__ __
/ \./ \/\_
__{^\_ _}_ ) }/^\
/ /\_/^\._}_/ // /
( (__{(@)}\__}.//_/__A____A_______A________A________A_____A___A___A______
\__/{/(_)\_} )\\ \\---v-----V-----V---Y-----v----Y------v-----V-----v---
( (__)_)_/ )\ \>
\__/ \__/\/\/
\__,--'
NAV: [Home] [Devlog] [Videos] [Screenshots] [Art] [Links] [Socials] [RIP] [RSS]
I have a problem, and its a common problem for gamedevs; I have too many ideas for games and not enough time to realize all of them! The idea I am currently perusing, an RPG set in HELL, is an idea I have had for a long time now, for over 5 years since time of writing. I thought I had a very original idea, but then this animated trailer dropped and I didn't want to look like a copycat chasing trends, so I shelved this whole idea.
So I worked on other ideas, mainly attempting to make game engines. I am generally pissed off at the state of graphics card companies persuing things not related to video games like crypto and AI, inflating costs of graphics cards for consumers. I also don't like how most games that actually use these expensive cards and push rendering to the limits aren't generally fun games? This frustration with the business lead me to try to make my own game engines and learn how to make games from the ground up so they can run on potatoes.
While this did result in me learning alot about graphics APIs and even software rendering without the GPU, it was alot of work that gave me short periods of I guess a kind of burnout. So I had a simple toy project in Godot that I would play around with sometimes before returning to my low level C projects. Here is an old video towards the start of this toy project:
The idea is simple, play around with Octopath Traveler's "2D HD" look, but do it in a more experimental way, like how older RPG maker indie games played around with the format. So I used a 30 deg field of view camera to reduce the distortion of bill-boarded sprites and give the game a perspective of being viewed from afar. I gave the player complete control of the camera at first, just to test it out, with the full intention of removing that control to make it more like an old school 2D RPG. But giving the player full control over a 30 deg FOV camera didn't feel as bad as I thought it would, so that just became the intended design
I kept making low level game engine projects though. I thought maybe this Hell game can be my second commercial game after I proven that I have a viable engine, after I proved I could make a smaller game. But after needing another period of a break from my engine code I implemented walking up and down stairs:
And after a bit more polish I get this game looking really nice IMHO:
So that's the direction I am going to go in. I'm using Godot's Compatibility mode, this thing should run on lower end hardware, even if it's not as light as my game engines could have been. I just think the existing Physically Based Rendering(PBR) and built in light engine just fits with this game idea so well, it would take so much time to remake this in a different engine.
After this game, I really do want to make a 2D game from scratch in C but right now this idea that I keep returning to regularly is what I need to make.
So,
WELCOME TO HELL!!!
~WR