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[DEVLOG] The Code of Crystals - Weeks 7/8/9 (Phantasia Game Jam 2024)

Hello everyone! It’s Rain, here again with another devlog for Project: Maselosia, my project for Phantasia Game Jam 2024.

A few words to open the devlog?

We have a logo and an official title!!

Devlogs will be every two-weeks until the end of the game jam.

My arm wasn't hurt, in the end.

Asks are open, whether it’s for me or game characters!

Let’s start with this week’s in-progress screenshot!

Might as well show off the second protagonist

Game Art

We're reaching the end, guys! All we need are a few CGs and one character sprite (not counting the main menu and game menu art) and the first chapter of The Code of Crystals will be done!

Writing

Writing is entirely done! I know it has to be edited and proofread, but the main bulk is finished.

Audio

Finding music and implementing it in the game is also done! All that's left are a couple sound effects.

Puzzles

The last puzzle is done! As well as two extra choice-based scenes, one of which can lead to a game over.

UI & Menus

At this rate these will be the last things I focus on, as it's purely cosmetic.

Final thoughts

My work for this game has been very inconsistent due to health issues and me leaving my parents apartment to go back home.

It won't be consistent for the two next weeks either, as I am traveling again, but if I am able to follow my plans only details will be left to fine tune when I come back. That and game/main menus.

I'm happy with how the game looks and feels so far!

If possible I would like this first chapter to be done and ready to be released in two weeks. This is not a hard deadline, like October 31st, but a soft deadline.

That is all I had to share! Thank you all for reading, have the loveliest of weeks, and be ready for the next update ✨

The Code of Crystals is a is a fantasy puzzle game where two shapeshifters try to escape a cult and go back to their normal lives. According to the Phantasia Game Jam rules, chapter one will be released before October 31st and will be available for download on itch.io!

How are speedrunners not even like.. employed as professional beta testers

currently working on a coding project, it’s a quiz game for my partner that i’m giving him to play on our anniversary. It’s going really well so far and i’m really proud of myself for how much progress i’ve made. I hope he loves it 🤍 if anyone knows python/pygame gimme some tips will ya cuz even though i’m doing well i am still a beginner and I’ll take any advice i can get. thank you! also let me know if you want to see the finished project when it’s done 🌅

I've developed (that's a stretch) something as a part of game dev that I have used for awhile now as a means of motivation, and also just to feel cool. I call it 'Hat Switching', after what someone I mentioned it to called it.

Basically what it actually is, is using a little bit of imagination to put yourself in the shoes of someone developing what it is your game is about, it only really works for the early phases but it's still fun.

For example some cases I've used it in are, a VR mech brawler where while going in and out of the game and testing values to make the arms of the mechsuit work I imagined myself as a mechanic from something like mobile suit gundam, or while adding and testing new spells for the magic system in an educational game I've been building I imagined myself an ancient sorceress who just discovered how to harness magical power and was writing the first ever spell book for that world.

I can really recommend it if you struggle to get through the frustrating parts of things not working in those early prototyping phases or if you just want to take things a little less seriously when developing.

> game engine called "Godot"

> opens editor and makes a dot before giving it a movement script

> dot goes, best engine

> game made in an engine called "Unreal" > look at graphics > realistic

🎮 HEY I WANNA MAKE A GAME! 🎮

Yeah I getcha. I was once like you. Pure and naive. Great news. I AM STILL PURE AND NAIVE, GAME DEV IS FUN! But where to start?

To start, here are a couple of entry level softwares you can use! source: I just made a game called In Stars and Time and people are asking me how to start making vidy gaems. Now, without further ado:

SOFTWARES AND ENGINES FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO CODE!!!

Ren'py (and also a link to it if you click here do it): THE visual novel software. Comic artists, look no further ✨Pros: It's free! It's simple! It has great documentation! It has a bunch of plugins and UI stuff and assets for you to buy! It can be used even if you have LITERALLY no programming experience! (You'll just need to read the doc a bunch) You can also port your game to a BUNCH of consoles! ✨Cons: None really <3 Some games to look at: Doki Doki Literature Club, Bad End Theater, Butterfly Soup

Twine: Great for text-based games! GREAT FOR WRITERS WHO DONT WANNA DRAW!!!!!!!!! (but you can draw if you want) ✨Pros: It's free! It's simple! It's versatile! It has great documentation! It can be used even if you have LITERALLY no programming experience! (You'll just need to read the doc a bunch) ✨Cons: You can add pictures, but it's a pain. Some games to look at: The Uncle Who Works For Nintendo, Queers In love At The End of The World, Escape Velocity

Bitsy: Little topdown games! ✨Pros: It's free! It's simple! It's (somewhat) intuitive! It has great documentation! It can be used even if you have LITERALLY no programming experience! You can make everything in it, from text to sprites to code! Those games sure are small! ✨Cons: Those games sure are small. This is to make THE simplest game. Barely any animation for your sprites, can barely fit a line of text in there. But honestly, the restrictions are refreshing! Some games to look at: honestly I haven't played that many bitsy games because i am a fake gamer. The picture above is from Under A Star Called Sun though and that looks so pretty

RPGMaker: To make RPGs! LIKE ME!!!!! NOTE: I recommend getting the latest version if you can, but all have their pros and cons. You can get a better idea by looking at this post. ✨Pros: Literally everything you need to make an RPG. Has a tutorial inside the software itself that will teach you the basics. Pretty simple to understand, even if you have no coding experience! Also I made a post helping you out with RPGMaker right here! ✨Cons: Some stuff can be hard to figure out. Also, the latest version is expensive. Get it on sale! Some games to look at: Ib, Hylics, In Stars and Time (hehe. I made it)

engine.lol: collage worlds! it is relatively new so I don't know much about it, but it seems fascinating. picture is from Garden! NOTE: There's a bunch of smaller engines to find out there. Just yesterday I found out there's an Idle Game Maker made by the Cookie Clicker creator. Isn't life wonderful?

✨more advice under the cut. this is Long ok✨

ENGINES I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT AND THEY SEEM HARD BUT ALSO GIVE IT A TRY I GUESS!!!! :

Unity and Unreal: I don't know anything about those! That looks hard to learn! But indie devs use them! It seems expensive! Follow your dreams though! Don't ask me how!

GameMaker: Wuh I just don't know anything about it either! I just know it's now free if your game is non-commercial (aka, you're not selling it), and Undertale was made on it! It seems good! You probably need some coding experience though!!!

Godot: Man I know even less about this one. Heard good things though!

BUNCHA RANDOM ADVICE!!!!

-Make something small first! Try making simple: a character is in a room, and exits the room. The character can look around, decide to take an item with them, can leave, and maybe the door is locked and you have to find the key. Figuring out how to code something like that, whether it is as a fully text-based game or as an RPGMaker map, should be a good start to figure out how your software of choice works!

-After that, if you have an idea, try first to make the simplest version of that idea. For my timeloop RPG, my simplest version was two rooms: first room you can walk in, second room with the King, where a cutscene automatically plays and the battle starts, you immediately die, and loop back to the first room, with the text from this point on reflecting this change. I think I also added a loop counter. This helped me figure out the most important thing: Can This Game Be Made? After that, the rest is just fun stuff. So if you want to make a dating sim, try and figure out how to add choices, and how to have affection points go up and down depending on your choices! If you want to make a platformer, figure out how to make your character move and jump and how to create a simple level! If you just want to make a kinetic visual novel with no choices, figure out how to add text, and how to add portraits! You'll be surprised at how powerful you'll feel after having figured even those simple things out.

-If you have a programming problem or just get confused, never underestimate the power of asking Google! You most likely won't be the only person asking this question, and you will learn some useful tips! If you are powerful enough, you can even… Ask people??? On forums??? Not me though.

-Yeah I know you probably want to make Your Big Idea RIGHT NOW but please. Make a smaller prototype first. You need to get that experience. Trust me.

-If you are not a womanthing of many skills like me, you might realize you need help. Maybe you need an artist, or a programmer. So! Game jams on itch.io are a great way to get to work and meet other game devs that have different strengths! Or ask around! Maybe your artist friend secretly always wanted to draw for a game. Ask! Collaborate! Have fun!!!

I hope that was useful! If it was. Maybe. You'd like to buy me a coffee. Or maybe you could check out my comics and games. Or just my new critically acclaimed game In Stars and Time. If you want. Ok bye

Railway systems for a game I'm working on

Bless the KNI framework for getting this to actually work in a browser

Forgot Tumblr is The

Do not worry my dear citizens! Your king is alive and well, and your king has some important news!!!!

YEAH THATS RIGHT BISH! I'M PLANING TO MAKE A GAME!!!! (These are just some sketches of the final boss (geno run) Wally phase 5 (final phase) and sort of the start screen doodle)

And the residents of Home will become a boss (if I've run out of any free bosses I'll give them a "special" boss or make them their own boss) for example:

Julie Joyful as Mettaton EX

Sally as (donno yet)

Barnaby B Beagle as Papyrus

Wally Darling as Sans Undertale

Howdy Pillar as (srsly if you have played Undertale then you'd know who he is) Muffet (srsly six arms, four)

Poppy as (donno yet also)

Frank Frankly as (also don't know yet)

Eddie Dear as

Do not worry my dear citizens! Your king is alive and well, and your king has some important news!!!!

YEAH THATS RIGHT BISH! I'M PLANING TO MAKE A GAME!!!! (These are just some sketches of the final boss (geno run) Wally phase 5 (final phase) and sort of the start screen doodle)

And the residents of Home will become a boss (if I've run out of any free bosses I'll give them a "special" boss or make them their own boss) for example:

Julie Joyful as Mettaton EX

Sally as (donno yet)

Barnaby B Beagle as Papyrus

Wally Darling as Sans Undertale

Howdy Pillar as (srsly if you have played Undertale then you'd know who he is) Muffet (srsly six arms, four)

Poppy as (donno yet also)

Frank Frankly as (also don't know yet)

Eddie Dear as

Hellooo everyone!!!

I have some news for you!!!

So first of all the script for the game is going well and same with the characters for the game tho have a long way to go with the script.

And second of all my parents ordered a Barnaby jumbo plush and I'm making a blanket for him and the Darlings.

And I'm thankful to those who let me use their oc's in my game (the ppl who's OCS/characters that are in the game gets a free copy when the game is done)

The blanket has a total of 30 granny squares sewed on.

Me very eepy

And might not upload in a long time bc in two weeks I'll be flying to Stockholm to see if I have autism, and it's my first time flying so wish me luck!

And remember that I love everyone of you who's supported me and is supporting me!!!

And I hope you all have an amazing day or night wherever you are!!! <333

I'm making a game! (or, trying too)

TW: Blood and maggots on one of the designs!

SO! I have this neat idea for a game about loss, death, ghosts, etc etc.

I don't have a whole lot right now, so I can't share much at this moment in time, but I'm going to update with sneak peeks of characters and places! Right now I have some basic concepts of some of the characters: Julie: The late mother of the Player (name tbd), Who will do anything to protect her child.

Mary-An: A well-loved doll, she's the first and last gift Julie gave her child. Blessed with a protection charm to watch over the child and protect them from harm. The weeping woman (name subject to change): A poor whole who was murdered by the man who thought loved her. Her own child was ripped from her arms, and now she causes harm and death to any man who enters the home she died in and leads the children to her. Hoping to replace the child she lost. All of these are subject to change, but I promise you're in for a real treat!!!