I really like the design of the new Irys stage its really AMEzing. that being said I think it was lame and a little lazy to just reuse assets for the Gura stage and then add tridents. you could have had a whole undersea level where you jumped from shrimp to shrimp avoiding fishhooks or something but instead you made basically the same stage. not only that but it was super easy compared to the stage it took assets from. I am really disappointed.
The Gura stage only exists because I realized I could reuse the assets of the Irys stage to make a different kind of stage. I know it's not as exciting as a more uniquely Gura stage would've been, but I'm a solo dev with limited time, energy, and artistic talent.
The choice wasn't between that or a more uniquely Gura stage. The choice was between that or no Gura stage.
The fact that you are a "solo dev" means that you work at your own pace and at the effort YOU want to put in. There is no due date on this project. If you did not want to make Gura her own level then sure that's your choice but don't make excuses. You have shown in the past you are more than capable enough, that's why I said I was disappointed. If you need more time to make more stages then take more time or if you just don't want to make certain stages just say that. But do not give me the old Yandere Dev lines please.
I put exactly as much time and effort into this update as I wanted to. I'm happy with how it turned out.
I'm making the game I want to make. I hope other people enjoy it, and I'm open to good faith criticism that would help more people enjoy it, but at the end of the day I'm making it because I like making it and I'm sharing it because other people seem to enjoy playing it.
If you're so unhappy with my game that you feel the need to fling insults at me, calling me lazy and accusing me of making excuses, then you're free to play something else or make your own.
I said that making a stage reusing all the assets from a previous stage instead of using new assets is "lazy". Meaning not as much effort was put into making the stage as the other ones because you did not want to put as much effort into making that stage. Which is true but I apologize for my particular language causing offense. I took the fact that you are a solo dev as an excuse because you managed to make lots of amazing stages that I love including the most recent one for Irys even though you are just one guy and all that it would take to make a more unique stage for her is to take more time to make it which you can do because being a solo dev you have no deadline. However me not being the developer have no say in whether the effort or time will be put into it or not, only what I would like as a consumer/player. Gura is one of my favorite Hololive EN members and I just want her to have her own unique stage like some of the other girls. If you don't want to make it that way fine but it will end up making some people including myself unhappy. If that is ok with you or you don't care then keep on going, I wish you the best.
I like Gura too. That's why she was the first alternate character I added to the game, and why there are three versions of her.
But there are nearly 50 members in Hololive. As much as I'd like to give all of them a completely unique stage and make them playable so everyone's favorite is fully represented, that's just not realistic. You're right that I don't have deadlines, but I still have limited energy. I've been working on this game that I can't monetize for nearly a year, and I'm kinda burned out. I need to finish it up.
The Reflect level didn't happen because I thought, "Well I want to make a Gura level, but I don't want to actually put any effort into it."
It happened because I thought, "Oh hey, this red shader I accidentally made is pretty cool, but it wouldn't fit on this IRyS level since her whole thing is black and white. Maybe I could use it on an alternate to the IRyS level so this update can have two levels? But what song could I use? Oh hey, the red effect plus the gravity mechanic could fit the dark reflection theme of Reflect. Have the whole level reflected on the bottom, and the second half of the level is traversing the same obstacles but in the opposite direction. And since the next update will be the last, with a Kiara level and Calli boss fight, this level would give Gura at least some stage representation."
I'm sorry you don't think I did Gura justice. If you want more dedicated Gura content in a fangame, I recommend GuraQuest.
The characters I could see as different skins except for Reine which got kinda gypped. As for the first 2 extra levels those were just harder versions of the same stage while Gura is a completely different person in Hololive and one of the more popular ones so I was disappointed because I like Gura and wanted her to get her own stage rather than a reskin of the same stage Irys got. The spikes randomly thrown into different stages were not there before and were only put there in this update and the pink clouds were only in red heart. He had a completely different feel and platforming style as well as assets for each of the stages and each new stage felt fresh and exciting and kept me coming back for more. until the resent update when he seemed to reuse things a little more than usual. I know he has the ability to do it because he has done it with so many more stages he just didn't do it with Gura.