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Messages - WarpDogsVG

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46
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Village Monsters - Kinda like Animal Crossing, but with monsters!
« on: June 01, 2017, 10:33:53 PM »
That's awesome, man! That's really cool to see.

Yeah, I'd say the whole glitch angle will be central to a lot of the game, but I don't want to be too heavyhanded with it, either. The closest analogy I can think of is something like Animal Crossing - in that game you join a village of talking animals, which is also strange, but the game never really lingers on it or references it too heavily. That's what I'm hoping for as well.

Anyway, I have a new screenshot to share. I'm not artist and I recognize this limitation with myself, so the style I've selected is purposefully cartoony and flat - I'd say the Mother / Earthbound series are the biggest sources of inspiration there. That said, this flat style has the unfortunate side effect of making everything look very samey.

This last week or so I've been working on rectifying that problem. I've adjusted some of the colors, added shadows, new flowers and 'wind swaying' to both flowers and grass, and overall added a bunch more tile variety. There's still lots to work on, but I'm pretty happy with where it's at compared to what I had before!


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Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Village Monsters - Kinda like Animal Crossing, but with monsters!
« on: May 31, 2017, 02:15:01 AM »
I'm a bit (very!) late on posting this developer diary, but here it is: Catching Critters in Village Monsters


You’ll notice I’m careful not to call it ‘bug catching’, and the reason is simple: you’ll be hunting and catching far more than bugs.

Sure, you’ll still catch the familiar and mundane Monarch Butterfly, or the less familiar but equally mundane Caeser Butterfly, but there are far more fantastical things to hunt out there.

Mountain gnomes, snow elementals, and even sentient loofahs (??) are all out there to just waiting to be caught.


But there is a 3rd category for creatures that don’t fit with either the mundane or the fantastic - they are called the misfects. Through data corruption and other mysterious forces, these previously normal creatures have been transformed during the long years of abandonment.

There’s the pitiful Half-Hopper, a frog that appears to only contain half of the normally necessary body parts. There’s also this strange snake-like creature that grows, dies, becomes reborn, and then starts the process again.

But uncovering creature variety is only half of the fun of this hobby - the other half is actually catching them.

The Village Monster calendar contains 4 seasons spread across 8 months, and each critter has their own seasonal appearances. Some have further requirements before they appear - like different weather, the presence of a certain item, or even specific world events like holidays.

In terms of actually catching them, the standard tool will be the bug net. You can upgrade your bug net, but the real powerful abilities come in the form of glitch powers.


Pretty crazy, right? Well, remember those misfects I talked about? More than simple creatures were affected by the data corruption, and not every glitch is bad.

As you catch critters you’ll earn experience - but the ‘experience’ will be your character mastering how the mechanic works within the game itself. This in turn allows you to unlock various glitch powers to bend said mechanics to your will - like the above Bug Net Buzzsaw.

I’m not going to go too crazy with creature behaviors. For the most part they’ll be lumped in three simple categories - indifferent, fearful, and secretive. Fearful critters will get spooked and you’ll need to give chase to catch them, while secretive critters will need to be lured out first.

This renowned big game hunter, Blunder Buzz, sponsors a critter hunting tournament each season

Each critter will have a unique description or - if applicable - backstory that you can learn if you bring it to the Historical Society. Some even come with some very special abilities - remember Snow Elemental above? Well, rumor says that it’s been known to summon entire blizzards to hide in when it’s especially fearful…perhaps there are other creatures with equally interesting abilities?

48
Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / Re: Village Monsters - Kinda like Animal Crossing, but with monsters!
« on: May 26, 2017, 05:54:22 AM »
Quote from: Jubal on May 25, 2017, 01:23:18 PM
Right, had an initial wander round and met some characters, all very good fun and it had a nice look & feel to it: good job :)

Notes
  • Keyboard controls were confusing, and even for a pre-alpha a brief explanation would be good. The A and S keys appeared to do some things with the handheld+ items, but also be movement keys? I also seem to be able to scroll left through my inventory slots with the left arrow but not back right again. I know it's more designed for a gamepad, but I think you will need to have a full keyboard control set as well: I don't own a gamepad and I suspect a lot of other potential target audience won't either.
  • Really like the range of characters, and the style/theming is definitely fun.
  • Does the completable compendium mentioned in your notes exist yet/if so how is it accessed?
  • It felt odd that I could walk through some things that I expected to be solid (barrels most notably).

Bug reports
  • I got the following error message & crash after talking to the blob chef once, then trying talking to it again.
Spoiler (click to show/hide)
  • Postbox text should start "if you had some mail"
  • Got stuck on the island with the chests - my raft ended up glitching onto land somehow so I couldn't get away again.

Thanks for playing and providing such good feedback! I checked my logs and I'm pretty sure all the bugs you saw are fixed in the new release (which'll drop sometime in July). In fact, July's release is shaping up to be a proper 'alpha' in the sense that it'll be much more stable and contain more finished versions of every system and feature.

Tomorrow I hope to share a dev diary for one of the many hobbies you can partake in - critter catching!

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Computer Game Development - The Indie Alley / [KICKSTARTER: 30% FUNDED!] Village Monsters - Kinda like Animal Crossing!
« on: May 24, 2017, 07:43:07 PM »
Kickstarter


Trailer



Quick Info
Release: October 2018 for PC / Mac / Linux
Genre: Life Sim
Alpha Demo: http://warpdogs.com/were-release/
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/VillageMonsters
Good Vibes?: Yes
Monsters?: Absolutely


Summary
Have you ever wondered what happens inside the world of an abandoned video game? All those NPCs with their artificial lives...what do they do after the game is turned off for that final time?

Village Monsters is a relaxing life sim game set in one such world.

You play as someone booting up the game for the first time in decades only to discover that it is nothing like you remember.

The monsters that were once enemies have thrown away their weapons and have settled down in a peaceful village that they created.
Stranger still, they're inviting you to come join them.


  • Personalize your very own home with furniture, decorations, and upgrades. Plant a garden! Install a secret room! Sit on a golden throne you found in the woods!
  • Get to know dozens of whimsical monster neighbors, each with their own personalities, activities, and problems to solve.
  • Pick up a new hobby, like fishing, botany, critter collecting, archaeology, or cooking, then donate your findings and creations to the Historical Society of Monsters.
  • Leave your mark on the village by unlocking new buildings and influencing its development over time.
  • Fill out your daily routine with activities like shopping, talking with villagers, watching TV, hunting for mushrooms, and so much more.




  • An immersive day / night cycle where everything has a schedule to keep - the villagers, the birds, and even the flowers.
  • Dynamic weather changes including dozens of distinct weather types ranging from clear skies to thundersnow.
  • The world changes with the seasons, and you can expect activities, items, creatures, and even music unique to each season.
  • A packed calendar full of holidays ensures that every week brings something new. Enjoy events like the monthly Critter Safari, the springtime Good Egg Day Feast, and the Pumpkin Patch Bash.


  • Explore a digital land that’s been transformed by its abandonment.
  • Experience a unique story told through unusual methods such as via item descriptions, overheard conversations, and anomoly research.
  • Help unravel the unknown by investigating and solving Mysteries, a unique type of quest system.
  • Complete a massive compendium that logs your journey through the game. Use it to track Mysteries, collectibles, secrets, and triumphs.

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