INDIE GAME DEVLOG - Episode 8: A Fresh Start

Sometimes a fresh start is necessary to see clearly. In this episode of my indie game development vlog, I am going over the latest updates to my 2D / 3D hybrid, story driven puzzle platformer called "Go See! A Knight's Tail."

While we had made some great progress in episode 7, in April of this year I began redesigning the character design of the main character. While the old design looked good, the new design brings back some 1990s nostalgia, comic meets video game booklet vibes, while at the same time making the character feel more alive.

Beyond the new design and animations, I've also switched to Unreal Engine 5.4, using version control and better folder structure to really have a crack at a proper vertical slice. Starting again is hard, luckily I have a lot of code from the old project folder that I can carry over to the new one, while making improvements along the way.

Outside of this episode, for those of you that are reading this description, I want to give a heads up. I'll be moving to another country in September, which will put a dent into the development schedule for the game, that said, I'll try to be back as fast as I can. After all, this game doesn't build itself.

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00:00 - Intro
00:14 - General Info
01:08 - New Design
02:17 - Version Control
03:14 - Unreal Engine 5.4
04:09 - New Computer
04:46 - Animation & Code
06:18 - Wrap Up

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[FizzyMutt]

I absolutely LOVE the art style! Legit im super excited to see more gameplay animations!

For gameplay improvements, make sure you add:
- Jump buffer (pressing jump before you hit the ground will jump when you land ) --- If press input while in air, set a bool on a timer, when land, if bool active, jump.
- Coyote time (pressing jump just after youve walked off ledge will jump as if you were standing) --- Similar code to jump buffer.
- Variable jump height (Holding jump will keep extend the jump) --- Basically mechanically a short jetpack, so you can do tiny jumps or giant leaps. (You did say you liked Mario 64)
These 3 will make the game feel responsive and not feel like the game is eating your inputs.

He looks like he'd be very heavy, so you'd need to make the jumps feel strong, like Hulk launching into the sky (by less extreme) just to got on platforms.
It would be cute if he sweat bricks if you have a ledge hang animation, due to having all his weight being forced by gravity.

Hope all that helped in some way!

[F-aber]

2:59 small tip, do t just do a commit after every session, you can do one as often as every halve an hour, or maybe every time you get some system or something else to a working state even if it’s not finished or you might work some more on it afterwards

[Eoj-cv]

the character is so visually captivating in motion, looks dope man

[SamSantalaArt]

Glad to see you back man, Love your anim work and can't wait to see where you take it.

[HaloAvon]

Saw one of your videos a long while back, who knows how long, but your character is even more charming than it was back then. Keep up the good work, man! Can't wait to see how it all comes together. Phenomenal artwork and approach to your game.

[SarpSerter]

Build feels great man! Congrats on your new PC! Looking forward to updates

[charlesthedev]

Animations look fantastic, look forward to seeing your progress!

[SimoneGiovannone]

This video popped on my feed by chance and I'm glad it happened. I'll stay to enjoy this slow journey

[JJ-lohv]

It ok I can wait. And what I seem the dog really, really do look cuter🐶🥰

[subzerosaba]

Hey ! the movements look great. the turning overlaps and look so cute. And I like the new eyes very much the way they move in idle makes him so lovely. Something little bit different with running animation, but maby it's just me !

[cataclock]

Hm. This game seems cool. I'll keep tabs on it. Not a lot of 2D characters in 3D background indie games on my radar.

[TheUnsupported]

I couldn't imagine life without Git. I work on my game in small chunks, usually committing changes every day. Having a history of what changed and when has been a lifesaver for my sanity! 😂

[guilhermelucio]

What a beautiful little guy .. i'm talking about the game character

[WeberBSG]

Instead of Animate, I suggest Krita, weight a lot less, it's completely free and an excellent tool for animation and drawing

[MrJosexph]

If there was any video that gets to me start using version control finally, I think its this one.

[immortalsun]

Interesting dev log. I’m curious what engine you started with. I’m an aspiring game dev, starting in LÖVE and moving to Unity. Unity is a lot more intuitive and less intimidating than I expected.

I’ve heard Unreal is more complex than Unity. And you need to script in C++ from what I know, which is way harder to learn than C#.

[teik]

Hey, I just wanted to say that, don't overdo yourself, take breaks if necessary and don't burnout :) Keep it up otherwise

[AlekseyLoykuts]

Have you tried compatibility mode on older Animate versions?

[rodrigofernandes]

Do you know the software spine or dragon Bones? If so, why not use those for the animations? They even have plugins for unreal engine.

[MikeHart]

Do you use the animated files from Animate direktly in UE5 or do you have to convert them first?