby, or if you turn hostile.

It’s a small thing, but suddenly the desert feels alive.

Playing with that tension between greed and survival.

In Shifting Sands, your Omnipack decides what comes home if you die. Upgrade it for more capacity.

In a run you can always head back early and bank everything… or push one more pile and risk it all.

Feels like the right kind of friction.

Working on how characters react to your actions... not just in dialogue trees, but moment to moment.

When you drop a part on the Idiquarian’s table or hand a tool to the Omnismith, they notice.

I love when story, systems, and character all overlap like this... the world feels connected.

Ignore the sand zombie hawking loogies at me...

Started building a proper sunset system.

The blended transitions between day and night change the mood way more than I expected... everything suddenly feels more alive.

Early storyboards for the Shifting Sands trailer.

We’re experimenting with how to frame the planet, the storm, and the hourglass motif... it’s all about that sense of drifting between time and ruin.

Feels wild finally seeing it take shape.

Full 40s combat test with 3 weapons: EMF disc throws, charged blaster shots, melee swipes, and an overpowered shield that drains energy instead of HP.

Enemies: tentacle, eyebeam, and claw bots.

If you were dropped in here, which weapon would you grab first?

I like inventory Tetris.
I like inventory Tetris.
I like inventory Tetris.
I like inventory Tetris.
I like inventory Tetris.
I like inventory Tetris.

Just finished a big render of the Nexus hub... the place you always return to after the desert storms wipe the world clean.

Feels good to see it finally alive with neon and detail.

Does it give you that safe haven vibe we’re going for?

What if Dredge’s catchable horrors lived not in the sea, but in the sands of Dune?

In Shifting Sands you can haul strange alien fish from silt pits and pools across the desert.

Yes... they bite back.

#IndieGameDev #PixelArt #RoguelikeDev #DredgeGame #Dune

A splash of Fallout, a dash of Star Wars, a pinch of Mad Max... packed into #pixelart . That's Shifting Sands.

This is the Heavy Gunner of the Raider faction.

🔥 Feature Friday! 🔥
An ancient evil has awoken by man’s lust for power. Lead by a distress call from a remote mining asteroid unravel the mystery of this madness and stop its spread in this horror retro shooter!
HYPERVIOLENT Out on Steam!
🔗 store.steampowered.com/app/1409200/...

Today is a silly day...

Playtesting your indie game got you down #IndieGameDev ? Bug hunting grinding your gears?

It's Fun Friday... why not make it FUN!? Persistent hitsparks on resource piles a bug you say?

NO! More like DESERT DISCO LIGHTS!! Boom chick cat chick!

Out with the old, in with the new!

We’ve been overhauling the UI in Shifting Sands... now with sleeker framing and more rendered items to bring the scrap to life.

What do you think of the upgrade?

#IndieGameDev #PixelArt #GameUI #RoguelikeDev

Experimenting with UI for the Overseer Marketplace in Shifting Sands.

Trying to balance that retro sci-fi vibe with clarity + usability.

Which direction feels stronger to you: chunky industrial or sleek holographic?

#IndieGameDev #PixelArt #GameUI #RoguelikeDev

Finished the player run cycle for Shifting Sands (for now).

Desert wind at your back, scrap on your shoulders, nowhere to go but forward.

#IndieGameDev #PixelArt #RoguelikeDev #GameDev

Had to squeeze in a bit more combat juice with this xenoant's gun spinning off when it dies.

Enemy hit and death animations add a lot to the game feel!

Now just need more satisfying player attack anims and visual effects.

#indiedev #gamedev #indiegame

Turning in for the day, but got in hurt and death anims. Getting there...
✅ Knockback
✅ Hitstop
✅ Telegraphs
✅ SFX
❌ Good atk fx
✅Enemy hurt/death anims
❌ Good player atk anims
😱 More!

A small addition but feels better for sure.

#GameDev #IndieDev #PixelArt

Refining combat = tackling a long checklist and then iterating:
✅ Knockback
✅ Hitstop
✅ Telegraphs
✅ SFX
❌ Good atk fx
❌ Enemy hurt/death anims
❌ Good player atk anims
😱 More!

A lot of small things… but they add up to satisfying fights ⚔️
#GameDev #IndieDev #PixelArt

Let’s see.. Roguelike, roguelite, neither? Drop your thoughts!

Me: “Hades is kinda roguelike.”

The internet: screenshot

#RoguelikeDev #IndieGameDev #GameDev #HadesGame

How I feel each morning respawning to tackle more #gamedevelopment

When you die in a roguelike, should respawn feel like punishment, part of the ritual... or do you just want to get back to it?

#IndieGameDev #RoguelikeDev #PixelArt

Her face when you haul back alien scrap from the desert. 👀

#IndieGameDev #PixelArt #RoguelikeDev

Definitely, there strategy in what you choose... do you ditch lower value scraps to squeeze in rare parts? Push one more pile and risk the storm, or play it safe and bank what you have?

So pushing some tension there for sure.

Scrap gathering core in the loop... planning the friction to drive players toward upgrading their inventory similar to how you upgrade your bag in Stardew or your boat in Dredge.

There will definitely be situations where you have to make judgement calls to keep something or leave it based on space.

Some gamers love “inventory Tetris”... re Dredge players for example.

Others RAGE quit at the sight of it.

Where do you stand?

#IndieGameDev #InventoryTetris #Roguelike