Hello. My game ain't dead, in case you were wondering. :)
I've been working on it diligently since the last update. I thought I'd start a new thread to keep track of the recent progress on my game. I hope to keep it updated at least once a month. Heh, we'll see how that goes.
Toad on Fire - Dev Log
Re: Toad on Fire - Dev Log
Progress Update, May 2018
It's been far too long since my last update, but I have put a lot of work into the game since then. Here are some notable items.
New boss.
Checkout the gif below:
So far I have four bosses. I'm hoping to have a total of five for the finished game.
New move.
I call it the cannonball:
I added this move because I wanted some sort of trade-off between attack types. Rather than simply adding a more powerful weapon, this one gives you a meaningful choice: powerful cannonball attack but you change your position closer to the enemy, or stay back and fire as usual. It also offers a different traveling speed which allows for a more dynamic experience across the board.
New environment.
Well...actually it's one I've been working on for a long time. It's the sky levels where you fly around on your jetpack, exploring the tropopause, stratosphere, etc.:
Some more screenshots:
It's been far too long since my last update, but I have put a lot of work into the game since then. Here are some notable items.
New boss.
Checkout the gif below:
So far I have four bosses. I'm hoping to have a total of five for the finished game.
New move.
I call it the cannonball:
I added this move because I wanted some sort of trade-off between attack types. Rather than simply adding a more powerful weapon, this one gives you a meaningful choice: powerful cannonball attack but you change your position closer to the enemy, or stay back and fire as usual. It also offers a different traveling speed which allows for a more dynamic experience across the board.
New environment.
Well...actually it's one I've been working on for a long time. It's the sky levels where you fly around on your jetpack, exploring the tropopause, stratosphere, etc.:
Some more screenshots:
Last edited by ecxjoe on Jun 27, 2018 2:15, edited 4 times in total.
Re: Toad on Fire - Dev Log
I realize I'm over due for another demo. So much has changed since the last one. And I also want to get one out to share. I'll be aiming for June to release the next demo.
Re: Toad on Fire - Dev Log
Hi, ecxjoeecxjoe wrote:I realize I'm over due for another demo. So much has changed since the last one. And I also want to get one out to share. I'll be aiming for June to release the next demo.
These days I was wondering how you were faring, so I guess this answers it =D
Looking amazing so far. Will look forward for a demo, so keep it up!
Re: Toad on Fire - Dev Log
Thanks, Paul!
Re: Toad on Fire - Dev Log
I had wondered what had become of this. Looking great, and sounds like you're putting proper thought into game design too!
Re: Toad on Fire - Dev Log
Thank you, @TeeEmCee.
Re: Toad on Fire - Dev Log
Progress Update, June 2018
Bug fixes! Bug fixes! Bug fixes!
In prep for releasing a new demo, I've been running through the game a lot, fixing what bugs that come up. There always seems to be something to fix. That's why I don't have a demo for this month; there was much more to fix than I expected.
With this update, I'll just highlight a few things I've been working on, whilst in the midst of fixing bugs.
New theme
I've been working on another theme. This one has mushroom trees and mossy walls. I still need to adjust the palette so it's not the same green/blue feel as other themes.
The Farm
At the very beginning of the game, you start on a farm. I added some flowers to give the look more variety and rows of corn stalks so it looks more like a farm.
Finished a level
I completed one of the sky levels. Well, all levels are constantly being updated as I progress on the game. I guess I mean I have a path from the start to finish, and that it mostly feels complete. Near the end you need to fly through a gauntlet of mines and spiked balls.
New! Purchase armor and suit up.
You can now buy armor from the shops for protection. I needed some more things for the player to spend money on, and this turned out to be a good investment of time. While worn, you only lose a half-heart instead of a whole-heart when hit. After enough hits, the armor will break and you'll lose it. You always have the option to purchase more armor afterwards.
Ditched the palace/wizard levels
R.I.P palace levels. These were slower levels to give the player a break from all the action. Mostly it involved just going through a few rooms until you find the wizard, upon which the wizard give you a gift by casting a spell. Mainly it was just a way to level-up the player's max HP.
Why'd I get rid of it? As the game progressed, the pacing of these levels started to feel off, and they no longer felt needed since I added the shop levels (which also act as a break between the action).
The relationship between Smokey and the wizard kept getting more complex. There was a lot more to work on to get it feeling just right. I was about to add some more complexity and feature creep to it, but man, that would've been too much. I'm trying to finish a game, not keep this one going on forever. Sometimes, I think, you have to spend time finding what to remove as much as you spend time on adding things. It's a constant curation process. This was something that needed to be removed. It wasn't an easy decision, but I think it was the right one. Here's a few screenshots for keepsake.
The palace entrance.
Earlier version of the wizard room, with him casting a spell to increase vitality.
Newer version of the wizard room.
That's all the updates for now. Fingers crossed for a demo in July.
Bug fixes! Bug fixes! Bug fixes!
In prep for releasing a new demo, I've been running through the game a lot, fixing what bugs that come up. There always seems to be something to fix. That's why I don't have a demo for this month; there was much more to fix than I expected.
With this update, I'll just highlight a few things I've been working on, whilst in the midst of fixing bugs.
New theme
I've been working on another theme. This one has mushroom trees and mossy walls. I still need to adjust the palette so it's not the same green/blue feel as other themes.
The Farm
At the very beginning of the game, you start on a farm. I added some flowers to give the look more variety and rows of corn stalks so it looks more like a farm.
Finished a level
I completed one of the sky levels. Well, all levels are constantly being updated as I progress on the game. I guess I mean I have a path from the start to finish, and that it mostly feels complete. Near the end you need to fly through a gauntlet of mines and spiked balls.
New! Purchase armor and suit up.
You can now buy armor from the shops for protection. I needed some more things for the player to spend money on, and this turned out to be a good investment of time. While worn, you only lose a half-heart instead of a whole-heart when hit. After enough hits, the armor will break and you'll lose it. You always have the option to purchase more armor afterwards.
Ditched the palace/wizard levels
R.I.P palace levels. These were slower levels to give the player a break from all the action. Mostly it involved just going through a few rooms until you find the wizard, upon which the wizard give you a gift by casting a spell. Mainly it was just a way to level-up the player's max HP.
Why'd I get rid of it? As the game progressed, the pacing of these levels started to feel off, and they no longer felt needed since I added the shop levels (which also act as a break between the action).
The relationship between Smokey and the wizard kept getting more complex. There was a lot more to work on to get it feeling just right. I was about to add some more complexity and feature creep to it, but man, that would've been too much. I'm trying to finish a game, not keep this one going on forever. Sometimes, I think, you have to spend time finding what to remove as much as you spend time on adding things. It's a constant curation process. This was something that needed to be removed. It wasn't an easy decision, but I think it was the right one. Here's a few screenshots for keepsake.
The palace entrance.
Earlier version of the wizard room, with him casting a spell to increase vitality.
Newer version of the wizard room.
That's all the updates for now. Fingers crossed for a demo in July.