This is quite literally going to be a quick post, no endless waffle like normal.

Phase 1 Postmortem

First off, there's been some more bugs reported, including one with picking up items. It was reported, I tested it and couldn't replicate it. But then a few days later it started happening every time I tested it. That's a really annoying bug, but as soon as I could see it, it let me find what was wrong and fix it. So hopefully in the next few days I should be releasing the second Bugfix release, hopefully as a proper download this time. I'm working on getting it below the crucial 1Gb filesize for Itch instead of hosting on Drive.

I was expecting a lot more bug reports than I got. I don't know if it's because not many people have played it, people are put off by the email address requirement for bug reporting, or if there aren't many bugs.

I've done enough software development to know it's not going to be because there aren't many bugs.

Next Steps...

The big three. Bugfixes, fix lag and sub 1Gb filesize.

I've got a potential fix for both lag and filesize, and it's down to how foliage is built. A new grass and fern system has been implemented which I'll go into in more depth with the next bugfix release, but the upshot is the open forest now runs smoother and looks like this

Ok, that's slightly untruthful. It could look like that, but there's now a procedural system adding grass in the grass areas and ferns in fern areas. The forest floors tend to be bare, but the exposed areas are grassy and the deeper woods have fern patches. I'm in the process of implementing this on all levels with foliage.

The Future

Phase 2 should be gearing up, and I've been running through a lot of research into the systems I need to build for Phase 2, but I've also hit a major life issue. Throughout this project, I've been searching for a job while also trying to make game development sustainable. Probably not with a view to getting rich off it, but at least enough to live off of and put more time into game dev.

This hasn't worked, and a few days ago I ran out of the last of my overdraft with bills starting to stack up. Luckily, and I am massively grateful to everyone who did, I've been thrown a lifeline that should help for a couple more months. I'm still job hunting, but I also need to put time into making something that will help mitigate the financial issues. As of yesterday, the Running of the Wolves has been downloaded 7000 times, and has been bought 7 times. That was always a risk when giving the option to get it for free, but it's still a little disheartening.

Still, I am committed to completing this game, but I think the process needs a restructuring.

The Plan

Development will still continue, but at a certain point it will mostly end on itch.io. As features go into the game, I'll be adding them so the first Forest world will be the limit of the game here. It will match the full game, but will be the one world while the game should be hitting 4-5 worlds when completed. So for example, when combat, Forest boss and World 2 gets added, itch will get combat and the boss but not world 2.

This means itch will be a full game demo, and once that comes in, it will go completely free.

The full game will hopefully go out on Steam, and anyone who has purchased the game here will receive a steam key to get the full game without having to pay again.

There's no need to panic though, Steam is still a way down the line. It will probably happen at the end of Phase 2, which at best estimate is 9-12 weeks of work once I start on it. But that doesn't solve the financial side of things, so...

Game 2

We're currently in the downtime between phases. Bugfixes and quality of life stuff is being done, but the bulk of work right now is on paid work I have outstanding and Patreon rewards. A lot of this was postponed in the final push to get the game out before christmas, so now I'm playing catchup.

However, during some of the research for Phase 2, I've started learning how to do online multiplayer for game development, and come up with a fun idea I quite like for a fairly simple but hopefully fun deathmatch game. This game is currently in the planning and prototyping stage, but I've already got a basic replicated build that works between client and server.

This game is being planned to be online multiplayer and designed to go on steam from the outset. It has 2 main purposes:

1. Potential Income
2. Portfolio

The first one is the main target. I need money coming in. It's winter in Scotland and I've not had heating in over a week. Having a game targeted for Steam with what I think is an addictive game loop might help achieve that. Even if it doesn't, a minimal income still helps mitigate the rest.

The second one is because people keep asking about my game development, and I really want to be able to show stuff I've built and worked on. Adult content you've produced is always going to be dodgy to show to friends and family, but for potential employers it's a death sentence. I've been unemployed since May, and when someone asks what I've been doing since then, I can either lie and say nothing which looks really bad from an employer standpoint, or tell the truth about learning to make games then having to be general and speak about things you've learned without letting slip what you learned it on. Then they ask to see your game and that's not happening.

So I need something I can build and show as a portfolio piece.

Development for this will be mixed between everything else. The key is to get it finished while I have money available to pay the Steam fees. Luckily, I think it's a fairly simple concept, and fingers crossed it'll give me some ideas and experience in potentially adding multiplayer elements to Running of the Wolves in later phases. I'm hoping to get a basic prototype running for people on Discord within the next few days to at least test how it works over the internet.

Wait, shit

It turned into  ramble anyway.

Fuck.