Space Rogue Lite #3

 Got back to working on the game at last after some backlog cleared up from my life. Created a proper project, cleaned up and created a Player object.

Also started working on input. I'll be using the "new" input system as it's much more versatile when working with gamepads and other forms of input than the old one. It requires some getting used to and some preparation but everything else will be faster and easier.
I got to work with the new input system on one of my previous games (In Sound Mind) and it really simplified adding controllers, especially those with non-standard input scheme (console controllers such as Switch Pro Controller and DualSense).
I don't want to count on the Steam controller translator as it's not super accurate and also doesn't work if I don't use Steam. Obviously.
So I set up some stuff and started writing code.
It will take some time. I don't want it to be perfect, but in games like these, the controls have to be smooth and feel good. Also this is a spaceship game so it should feel "weightless". That being said, I don't want weird "Asteroids" type of controls where your ship just drifts as it will just feel annoying. We can assume your ship navigators can micromanage the thrusters while you just control where you want to go and how far. It's important that the ship will have some sort of acceleration/deceleration to feel more "spacey".

That's it for now.

Space Rogue Lite - Devlog #2

 It's been a month and a half since I last updated or worked on the game. Does it mean I abandoned it? Hopefully not. It's been a very busy time and I hope to continue working on it before the end of the month.

Space Rogue Lite - Devlog #1

After more than a year of thinking about how to freshen up the Rougelite genre (which is ubiquitously loved and has some great mechanics). As it gained massive popularity with Binding of Isaac and again with Hades and indie-er games like Vampire Survivor and became a sort of a staple mechanic even for silly mobile games, it seems like a good idea to try and use it as a guide for my new pet project.

Problem is, everything has been done already. Or so I thought.

I've been pondering mechanics for a while. Personally, I don't like Roguelike games. I dislike doing runs over and over just to die after failing to get to the end after 20+ minutes of hectic gameplay just to redo it, hoping I'll get better randomized upgrades. What I did like is the progression mechanics of the Roguelite variety, compounded with some story, exploration and a very clear goal. The other thing I liked is when the game mitigates the randomness by allowing more choices before a run and during. Hades is really exquisite in that regard.

After about a year (Maybe more? Time runs differently after the pandemic has struck), it finally dawned on me. I sat down and wrote about 10 pages of the basic premise of a game I thought could maybe do to the Roguelite genre what Vampire Survivor has done before. It's inventive, interesting, and haven't been done before. It could very well be a mobile game, but I think it would be better as a pay-to-own mobile/console game. I might try to go the Vampire Survivor path by putting it up on twitch as a "Lite" version and if it gains some love, create a full version on steam.

I am working right now full-time on another game. So I'll have to find bits and pieces of time to create it on my free time. Which I don't have, but that's another story.

This devlog - I think - is a motivational tool. This is the first time I felt so sure about a game/prototype in years. Many years. I want to finish this. So, I'm writing this with the hope of me actually getting this idea from a shower-induced-fever-dream to a fully-fledged game.

Wish me luck.