Hi everyone !

First devlog entry. I took a few days in order to test a few things with LibGDX & Overlap2D. Now that it's done, i can focus on the game.

At first, i had no idea about what to make with this theme. Of course, there is a lot of subject and gameplay that work with "Space" but nothing seemed interesting to me.

The light came with the word "Life". It could be in the meaning of "lifeform" but also "lifestyle". I went with the last one. We'll live the life of a bounty hunter in space. I'm working on the detail but i want the player to feel like a real bounty hunter. Investigating, chasing, killing. I want him to feel the danger of the space and be afraid by them.

Another important part of the game, the protagonist. I want him to be special. Not quite the classical bounty hunter everyone have in mind. The protagonist should be charismatic but not aggressive.

More news soon ^^

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Day 1 - Pen & Paper

What i worked on ?

When i make a game, i always take a moment drawing & writing what come in my mind. It can be characters, environment, game mechanics, moodboard, ... . (I will scan them when i will have access to the scanner)

Once i have sufficient elements, i start wondering what experience i want the player to have when playing the game. I use the things i put on the paper before in order to keep some coherence during the design process. This end with a set of high-level rule i need to keep in mind. For this project, there are the rules :

- The player must be particularly afraid of the danger of the life in space.

- The player must feel that he is not the average bounty hunter.

- The exploration must be a great part of the game and provide something to the player.

- The player must feel free to choose the way he'll progress through the game.

Those high-level rules should be observed as mush as it can. However, some constraints exist. The game is due in less than one month, i have a lot of things to do apart from this project & i'm alone.

With those rules in mind, the game design can be defined. Ever single rule can be present in different part of the game. For example, we can make the player feel he's not the average bounty by the visual identity, the gameplay, the sound design, ... .

What's now ?

The next step is one of the most important, establish a solid core gameplay. I have one technique i use for every game jam since not too long ago. I make a small prototype with shapes. If i enjoy playing with it, then the core gameplay is, at least, correct. This will be the work for the next few days.

I will try to make a post each day in order to allow you to follow the progression. If you have any question, don't hesitate ^^

See ya and merry Xmas !!

Day 2/3/4 - The core gameplay

What i worked on ?

Well, three days without a devlog. It's quite complicated to spare time for a jam when you are developping two other games as well but it's quite challenging. The last days, i worked on the core gameplay & the visual identity. I shared some WIP on twitter.

The core gameplay is quite simple. A mix between a metroidvania and a point & click. You play as a gentleman bounty hunter. You receive contracts directly on your ship monitor. You select the one you want to accomplish and here we go. The levels are procedurally generated but the objective of a mission are selected in list of four (assassinate, drop, loot & protect). I thought of hostage mission too but i think that it'll be too much work in only one month in order to manage a challenging mission on a procedurally generated level. Oh, and the game is 2D side scroller.

During a mission, you can move, crouch (enter a stealth mode), fire with your gun, attack with your sword & interact with objects. A small particularity, when you kill an enemy with your gun, he is vaporized. So the projectile will continue to the next enemy.So, if you manage to weaken an entire enemy squad, you can kill them all with a single shot.

The important part is the interaction with objects. You have an inventory that allow you to keep four object. Like in a point & click, you can use them on other object in order to combine them. For example, you can combine an explosive and a door in order to get a trapped door. This open new perspective of progression. Sometimes, killing everything is not the right answer. Plus, interact with object allow the player to discover new places and, of course, some rewards. Those new places will open new ways in order to accomplish the mission and ease the progression of the player.

When the player is killed, the game is over and he must start from the beggining. Hopefully, he can keep ont thing from his previous character. A piece of equipment or some cash. But only one.

At the end of each mission, you return to a space station/bar. Here, you can chill, get informations about contracts and upgrade your stuff.

What's now ?

Code the first prototype ! All the core rules are on the paper, let's make a first playable prototype now. This game is heavy. I think i will not finish it with all the features. But i will try by iterating from a basic version. For the first prototype, we will find :

• A loaded level (not procedurally generated)
• A player (a square. Maybe a red square ...)
• Some basic physics (gravity & simple collision)
• The ability to shoot (because it's fun).

And that's it for the very first prototype. I think i will not work on it today (another project is on the list). But as soon as i will make some progress, You will find them on twitter.

See ya !