DEVLOG #001: Metal Splinter Hotline Manhunt Miami Gear Cell
That’s the best way for me to describe my next project. I’ve been planning and plotting this game for a long time, and now that I have wrapped up In Transit, I figure now is a good time to start. I’ve always been fascinated with stealth games and I don’t think there are enough out there in the marketplace, so here is my attempt at one. This is the game I’ve been dying to make. I love what I did with In Transit, but in reality, I made In Transit (a much simpler game) to learn this wonderful engine and to buy some time to get my coding and pixel art skills up. I finally feel ready. Today I was able to finish up my top down controls, character state machine and walking animations. I love the animation because the play back speed is tied to the analog stick, which reminds me of one of my all time favorites Splinter Cell… well, enough talk. I took a bit of footage for you guys to check out. So stay tuned for updates if you like a good ultra violent sneak 'em up!!
17 Likes
Thank you! Cant wait to share my next update, stay tuned!
2 Likes
DEVLOG 002: Another brick in the wall…
UPDATE
It’s been a busy week here at my computer, I’ve created and added a lot of sample assets to my game to see what works in terms of resolutions and image sizes to get what I see in my head in the hands of players, and so far so good! I think I will be able to add a darkness option so players can choose their intensity of shadow. I personally like my games dark af and just as hard but I know that can be a problem for some. Anyways, check out the latest!
NEXT
I need to improve the collision detection and figure out a way to implement a “wall hug” system. Every stealth game worth its weight in sand has a good wall hug system. Kinda stumped as to how at the moment, but part of the fun is figuring this stuff out. I also plan to keep playing with assets, so expect to see a more fleshed out level next time you tune in.
FINAL THOUGHT
I am finally finding a good work flow. I tend to do most of my coding in the day time and asset development at night. I’ve been an artist much longer than a coder, so I need that early alert brain to be able to juggle what I am researching and testing (with the help of caffeine). But nights are pretty chill being able to watch a little telly while drawing. Good times.
9 Likes
DEVLOV #003: How I learned to stop worrying and love GUI
UPDATE
After spending a lot of time of game play, I realized I had not worked on my GUI/ Menus in a minute, so I took a day to update them all to the new resolution and font that I have decided to use for the game. I am quite happy with how it turned out. I was going for a retro VHS vibe, since security footage is going to be a part of the game’s story, check out my pause screen!
NEXT
I am going to get back to character movements soon, I am still sorting out my states and animations. It’s been very tough, but I am determined to wrapping that bad boy up soon so I can get back to creating more assets…
FINAL THOUGHT
Being a solodev is much like being a sole creator for a comic book. There is so much to do that if you burn out on something, you can jump on to another task that seems unrelated to cool down. In my case, its hopping between creating assets, coding and GUI.
5 Likes
DEVLOG #004: Collisions and Triggers…
UPDATE
It’s been a long hard battle, but I finally have a functional wall hug mechanic. It needs a few more tweaks as most things do, but it has come a long way! I went down the collision vs trigger rabbit hole and came out the other other end pretty satisfied. I must have gone though 200 lines of code trying to figure this friggin thing out, so let me say I am quite proud of these results, check it out…
NEXT
That covers most of my player movements, I have a fork in the road now… continue implementing player interactions or begin working on enemies? Not sure, going to start working on assets while I figure it out…
FINAL THOUGHT
I’m not gonna lie, when sht got tough with the wall hug mechanic, I considered scrapping it. When sht got tough with my assets lining up with the collisions, I considered creating brand new ones from scratch with what I have learned in mind. But no. Sometimes I can be a stubborn AF and sometimes it pays off. Today is one of those days. Happy Defolding, friends.
8 Likes
Thanks! It’s finally running pretty smooth 
1 Like
DEVLOG #005: UI Candy
UPDATE
I started working on the in-game UI while I learn more about the camera component and shaders. I’ve also started working sprites for the first enemy type character. So, I needed a way to inform the player when they are concealed in shadows and visable to enemies while also keeping the UI minimal. What I came to is actually pretty cool and easy to understand, when i the dark, the player tint is reduced and when visable, the player lights up. I use a bunch of sensors around the player to handle it. There is also a bit of “disable/enable juggling” depending on the state of the player.
NEXT
I want to add cool VHS like effects over my game to really give it that CCTV vibe. So I’m gonna have to go down the dreaded shader rabbit hole. I’m also working on how to make the camera do what I want it to do. I got a couple ideas that will be a big part of gameplay.
FINAL THOUGHT
The game is growing and I need a better way to organize my thoughts and break this project up into small deliverables. So far I’ve just been kinda winging it, and though its gotten me this far, I know it wont take me past the finish line. Maybe Trello or a Kanban board? I think I do better with pen and paper so maybe some post its and a sharpie…
8 Likes
