devlog #12 (16.07.2023) - Visual Novel


<< Previous Devlog


Hey,

The last version got a little bit of attention on tumblr, so I thought it might be good to continue working on it. And then I didn't. Hehe. Well, I tried. I thought I'd add visuals and music and turn it into a full visual novel thing, but I couldn't get Asterius's design right (any furry artist out there can help me out?). So then, I thought it might be good to try making a simple and short visual novel first, just as a test, and then bring back the office building setting. This is the result.

Did you play it? Did you like it? I don't know if I did. It's dark. I don't know why I keep making these weird anti-game things. I thought I was going somewhere different with the last one. It was light-hearted. Fun. People seemed to like it. But I'm still going back to that, right?

...Tbh I don't know if I am. First, I don't know if my drawing abilities could ever do justice to sweet Asterius. Second, should I even continue making these interactive fictions/visual novels? Both genres are so over-done. They barely count as video games. This is not how I revolutionize the world of gaming. Which at its core is what I really want to do, right? Clearly just making something fun that people enjoy isn't enough for me. But should I just continue to blindly follow my desires, or should I actually start thinking about my audience and what they want? I don't know. I wish there was just someone to tell me what the hell I should be doing.


Which gives me an idea. Well, it's actually something I've been toying with for a while now, but... I think now is as good a time as any. So there's this guy, a famous game developer (whose name I will not mention in case he doesn't want to be on some random guy's devlogs, but let's just say that if you're into indie gaming at all, you know him). He's this sort of a mentor figure to me (does he think of himself as my mentor? Probably not. But it's okay for me to view him that way I think). He taught me a class in undergrad, and I then had him come to my thesis defense panel (for this game). He told me at the end that I could come to him anytime to test a project of mine, which I've been too intimidated to do until now but... I'm running out of options here lol. Even though I haven't reached out in forever but I'm sure it'll be fine!!! I just gotta figure out which version to send him. I'm leaning towards one of the original maze ones, the one where you could teleport and there was a time limit with the candle. This one.  I feel like it's the most interesting one I've made so far. All the others are so derivative and stupid and dumb. ARGGGGGHHHH. I have to stop beating myself up like this. God. I really hope he likes it. I'm extremely nervous. But I'm also excited! Honestly. He had some really nice things to say about my capstone which I still think about every now and then. Of course, I don't expect him to just compliment me. I really hope not. I need a real critique. Some tough love. That's what I need. Anyway. Hopefully next time I'm a bit more confident about where I'm going.


See ya.


EDIT: Now that I think about it, is visual novel the right term for this game? Walking simulator might be more appropriate... technically. I think I already called one of the early ones that though. What do you think?


As always, current gameplay video:

Comments

Log in with itch.io to leave a comment.

first time i'm coming accross this project, i LOVE this iteration. i kept wondering if the text was repeating or not, but then i saw the very slight differences, until the thread broke, and then the music started getting all weird and sentences REALLY started repeating... i kept playing for 10 more minutes wondering if something new would happen, but of course it didn't. i'm half "WELL YOU SHOULD TELL ME IF THE GAME IS FINISHED INSTEAD OF REPEATING THE SAME THING" part "but the sentences repeating and the maze never ending is Part Of The Game... an integral part..." which is a fun place to be in hehe! excited to play any new iterations you decide to make, this is a fascinating concept <3

aw hehe i'm glad you (sorta) enjoyed it! i was also concerned about whether or not i should have the infinite maze thing at the end and if that's kind to the player, but it felt essential given the overall Theme i was trying to convey. nevertheless user-friendliness is definitely not something I think about often enough so I appreciate the feedback :)!

oh i definitely LOVED it, the part of me who thinks the endlessly repeating dialogue is an integral part of the game is definitely bigger than the "BUT WHAT ABOUT THE USER EXPERIENCE" part!!! sometimes you gotta ignore the player and do what feels right, and having it repeat over and over is definitely one of those times :> maybe theres a way to have it repeat while still showing the player that theres nothing new after that, maybe from that point on the screen gets slowly darker every time you advance, until it's only a black screen, but you can still press x to advance... kinda like you seemed to have it for your iteration about the candle going out and you just walk through a dark map! something to think about hmmm 🤔 but again sometimes you gotta Do It For The Bit and have it repeat endlessly without anything changing hehe

yeah! i was thinking about the fadeout too but then i was like hmm i did this already let's try something different haha

game dev is all about The Bit 😈😈😈