IGF..

I am still working on Garboil when I can thougt I'll admit I'm rather lost on how to continue.  IndieCade should be wrapping up soon and hopefully I'll get some feedback.  If things seem workable, I'll shoot for getting Garboil ready for the IGF.

 16th Annual IGF

After doing the gameplay video for Garboil there were a few things that got in the way.

Gone is the need to buy your play pieces.  You'll randomly get one as you play ( actually had an idea for a rather convoluted unlock/achievement reward that would let you do just that).  You can still buy specific pieces and swap out ones you don't like just at an increased cost.  Money will still be relevant during play just not as much so.  The final score was meant to be the actually take away from a game anyway so might as well make that more important to the player by decreasing relevancy of other stats.

Difficulty will also be reworked.  Right now difficulty is defined by the number of 'bad' tiles the board starts with and the default grid size used to generate/select that game pieces.  I want to add a bit more initial confusion for the user requiring more observation/trial and error on their part.

I also have been messing with the theme.

Here's a glimpse at what I'm messing up now.

Uploaded a gameplay video for Garboil Farms.

slow...

Spent my one day off this week working on the buy screen for Garboil.  Gave me an idea on how to proceed with a few mechanics I still need to flesh out.

Current looks like this:

Is it clear what the numbers 'could' mean?

I'm not retreating - I'm advancing in another direction - The original one.

You know how you get an idea and you try to accomplish something with it only to have it fester like a wound.  So doubt grows and you try to belay your fears by changing your vision to suit some imagined perfect outcome.  I would really like to release a game and my own doubts and fears just muck things up.

Focusing on the original vision for this thing is what I should strive for.  I have to redouble my efforts on the things I can't do well.  Art is my main weakness and I have been trying to focus more on not becoming impatience with my failings.  I think the current reskinning of the main play area is a good start.

Indie Intermission - Monster M.A.S.H.

Taking a break from Garboil by working on a little game over the holiday.  This is a love song of sorts to Dwarf Fortress.  The game takes place in one room.  An ER of sorts for monsters.  In true DF fashion entities will react to their lot in life.  Hopefully in crazy ways.

Day 1:

Entities move about randomly.

There is no direct control.  They will do what they 'want'.

Pixel Pushing

Continuing to change theme of game.  Working on title screen now.

Garboil

    For almost two months now I have been working on a game.  I have been focused on it more than any other project I have started before.  Most beneficial has been the drive to keep the idea grounded and actually durable with my current skill level, where as other projects have been larger than life.

    I also submitted the game to IndieCade after only working on it for a month.  Do I think my game is that awesome that I will win? No.  Thought the fact that it's out there for others to judge makes me strive that much harder to improve on the final product.

Part of future background.

   I am currently moving onto overhauling the graphics as they are current an eye-soar.

Ludum Dare and failure?

So last weekend was my third 'I'm really gonna try to do this' attempt at Ludum Dare.  Though I was unable to devote allot the full time to the event, due to game dev being my fantasy job not my real one, I think I ended up with an interesting project that I may continue.  It appears to want to be a puzzle game of sorts.  I am horrible at puzzle game...

Keep working.

Some screens of current unfinished project 42...