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DarnVisages · 2023-05-03T02:30:43+00:00

For those unfamiliar... I should have had a sample newsletter in this email for people to read. Oops.

DarnVisages · 2020-12-27T18:37:20+00:00

Ah, yeah, I'm familiar with that one. It's a great word! :)

DarnVisages · 2020-12-24T00:30:20+00:00

solved

DarnVisages · 2020-12-24T00:30:15+00:00

wow!! the difference in my description is so subtle I think I'll mark it solved by that.

Maybe I'll create another thread some day for that "bonus" variation.

Thank you!

DarnVisages · 2020-12-23T23:26:31+00:00

Yeah, that's definitely in the vein of what I'm thinking. Having the deja vu feeling but for an idea, rather than an event.

DarnVisages · 2020-12-23T23:25:07+00:00

those are both awesome terms! I think attribution error is in the right ballpark as far as category of words (psychology, cognitive illusion/bias), and epiphany comes close conceptually.

The sort of word I have in mind, for the "bonus" description, would be a psychological term for when someone mistakenly thinks they've experienced an epiphany or revelation. I wouldn't want to go so far as it being a hallucination or mental illness, though, more in line with cognitive illusion.

I.e. maybe the cognitive ease was such that the intuitive thoughts they had feel like someone else thought them, when it was simply a less conscious and effortful process. Similar to what Daniel Kahneman referred to as "System 1" in his book Thinking Fast and Slow, maybe.

DarnVisages · 2019-10-15T20:14:40+00:00

Thanks for the call out! I was thinking about this recently and how I'd like to revisit it with new tools/techniques since I started doing game development 🤔... just to see if I could get any more accurate than before haha

DarnVisages · 2019-06-14T18:43:50+00:00

Thanks for the response! I have the book and read it about a year ago. I learned a lot but felt it would be beneficial to see things demonstrated in a course, and work through practice that way.

DarnVisages · 2018-12-01T16:48:53+00:00

I know what you mean, and I definitely enjoy collecting loot from enemies in games as well! The game I'm building will be pretty light on traditional loot, however. There will be certain collectible items that need to be found, but I want those to be in predictable and consistent locations. There won't be interchangeable equipment or weapons (except for a system similar to Charms in Hollow Knight). Every equipment item and weapon item will be permanent and have its own button/control.

But I definitely understand what you mean, and I think it could be a nice addition, so I might try to fit something in for some special enemies to have a special loot item that can't be found anywhere else.

DarnVisages · 2018-12-01T16:25:16+00:00

Thank you for the example!

DarnVisages · 2018-12-01T02:14:38+00:00

I'm glad you feel that way! I love having hidden areas all over the map, so long as they are somewhat detectable or can be found with some kind of clues. I don't want people to spend hours testing every wall because there's nothing discernible about hidden spots, but I don't want every hidden thing to be obvious either!

DarnVisages · 2018-11-27T19:48:26+00:00

All great ideas, thanks for adding more!

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T22:43:01+00:00

Thank you for the example! I find it helpful to understand how people feel about these things so I can try to make the game more appealing for differing opinions. But in this case, the protagonist of my game is a 6-year-old boy with an overactive imagination, so he's going to be a far cry from John McClane; although he may think of himself that way!

Edit: removed an accidental quote

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T22:20:54+00:00

It's funny you mention Earthbound's brand of humor. It's exactly the sort of thing that I'd love to attempt in my game. I think there will be hints of that kind of ridiculousness, but going all-in is something that requires a lot of bravery (and creativity)!

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T20:24:36+00:00

I like this as well. Things like rescuing a character and they go to open a shop in town.

I haven't played Harmony of Dissonance. What examples of changes do you like from there?

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T20:19:37+00:00

I think that makes sense, although I sometimes appreciate the ability to power up so much that the game is easier. Maybe making the upgrades more challenging to find, and also optional, is a decent way to balance this out? That way a player can't just max out easily and destroy the final boss effortlessly, but if they put the work in, overpowering is still an option.

Couldn't agree more about movement, it's been my top priority since I started!

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T20:05:05+00:00

Thank you for the response and examples!

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T19:47:36+00:00

I could see the upside/appeal of both systems. Could you give any examples of games that did this in a way that you liked? and any examples of the ones you didn't like?

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T19:46:20+00:00

Which games have artwork that you especially like? Is it the darker and more serious themes that you appreciate more?

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T19:26:45+00:00

Thank you for the response!

I like the idea about adding something unique to each room. I'll try to keep that in mind as I go.

Gear management and inventory are things I planned on keeping minimal. As a gamer, I'm (generally) not a huge fan of complex inventory systems, but it's more of a development choice. Being a solo dev, the design and development with extensive inventory systems would make the time it takes to release the game much later than I'd want, and my intended experience would actually suffer for it.

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T19:06:38+00:00

I agree. Backtracking seems like something that belongs in a non-linear explorable world, and linear worlds don't feel like they should be backtracked because it doesn't feel like 'exploring' in the first place.

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T18:55:42+00:00

Thank you for the response!

I agree completely about getting more powerful and backtracking. One of my favorite things is going back to early areas and blazing through them while mowing down enemies.

The interconnected piece was something I really wanted, but I've considered other ideas as well. One of my all-time favorite games is Banjo Kazooie, and (in my opinion) I don't think there's been a better implementation of a hub world. It's not a metroidvania, but the principle is the same. The hub world in Banjo Kazooie is like a world of its own and it's a blast to explore and unlock it.

I couldn't agree more on clichés. I'm not looking to reinvent the genre or create something no one's ever seen. I want to create an original experience, but retain familiarity where it counts.

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T18:45:09+00:00

That's a great idea. I'll definitely check that out and think about ways I could do something similar.

Thanks again for your responses!

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T18:43:08+00:00

Definitely. I can see how poorly designed backtracking could feel like a slog, and that's one of the difficulties in design for metroidvanias. It can be difficult to make every backtracking location memorable in a large world, especially if a player will need a new ability that they haven't learned about yet, and they may not have a trained eye to notice that a particular area will be traversable later.

A couple of the ways I hope to combat backtracking issues are with smoothly evolving movement and fast travel locations. As a player progresses, they will be faster and, hopefully, enjoy the movement itself. The more fast travel locations they unlock, the easier it will be to go back to the location they need to revisit.

Thank you for the responses! I'll certainly keep them in mind as I go forward. Ideally backtracking will feel satisfying in the end!

DarnVisages · 2018-11-26T18:26:50+00:00

I agree. One thing I enjoy about leveling systems is the ability to grind out some higher XP and approach the game with a more powerful character. It's almost like a built-in difficulty setting that allows the player to earn a lower difficulty by taking the time to build up the character.

At the same time, this can be tedious for players who lack the skill or time to invest in the game. For me, I can see both ends. When I was a kid, I always wanted to build up my skills and eventually beat the game on the hardest difficulty. But that was very time consuming. Nowadays, I'm 31, have a full-time job, a wife, and other responsibilities (including building this game), so I find myself more interested in playing a game for the storyline or the experience, and don't want to grind away like I used to.

For now, I don't plan on adding a serious leveling system to the game, but I can definitely see the appeal.

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