DevLog 25 - Outside the Bubble
Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week I write about the development process of our game Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling and exploring in a hand-designed world. The DevLog is for me to reflect on and document production stages, but of course also for all those who are interested in how Paul’s world gradually takes shape.
I visited the animation film festival in Stuttgart last week and it was great. On two levels: on one hand, the films were outstanding and very inspiring. Especially for game developers, I’d recommend watching more animated short films: so many different and also new art styles, sometimes radical approaches to storytelling and tons of bizarre characters. It’s a good reminder that it always pays off to step outside the game development bubble and draw inspiration from other fields.
In terms of Paul, the festival was also a success. The time between screenings (and especially the evenings at the pub) gave me the chance to think more carefully about the game loop. It’s good to spend a few days away from the computer with nothing but a sketchbook and a beer, being forced to think rather than just produce.
-At its core, diagonal movement is now being cut from Paul, which on one hand drastically simplifies the controls, but also makes the game itself demand more strategic planning.
-The shop and upgrade systems are now being integrated more deeply into the game loop, creating a stronger sense of progression from level to level.
As soon as I got home, I hacked the changes into the code and I’m extremely happy with them. Of course, the levels and some of the enemies now need to be adjusted as well. That will take a little while, but once I’m through I’m very excited to get feedback. At its core, Paul’s Gameplay feels more and more solid, and I’m glad :).
Since I don’t have any new images from Paul right now (and every dev log needs something visual, of course), here’s one of my short films that was shown in Stuttgart back when I used to attend the festival as a student and animation filmmaker a couple of (light)years ago.
Best,
Tobi