- Dev Update #8 - 21 June 2021
Welcome to Dev Update #8. In case you missed the last Dev Update #7, you can find it here. Today I will talk a bit about my GMTK Game Jam entry, the swamp area, and the Vegetation shader. GMTK Game Jam 2021 First I wanted to tell you, that I took part in this year's GMTK Game Jam with a small little game. You can play it here for free if you are interested. The GMTK Game Jam is a 48-hour game jam with great little games and awesome ideas. I encourage you to check out some of the games, there are some really good ones in the mix. Guardian of the Synthwave is a small puzzler with a good old synthwave track. The game is nothing too fancy, and definitely not perfect, but I think it is good for some quick fun for a 48-hour project. Swamp area But back to Timeless Adventure. I reworked the Swamp area quite a bit. It should now feel more swamp-like with old ruins scattered in (remains from the…
- Dev Update #7 - 15 May 2021
Hi to Dev Update #7. If you missed the Dev Update #6, you can find it here. In this Dev Update I will talk a bit about the sound in the game, as well as the updated Wilderness area. Insight into the development process I got some feedback, that some of you enjoy the insight into the development process. So, I will try to incorporate it more in the future. Godot Engine Godot is the game engine of my choice. Now, I won't go into too many details here. I will just say, that the way one works with Godot is quite unique and I really like it. Plus it is completely open-source with an awesome community which is also a major advantage in my books. It is a really powerful tool, that gives you unmatched flexibility, even compared to the top dogs on the market, since 100% of the game engine itself is customizable. If you yourself are a dev and hear about Godot the first time, make sure that you ch…
- Dev Update #6 - 17 April 2021
Welcome to Dev Update #6. Not too long ago, I released a demo. I got some very good feedback, and so my focus was on implementing most of the points mentioned in the feedback. I am currently revamping all of the areas. Also, if you missed the Dev Update #5, you can find it here. Demo If you haven't already, feel free to check out the demo. I got some very useful suggestions (thanks to anyone, who submitted feedback) and already implemented some of them. At some point in the future, I plan to also update the demo with the changes of course. Check out the demo trailer if you haven't and you can download the demo here: SteamItch.ioGameJolt Some of the Changes Controls One of the main criticism was the controls. So I reworked and improved them. You can now play the game with just the left hand on the keyboard. But, if you don't like that, you will be able to assign your own custom input key…
- Timeless Adventure: A Journey to Begin Demo - 3 February 2021
The past weeks I worked on finishing the Demo for Timeless Adventure. I am happy to let you know, that the Demo is now live and you can download and play it for free! I also made a little trailer for the demo: Play the first three areas Puzzle your way through the first three areas. You start your journey in the deep prisons of the Kind Queen... Search a path out of the old caves... And check out the smuggler camp on the beach. You find the Demo on the Steam store page. If you like it, please wishlist the game and follow me on social media for future updates. You can find my mailing list and the links to all of my profiles on my website:
- Dev Update #5 - 22 November 2020
For Dev Update #5 the focus was on optimization, a new area, the water shader, and some minor (but nonetheless important) improvements. Optimization So there was quite some stuff going on under the hood this time around. Even though the game should not be too taxing anyway, now stuff only gets drawn, whenever it can be visible to the player. Everything else will not be drawn, which results in a much better performance. Also, there were lots and lots of code optimization, which should help going forward. Farmlands This area will be another one you will visit in your adventures. The quiet farmlands are located right outside of the city and due to the very good soil, a lot of the food for the city is produced here. The land itself of course is owned by the Kind Family. Only selected families are allowed to rent the land, and the farmers are hardly more than the necessary workforce, needed…
- Dev Update #4 - 30 October 2020
For this Dev Update #4, I wanted to talk a little about the input methods I implemented, how interactions work in the game, and introduce one more area to you. Input For Timeless Adventure I plan to support a wide array of input methods. The primary input method will be the keyboard. Even though it is a Point & Click-like adventure game, I want the player to slip into the role of the protagonist. So you will control the protagonist directly like for example in Grim Fandango, rather than indirectly via mouse-clicks like in Monkey Island for example. Due to that, input via a gamepad will be also very good supported. But I also implemented support for mouse-only input. It will not be Point & Click, but rather clicking to the left will move the protagonist to the left, clicking to the right will move him to the right. For interactions there will be buttons on the bottom of the screen, which…
- Dev Update #3 - 9 October 2020
My focus was still on implementing and coming up with more Puzzles. The negative part about this is, that there is not much to show you. The positive part is, that the puzzles are the meat and bones of the game, and I better put some work into them. Different Actions I also implemented a few more actions. So far the available actions are: Possess characters and animals interact with the world pick up, place, and craft items combine items in your inventory use items in your inventory examine items in your inventory take items from containers City Another area in the game will be the City: A vibrant hub for adventurers and merchants. And, of course, the main export destination for pulverized Crystal Tears. In order to ensure a frictionless distribution of the officially illegal substance, bribe money is allocated generously. Fire shader Even though I made the fire shader already some time…
- Dev Update #2 - 3 September 2020
The focus of the last few weeks was on creating more puzzles. I use Twine to help me with that. Twine is a great and versatile open-source tool if you ask me. Even though it is meant to make complex text adventure games with branching narratives, I just love to use it for planing my games. Here you can see a part of it, representing the flow of different puzzles: Animation Pipeline Another big change was the animation pipeline. After some consideration and testing, I invested in Akeytsu Indie as the main animation program going forward, and so far it is great. The .fbx-files can effortlessly be imported into Godot with all animations in place. Water shader I also updated the water shader (again). I like the change of color, depending on the angle, as well as the waves with the white tops in the distance. But close up I think I have to change it a little bit in the future. Harbor The Har…
- Dev Update #1 - 10 August 2020
Hey, I wanted to start posting more regular updates about the state of the game. So here is the first one. About the game First, let me give you a quick overview, what I planned for this game: One seamless connected fantasy world where time got frozen (only for humanoid beings though) A storyline, that guides the player through the world 8 different themed environments filled with different races and characters Unique puzzles to be solved in order to progress through the game To solve the puzzles you have to possess humans, orcs, monsters, skeletons even animals and use their individual skills Pick up, use, craft, manipulate, and combine weapons, items, and objects to solve the puzzles. Unlike traditional Point&Click games, the hero is controlled with a keyboard, a gamepad, or a mouse (I am still figuring out if it can be called a Point&Click game anyway). About the art To be honest, fo…
- Timeless Adventure: Early Gameplay Teaser - 15 June 2020
Play a small teaser for my upcoming fantasy adventure game Timeless Adventure: A Journey to Begin. Get a glimpse of the atmosphere, gameplay, and style I am going for. You will be able to play the first bit of the introductory part of the game. About the game The game is a Point&Click-like adventure game set in a 3D fantasy world with 2D movement. Time for humanoid beings is frozen (not so for the environment). As a ghostly wraith, created by Death, you have to find your way through the world with the help of your only special ability: possession of living, or once-living beings. What to expect Keep in mind, this is by no means a final slice, but rather the direction I want to take the game. This first teaser is only a couple of minutes long. Also, expect stuff to get polished up (animations, sound, everything) until the final release (hopefully later this year). What my intentions are…
- Twitter AMA - 9 June 2020
I will try to answer your questions all day long. Tweet with @FreeTimeDev or send me a DM and I will reply. Find me here on Twitter. Every question is welcome!
