Hi, fellow gamedevs! :3
I'm Andy Miira, game developer (mostly experienced with Unity) and otaku gamer (and anime lover, all that stuff xD).

Inspired by Watermark RPG's Project Thread, I'm also creating my own project thread, to give you some info about the project's development. To spice things up a bit! And to see if this will help me procrastinate less during this game jam, haha :'D
It's my first time creating this kind of development thread, hope this can exercise my writing skills too!

I joined this game jam to see if I can finally realize a game idea I had since some time ago... Or at least make a fun and interesting prototype of it. (it's probably the latter, hehe)
I want to create a 3D Platformer/Visual Novel hybrid, because I really like these genres of games. <3

I like the challenges, gameplay interactions and exploration that are present in the 3D worlds, and I also like the character/relationships-focused storytelling that is a staple of many VNs, so I want to create a game that combines these two genres. Maybe it's not the most original combination, but it's one I want to try... And add my own twist on things, of course! ;)

Stay tuned for more info!
--^---^--
o(>ω<)o

Some assets and resources used:

I'm developing the game using Unity (by Unity Technologies), it's the game engine I'm most experienced and confortable with.
I just finished creating a foundation of my project, I created a new Unity project (using the "3D With Extras" template, for some post processing effects) and added the following assets:

- Kinematic Character Controller (by Philippe St-Amand), in my opinion, it's the best 3D Character Controller ever made for Unity. You NEED to study the example project and walkthrough course included, but it's really worth it! I'll frequently shorten it's name to KCC.
- Fungus (by Fungus Games), the best narrative/storytelling asset for Unity that I ever used!
- ProBuilder and ProGrids (by ProCore 3D, Unity Technologies), to speed up level prototyping and have accurate object placement on the 3D scenes.
- Cinemachine (by Cinemachine Imagery Inc, Unity Technologies), to facilitate camera implementation for the game. It's a HUGE timesaver for both 2D and 3D games!

Another essential resource that I'll use, is the software VRoid Studio (by pixiv), to quickly create custom 3D anime character models.
And also Blender (by Blender Foundation), to fine tune and add some details to the characters.

About music and sound effects, I'll probably add sounds from some SFX Packs I bought from the Asset Store, and try to compose a few tunes myself (if I have enough time for that xD).
But for now, my priority is to implement the core gameplay of the game, based on KCC's foundation.

Some cat scratches sketches I made today... :3

Nekosuki! (Game title)

[Story]

A world where humans and many "human-like" creatures used to coexist together.
A wounded world, broken in pieces.
But wounds may heal with time... And care...

A little boy and two little girls, playing together...
The girls have cat ears.
They are having fun.
They love each other dearly.

This is the dream he always wakes from... Alone.

----------------------------------------------
The Linkage Stream System. Commonly known as RINGStream.
It was a magnificent invention capable of physically joining different realms together.
Many alliances and bonds were created after people started using it.
Many lives were born thanks to the RINGStream's existence.

On a bright sunny day...
The people born in each realm suddenly woke up in their original land of birth.
Many bonds were broken on that day.

The RINGStream was no more.

----------------------------------------------
But there were people who just refused to accept that fate...

==============================================

In the human realm...

A man named Shiki once again awakens from his dream... But this time, he's not alone.
Two girls with cat ears barge into his room, and admonish him.
The sly and brash Natsuki.
And her sister, the serious and hardworking Akimi.

Somehow, the RINGStream was active again.
At least for the people with the "right tools"...

The girls tell him that many little kitties from their own realm escaped to the human lands.
The kitties are really causing a mess.
So, they need his help to catch the runaway kitties and bring them back to their home.

The man doesn't know who those girls are. He is hesitant.
But he reluctantly agrees to their request.
And so, their adventure begins.

Perhaps he may even understand the true meaning of his dreams...

Hi, everyone!
I'm quite late to make a progress report, hehe... So here goes!

In the last few days I made some progress with the game (now called "Nekosuki!") prototype.
Maybe it doesn't look like much, I mostly adjusted some "boring" foundation stuff of the prototype. xD

- I created a character using VRoid Studio and added her to the game! It's still not her final design, it can be customized further, but for testing purposes I'm already using this initial version of the character "Natsuki". I'll upload some images the next post after this report! ^u^

- I adjusted the main 3rd Person Camera of the game. Using Cinemachine, I added a "Manual Camera" mode, a camera that only moves when the user moves the mouse or the Right Analog Stick.

- Natsuki can already be controlled in the game scene, but she's constantly sliding on the ground with a T-Pose stance! It's quite funny to see... xD
So, I started looking for animation packs on Unity Asset Store. There is a VERY interesting paid pack that I found, but for now I'll use some free animation packs. I'll post some more details later. :)

- Today, I made various adjustments to the basic movement of the character (run speed, jump height, character turning, etc...), and I also added an "Active Camera" mode, that follows behind your character and rotates the camera when you move sideways.

- Finally, I added a pause menu, with some game settings and the option to quit the game. When I upload the prototype, you won't need to press Alt+F4 to close the game. :D

- My next step is to actually create the character's animation states, and make the basic animations play in-game.

I think that's it for my progress report. Cheers! ;3

Here's Natsuki! :3

Those "triangles" on her hair are meant to be cat ears... I tried to improvise in VRoid Studio with some hair strands, but it was quite hard! xD
I'll update and better customize her design later, but for now I'll prioritize programming the gameplay.

She's a kinda "gyaru/gal" type...

Love that sly smile!

Slippin' and Slidin'
https://twitter.com/andymiira/status/1062153467697995777

Hi, everyone!

Wow, my last post was 12 days ago already... Unfortunately, I haven't had much progress in the game these days, I'm sorry! >m<
I've been sidetracked by some other things that made me busy.

But my main goal during this jam was to, at least, make a game prototype that I can continue developing after the jam. And to research tools and assets that could help me develop the game faster and avoiding "reinventing the wheel".

In the last days of the jam, I'm gonna focus on these things:
- Adjusting the character controller, adding animations
- Create some enemies, powerups and obstacles, implementing AI
- Design a simple test level, with a clear start, middle and finish

Well, I'll focus on that for now. I did research and test an open source Finite State Machine (FSM) framework, that will help me a lot to program the AI and to better organize my code.
StateMachine (by Appccelerate)

That's it for now. Cheers! ;3

Well, it's almost over... The game jam, that is...

Congratulations to everyone that participated in this jam, and even more respect to the ones that managed to submit their game entries! xD Good luck to you in the competition :D

I won't submit my entry (it's still a very initial prototype), but I will continue developing the Nekosuki project. I'll soon (maybe during the weekend) publish the game's page and post more devlogs there, to keep you all informed of the project's state. :)

I didn't complete any playable prototype during the jam's duration, but I can say that during this month I made some important steps in finally starting this personal project, even if my game's development progress is still at the very beginning. I gathered useful resources and learned many things that I feel sharpened my coding skills. I'm very grateful for the extra motivation this jam gave me.

And so, bye bye for now! Sorry I hadn't uploaded any playable prototype, but I'll try to amend that soon... Stay tuned! ;p

New video of the prototype :3

Hi everyone! Just sharing a bit of news about the Nekosuki! project:

From now on, the game uses the Rewired input system, so the player controls support is MUCH better! You'll be able to play with Joysticks, Gamepads and Keyboard+Mouse. :D

And thanks to Rewired, I think is more feasible to add a Local Multiplayer mode to the game... During the game, there will be a "partner character" that follows you around, so a second player will be able to control it! (the partner will be AI controlled during single-player)

Stay tuned for more news! ;3

Quick update: I'm currently working on a Ledge Grabbing system for the game.

In the game you'll be able to climb and shimmy along ledges. That'll open interesting level exploration possibilities! :D

Also, I'm planning on releasing a playable prototype until March 10... Stay tuned! ;3

Hello, cat boys and gals! 🐱 😺 🐈

I'm still working on the Ledge Grabbing system I mentioned in my last post. Actually, last month (March) I had paused this task to make some fine adjustments to the game's character controller and camera. I had quite a progress with them!

This week I'll try to finish the Ledge Grabbing system, and then (hopefully) create a test level to show how the main gameplay is doing...
Stay tuned!

P.S.: Sorry about not delivering yet a playable prototype. @-@

[Devlog]

I'm still working on the game. :) Mainly integrating some gameplay mechanics from Unity's 3D Game Kit (awesome kit, by the way!) and combining them with my current character controller.

I'm also getting my grips with the game's animation system, based on the Game Kit's example. And I'm also testing a FSM system for the enemies and NPC characters...

I'll try to post updates more frequently. Stay tuned! :3

Here's chibi Natsuki!
She's cute like a kitty... :3

Look at chibi-Natsuki following big Natsuki...
So cute! <3

Quick test of Kinematic Character Controller's  AI and NavMesh system.

You spin me right round, baby
Right round like a record, baby
Right round round round

Nekosuki! running great on Android! :3
Video coming soon!

Test level based on Kinematic Character Controller's test level.

The game is running great on Android! :D

My plan is to release Nekosuki! for PC and Android (at least for now, I may release on more platforms later on ;) )

My smartphone is a Samsung J2 Pro.

I used X-Frame's Adaptive Downsampling method to make the game run smoother on my phone.
For the on-screen controls, I used Rewired's touch controls system.

Test level based on Kinematic Character Controller's test level. I added some more test objects.

Poor chibi Natsuki... Trying to reach big Natsuki x3

Hello, everyone! :3

I think it won't be (very) long until I upload an "one level demo" of Nekosuki! Maybe at the end of this month...
It'll be a demo with a simple level, but I'll make a "complete" level from start to finish, to show you the kind of gameplay experience I'm aiming for.

I still want to adjust and implement some things first... But what I can say for now is: I already integrated Unity's 3D Game Kit (Lite) with my Kinematic Character Controller-based controller. So there's already some nice gameplay features implemented, together with KCC's physics system! :)

I'm also working a bit on the art side of things...
Here's a quick sketch I made today for the game's logo.

P.S.: Here's a sketch I made (from November, 2018) of Haruka, another character from the game. :p

#Nekosuki logo sketch!
Featuring cats and Valentine's Day chocolate! xD

New video of NekoSuki! :3
Testing the basic gameplay, attacks, jumps, camera, damage, running around...

In that video, Natsuki's voice actress is 小日向 さくら (Sakura Kohinata)
I think her voice fits really well with the character! :3

I bought this voice pack from the Unity Asset Store:
Voices of Sakura Kohinata

By the way, try watching the video with this song in the background :3
That's the kind of music I'm aiming for in NekoSuki!

Hi, everyone!
Sorry for the lack of news about NekoSuki! >m<

I'm currently adjusting the game's UI system, and I'm really considering using Houdini (by SideFX) to optimize the game's level design and 3D art. So now, I'm also a bit busy studying Houdini... xD

Stay tuned for more news! :3

A sketch I made of Akimi! :3

Akimi is a scientist catgirl, who loves to invent things and develops all of the heroes' gadgets!
She is also very kind to her younger sister Natsuki. Akimi always took great care of her sister since they were kids.

She knows Natsuki harbors a great love for their (human) childhood friend, Shiki.
So, when the two catgirls are reunited with Shiki once again after many years, Akimi is eager to match her sister with her best friend.

But, what about her own feelings...?

During this weekend, I worked on some Target Platform switcher scripts for Unity, to make platform switching faster.
I frequently need to switch platforms from Windows to Android (and vice-versa), so I made some experiments, with awesome results!

This first script, I believe will work on any OS:
https://gist.github.com/andreiagmu/add97f64c3cae3ce7f379a5b376a9c25

And this one here is EVEN FASTER, using symlink operations (but only for Windows systems!)
https://gist.github.com/andreiagmu/116d2dffd7de40d0792ed5536789f218

My NekoSuki! project has a bit above 3GB of assets, so to switch platforms (from Windows to Android, for example) it takes something like 2 hours (in my notebook).
With the symlink switcher, each switch (after the first one) takes only 3 minutes! Isn't that a big productivity boost :D

I hope these scripts are useful to Unity game devs! ;3

I made an Unity editor script, to quickly load a folder full of 3D models (.fbx, but it can be easily extended for other formats), and generate their respective prefabs! (and optionally auto-add some Colliders and Rigidbodies)

https://gist.github.com/andreiagmu/b60452981058564fc5454f7e46940113

It's a nice timesaver :3

Hi! 😺❤ About NekoSuki, I'm currently in the middle of some code refactoring and optimizations. Can't show it yet, but the results are very promising! :D

I'm aiming for a more modular and better structured codebase, for character (players, enemies) abilities and the like, and also to make it easier to implement new (and reusable) gimmicks and gameplay elements to the levels, to make them really fun to explore and full of surprises! 🎁

I'm also aiming for a 3D Platformer game that can be played and runs well in lower-end devices (notebooks with integrated graphic cards, smartphones, tablets...), so I'm testing some techniques to optimize my game. :)

Stay tuned! I'll show some development results soon ;3

Cool shot (^▽^) <(`^´)>

[Unity tip] If you add/delete some bones from your .fbx model, and then you reimport it to Unity, some weird deformations may happen in your prefabs. Drag another instance of your fbx, try to copy the bone’s transform from it! :D

Hi, people! From now on, I’m posting the game’s latest news on NekoSuki!’s Discord community. I also post news on my Twitter.

Join NekoSuki!’s Discord for the latest news! :3