DevLog 38 - Up that Hill!

So, it’s been a good month since the last DevLog. The bike tour is now over (it was great!), and I’ve spent a lot of time getting familiar with the new game engine.

Hello, I’m Tobi. Every week (mostly) I write about the development process of our game, Paul. Paul combines turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and exploration in a hand-crafted world. This DevLog is a way for me to reflect on and document the different stages of development, but also for anyone interested in seeing how the world of Paul gradually takes shape.

The basic framework is more or less in place now. It’s still standing on somewhat shaky legs, but it’s standing! Of course, a complete rewrite also means that quite a few things about the game itself have changed, both in terms of game design and visuals.

From my perspective, when it comes to the look of a game, it’s always about light. (Which makes sense in a way. The look is what we see, and light is what makes the invisible visible) So I spent quite some time trying to find a proper way to get a good light atmosphere.

The flow still isn’t quite where I want it to be, but I’m working on it. And as soon as there’s something playable, I’ll put it back up on itch and our website to gather some feedback.

Feature-wise, I’ve got almost everything in now: upgrades, tools, and enemy AI. Unfortunately, from time to time I am still running into problems in the code that require partially redesigning the architecture. Well, that’s just how it goes. But hopefully those moments will become less frequent.

Sometimes it feels like I’m pushing a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll right back down again. But at least there’s always something to do, and eventually you get stronger in the process. So I guess you either have to love this process (and I do) or be someone like Sisyphus… (who might actually be a happy person, but who knows)

I wish you all a great week!
(soon muscular stone-roller )Tobi