Wow I haven’t posted in so long that I got a prompt asking me if I want to create a new topic since this one is so old. This is more of a “still going” update.
I’ve gotten into a rhythm of working daily on the “metroidvania” (still hate that word but I’ll use it). My current goal is to make a fully traversable map. I’ve been doing lots of design work on graph paper (which is glued together to make a huge map). Then I transfer this design to the mapmaking tool I created earlier. I find designing the map on graph paper is easier than using software…because sometimes I find myself just staring at the screen doing nothing. This doesn’t happen with paper surprisingly. Sometimes oldschool methods still work!
Speaking of the mapmaking tool, I can do more actions with it now such as placement of “things”. A “thing” can be anything from an enemy, to a plant, to a moving platform (complete with a waypoint editor that lets me move platforms in complex sequences). Each thing can also be rotated/scaled/tinted, which allows for more diversity of stuff like plants, rocks, etc. I think the tool can do most of what I want it to do now.
Once I’m done with the fully traversable map, I will start filling it in more with enemies, powerups, etc. I’ve already designed all the powerups and created a general flow through each area with the required progress gates (powerups or other things needed to get past an obstacle). I also know the title of the game now, along with the overall story, but that will be shared at a later point.
One day I may have to start using social media again if I’m at a state where I’m happy enough with what I’ve created to share it with more of the world, even though I dislike social media in general.
This video really sums up how I’ve been approaching game development lately: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN-Uh2VfL8c I find that as long as I just do stuff, instead of thinking too much about what I logically should do next, I get more done.