CGDC Speedgame: Classic 2023

Dev Log - Throne of the Crystal Outlaw

Throne of the Crystal Outlaw

Been struggling to really grasp what it is I am trying to do here. I've gone through a few iterations of ideas - One might say I'm feeling uninspired by the given verses but I think I've settled in on doing something with Psalm 27:1-2.

I can definately tell that several years of dabbling and asset acquisition has done me well.... I did a quick voicealtered-voiceover of the verse using Voice.AI that I may play in the intro... (*or scrap altogether) just trying to further inspire ideas. I found a random name generator and from a few iterations there pulled away and combined a couple of suggestions for a title (merely a working title perhaps?), "Throne of the Crystal Outlaw"

I loaded up a Unity game jam Menu template, pulled in some AI gen art and some other packaged art assets I have had on hand to put together a nice little opening menu system ... (something that I've neglected until the past the end of a project in jams past.)

Gameplay wise I might have it be Collect, Attack, Survive, and find the Endpoint in a fairly common third person action style gameloop. I may need to reassess, but I have the tools to build something like this - I don't know how well I know them - I will just need a goal and motive for the player and some tools to add in collection and combat.

Looking forward to sharing more as I progress.....

Already super intrigued by your direction, Scott! Hope you figure out the goal and motive for the player. Looking forward to this!

Spent a while getting through a lot of bugs. I over bloated my project with assets trying things out. I have had some real positive success getting a David on the Battlefield setup and was going to post a picture of the progress, but itch.io is erroring when I try to post a screen grab. 🤔 I'll try again later and see if I can figure out what's going on.

sbjerkSubmitted1 year ago (1 edit)

I think this should link to the image I was trying to post here... https://drive.google.com/file/d/16qeAxcMuLilK5LFXItIJnHhxBc9bGzQj/view?usp=drive... also just did a video capture....

Anything new, Scott?

It looks great! Wow. I like the name. Any progress on direction for your game?

The story of David is an exciting and powerful one. I also liked the voice over with the verse. Very nice. My question to you is how will you link David to the Throne of the Crystal Outlaw? I look forward to what you do with this.

I am realizing the whole notion of 90% is half the work.... The basic environment, the primary character controller, a battlefield, the intended path of travel.... All done within the first few days - all lending itself to the vid I linked. Since then I've mostly done Quality-of-Life improvements (adding in boundary collider, creating more apparent pathways for travel, I also added a dust-storm and some other such things. I have some NPC characters roughly placed around the game and some very rudimentary quests (ones without any actually logic for completion.... and I might have to settle on that as time is ticking). I like the idea that the story will be an adaptation of 2nd Samuel 21:15-22 - The Four Philistine Giants that fall to David and his men.

Here is the story and gameplay as I have it in mind presently (subject to change of course)...

1. On battle field. David has fallen, but gets up. Having lost his weapon he is battling to stay alive. He gets waved over by a messanger (Abishai, the warrior who saves him from the Giant by killing said giant.) Abashai sends him to speak with Commander Joab who orders David (albeit more of a suggestion since he is an advisor to the King) , “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished. (see 2Sam21:17b)”. Joab instead sends David to deliver supplies to Shimeah (David's brother) at the Outpost stationed just outside the Great Wall.

2. Upon taking the supplies to Shimeah and recruiting him to fight alongside him, David learns that Shimeah's son Yohnathan (David's nephew) would also be a great fighter, but has been hiding away at the Oasis.

3. Yohanthan and David must dual in an effort to prove his ability to fight.... (some clever storyline to come up - as either party could instigate the dual.)

4. Upon Recruiting Yohanathan David learns he has been fighting along with great mercenary warriors, Sibbekai and Elahnan, who are camped out in the Cave of Wonders. They are known as "The Crystal Outlaws" and for the right price will aide you in your quest.

5. David is sent to collect collect crystals from loot points scattered around the map and after collecting enough for payment he is able to hire the "The Crystal Outlaws"

6. Everyone has their business to attend to... David learns that his brother Shimeah had died to Raphachik (un-named in scripture, here meaning 'little Rapha') in battle. Yohnathan, David, Abashai, Elhanan, and Sibbekai all return to the battle field to fight the giants of Rapha- Ishbi-Benob, Saph, Lahmi (Goliathh's Brother), and Raphachik. David is offered a place to fight alongside and be known as one of the greatest warriors - A Crystal Outlaw.

2Samuel 21: 22 "These four were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men."

7. In a final scene (perhaps in a public award ceremony perhaps?) , Joab commends the 5 warriors. and gives a speech that though they may be considered Outlaws in a world fighting against them to never lose hope or faith in God for he is our salvation. There will one day come a King - like David - who will be a Messiah for all eternity - one who will reign forever on the Throne of all People, The Throne of all Warriors, and The Throne of all Crystal Outlaws. (and then gives them a medal or something.) roll credits.

Digging this outline, Scott.

I like how you are blending the story of David into your unique narrative. It does tie in your Crystal outlaws nicely. One suggestion I'd offer is to have a note somewhere that these events deviate from the biblical story and are not a true representation of the events in Samuel. This way if you catch the attention of someone who is non Christian or never read the story of David they don't walk away believing this was the way the story occurred in the text. Otherwise it sounds very exciting!

Thanks. At some point I was thinking to do a disclaimer already, although I admit that the thought was probably lost in as I have been working to get the rest of the project assembled. I will add a todo to get a disclaimer card at the start... That should be an easy addition. (However that ever growing todo list is starting to frighten me with less than a week remaining).

Worrying about tomorrow won't add any time to today, take a deep breath and remind yourself that God, is a God of time. You'll get done what you can and be proud of it.

Maybe this testimony will help encourage you. I prayed for time management when I taught overseas - I had 60 students I was teaching. I had to grade 180 tests for other classes, then check my 180 tests were marked properly. I had to input the grades, make 180 individualized comments for the report cards (one per student per subject). I then had to take down al my decorations, pack up 2 classrooms and move into a 3rd classroom typically on a different floor than either of my current classrooms were on. I also had to prep summer camp lessons and handouts for at least two weeks of class, and decorate the new room with 3d decorations making it look like something out of Disneyland with no resources or budget. (So a trip to the stationary store was in order on my time. ) All of this had to be done while being expected to teach my classes, keep up with lesson planning grading workbooks that were checked every 2 weeks for accurate marking/remarking or my salary got docked. I was also moving apartments at the time in my personal life and I only had 3 days to do it all. I was shocked when on the last day, I got all the school work done 30 min before school ended. I literally had nothing to do, so I could rest. I don't see how except it was a God thing!

Regardless try not to stress and just enjoy the process. Game making is fun right? ^_^

:) thanks for the good words.... it was however hyperbole.... I'm not actually frightened or stressed about it in any real sense. Never-the-less what a neat testimony! I've been at these jams a few times now and things are on pace for my workflow and steadily moving forward. It's just a process and I always think and dream bigger for my project than what is sensible.

I swapped out the main third person controller code I was using for another that is built specifically for Combat. I was wary of doing this - it wasn't clear at first how to properly use this (and in many ways still is unclear!).... I lose a few things, but it adds a lot more options and opportunity including a way to do Inventory - which for the supply delivery and collection quests this should come in useful.... plus (and the main reason for the switch) I can now fight in the battle.

I am really enjoying the results thus far.... but lots yet to do to flesh out the vision... Now blocking out the rest of the quest progression is probably what I need to focus on. I've done a decent amount of refinement on the beginning portion of the game. It can be easy to get focused on just getting one part working well, but it may be better to get a start-to-end playable that works a bit janky first.

Sounds like you are on your way! Looking forward to it!

So much progress... still so far to go!

1 - Character Interaction could use some real polish at this point.... and that's unfortunate because my story and instruction is primarily though this interaction.

2 - Since having implemented the Combat system I am enjoying it and it is working out well... I probably would have liked something a little more player friendly than it turned out to be (player doesn't always feel like he faces his enemies), but I'm working with a pre-built combat framework and the guts of it are beyond me to work out for now. But hey, it works!

3 - Collection system - the same combat framework I am using already had a built-in inventory and health system, but I didn't find the inventory useful or intuitive and there didnt' seem to be a 'currency' system I could find, so I hijacked the health system and built a small counter that way. (the Crystal count goes up instead of down (as previously health did) when you 'hit/touch' a crystal.

4 - A cool success was the implementation of the Crystal distribution! I didn't want to place 100's of them so they are randomly populated across the whole of the map, and once I did that the areas that felt sparce and empty now had slightly more purpose to visit.

5 - There are even now some "desert jackles" (which are really just the guards frome earlier with the mesh and animations replaced with a wolf model.... kinda goofy to watch the mismatched colliders in the editor, but the basic gameplay still works out.

5 - I also scratched an earlier 'carry' system with another. I started with a different approach for for the Package delivery quest. Again, it was a pre-built tool but part of a different framework I didn't end up using - it was breaking things and I decided to simplify things and just make my own basic version. Basic is never basic though and that took more brain power than I think it should have!

6 - Finally In general I also added in a ton of small improvements like several colliders.... fences and such, to keep the player from going off track. I added trigger areas to cycle Objects on or off according to progress and for optimization... and other such generalized "simple" improvements.

The crazy thing with all the work put in, it feels like the end result is a rather rough and bloated version of the game and in the end not quite like the game I had envisioned.

I hear you, time flies, I can't believe its due tomorrow! It sounds like you've done a lot though! I can't wait to check out your game.

Everything is blowing up! Can't get a final build to upload.... The hour is near --- fate is enevitable --- my oh my! I will not be afraid. I will not falter.... none shall stop me - This battle is OURS!!

Seriously though.... I'm struggling to get a final build that I can submit. Even if I do, I know there is so much of the game that didn't get in there - I certainly made a mighty effort though. At this point I think I should still be able get something for an entry in time.