Geouug 🎮

Finally figured something out that's been nagging me for a long time-- applying post-processing effects to single layers of the ASCII sprites in #Glyphscape. The top layer is already designated for particle effects, so adding bloom to that layer only adds a nice pop.

#Solodev #Indiedev

On the one hand, it's good to finish and share things.

On the other hand, finding a project that enriches you creatively for years is a beautiful and rare thing!

Baby's First #NextFest is over and the fact that there is a non-zero number of people that played and then wishlisted #Glyphscape warms my heart.

#SoloDev #IndieDev

It's a nice cultural moment because now when I run out of time to implement enemy behavior I can just tag the game as "No-AI"

@peteplaysthegames.bsky.social Hey Pete! Thought you might be interested in the current state of Glyphscape, as the first (and so far only) creator to have tried it out on stream.

I've just put out a demo and the full release is slated for late November!

Glyphscape on Steam A retro turn-based RPG with souls-like and metroidvania elements. Craft spells by combining magical glyphs, dispatch enemies through turn-based combat, discover the secrets and rich history in a deepl...

I know there are a lot of great game demos in #nexfest this year, but I have an #RPG #demo to throw on the pile.

#Glyphscape is like #DwarfFortress adventure mode with a bespoke world, crossed with #TTRPG and a sprinkling of #SoulsLike mechanics

#SoloDev

store.steampowered.com/app/3103690/...

Glyphscape on Steam A retro turn-based RPG with souls-like and metroidvania elements. Craft spells by combining magical glyphs, dispatch enemies through turn-based combat, discover the secrets and rich history in a deepl...

The final #nextfest demo build has been submitted! ⚔️🪄🔮🐉

I hope it's somebody's cup of tea, this has been the longest I've worked on anything in my life ❤️

store.steampowered.com/app/3103690/...

Nobody tell these people that writing code is the easy part of making a good game...

The narrative shift from "game development is hard so solo developers are actually crazy" to "anybody can be a solo developer" IMO is mostly driven by engagement incentives on surface-level tutorial videos.

Another #screenshotsaturday post while I'm at it: overhauled the Region Info UI which was sorely lacking before.

The region is shown in an expanded 3x3 grid of features (roads, rivers, points of interest).

On the right is a season/time-of-day dial and below is a weather readout and region name.

Did some much needed tweaks to how walls are displayed and the result is oh so satisfying. Now actually seems to give the proper perspective illusion I'm going for.

#Glyphscape #solodev #screenshotsaturday

Oh we're back on the "What is a Solo Dev" discourse. This is why I write inscrutable spaghetti so there can be no doubt. No one could effect something from this code but me.

#solodev

Took a swing at optimizing my display code, and have so far boosted fps by 50% across the board.

Frame rates are above the frame limit I've set, so further optimizations are going towards better batter life for Steam Deck/laptop users.

#indiedev #solodev #glyphscape

Updated the Turn Order UI for #Glyphscape. Previously, each Monster/Action had its own entry in the table. Hard to parse, and not very pretty.

The new UI gives each monster one slot, and reports their current resources only. Also, it's much prettier now.

BEFORE/AFTER

#indiedev #RPG #solodev

Just registered #Glyphscape for #NextFest! Now the pressure to get the demo finalized is real!

Leveling Up in #Glyphscape has been re-implemented in a simpler way, and adapted to the new combat system. Also about halfway through finally getting the spellcrafting menus to be intuitive. I currently confuse myself while trying to edit spells sometimes...

#indiedev #solodev

Interesting idea! Looks intuitive, like turning an invisible steering wheel.

To stay sane during this process, you gotta remember how many filters are between an impression and a download. I usually assume half of people who scroll past a thing really *see* it, and only 10% of those will follow the link & 10% of those will like what they find. So 5k -> 25 is right on target!

Really happy with this (hopefully final) iteration of the combat system. I've finally thrown in the towel on my ""unique"" turn-based systems in favor of something a lot more intuitive.

It will take a whole lot of rebalancing, but the upside is the new system is actually balance-able.

Hey people who have shipped games, is it a *good* idea or a *bad* idea to overhaul a core system within months of launch?

I'm going to do it anyway, just asking.

#gamedev #indiedev

Another #RatRace track - New Rat City

#MadeInGodot #indiedev #racing

Forgot bluesky has a complicated relationship with gifs. Here's the clip!

Video game clip of a dozen rats in plastic balls racing through a sewer track, then colliding as they push through a narrow doorway.

Took a pass at polishing up the arcade racer I made last year. I feel like this clip captures the game feel of #RatRace quite nicely. You can play right now on itch!

geouug.itch.io/rat-race

#solodev #MadeInGodot #indiedev #itchio

Reminds me of that proverb: "A developer cannot work on a project for many years. For by then it is not the same project, and they are not the same developer"

Honestly I don't know why I'm surprised that filling a big ol open world with content is a massive undertaking. That's like the whole thing.

Anyways soon I can return to my true passion: fixing bugs.

After about a month of database/spreadsheet hell I'm just about finished painting the world and placing all the content (loot, monsters, NPCs).

Now it's time for a relentless amount of playtesting because I KNOW the numbers I've set for every stat are going to be terribly wrong.

It was for a "retro horror" game jam so my hands were a bit tied there as well.

I received a suggestion to nix the fixed camera/tank controls of my early horror game homage because it was 'disorienting and outdated'. Like excuse me maybe I don't want you to be oriented

Now in The Machine's defense, at first I thought you were congratulating it for recognizing an impossible shape, because my eyes told me that was the actual illusion image.

They call it that because you need to buy 8 copies before it clicks.

Hey my most popular game is just shy of 500 so I see 1000 as a great achievement!

I feel the same though, the way the Internet has been consolidated and optimised has removed most of the avenues where you can discover neat things.