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[Cosr]

Time to get this devlog started.

Can't Save My Hollow Heart is basically an idea I had last week, before I knew this compo was going on. The theme of the compo let me settle on a setting, and solidify some of the rough plot idea I had. Might not have too much to do with the apocalypse, outside of simply having a post-apocalyptic setting.

The game is going to have a simple fighting-game-like combat system (simple as in not a lot of combos/different attacks/moves lists). Combat will be decidedly Bushido Blade-esque, in the sense that a fire axe to the face will be a fire axe to the face (with all the implied consequences).

I want the story to play more like an adventure game, with only occasional fights (not like a fighting game arcade mode). Since I need to develop the combat system anyways, I'll be including a vs. mode.

This will probably end up being over ambitious. I want to start by getting the combat down, then see where I can get with the story if I have enough of December left.

[Cosr]

So far all I've been doing is drawing sprites, and getting started on some animations. Still haven't gotten to the point where I really have any code running, yet.

Here's some sprites, though.


And I made a mockup, with a few different versions. Only thing in the mockup that's actually intended for the game are the character sprites. I mostly did it to test out some different colour palettes.




I like using monochromatic colour palettes, with specific bits of bright colour. I wanted things to have a sort of dirty, dusty look, so I decided to try making things brownscale (instead of greyscale). I think I like the last mockupp best, with the background using a less saturated scale of browns than the characters, and with solid black outlines around the characters to make them stand out even more.

[J. R. Hill]

Looking awesome!

[Cosr]

Looking awesome!

Thank you.

I've been quiet lately, but I have been working, honest. Mostly been drawing animations for the girl with the steel pipe (Evelyn). I've probably been working a little slowly, I think. I've also been sleeping too much.

My current goal is, by the end of the weekend, to have the basic combat system up and running with Evelyn fully playable. Versus with both a 2p version and an AI that does nothing but block.

Would also love to have the dude with the fire axe (Cross) playable by the end of the weekend, but we'll have to wait and see how far I get animating him.

[caiys]

Really liking the art style, hope it's 2-player co-op!

[Cosr]

The plan is for the multiplayer to be 2 player versus, fighting game style. I'll be making that first. Might not even have time to get to the single player for the compo, which is planned to be adventure gameish, with only occasional fights.

[Cosr]

Well, I'm not nearly as far along as I wanted to be by now. So, no playable build to release as I would have liked to. Not really going to have any time to work on Can't Save My Hollow Heart for the next couple days, so it might be a bit before I get much progress made.

[J. R. Hill]

Well, make progress as soon as possible!

[eyeliner]

I liek the character sprites without the outlines.

[LiquidAsh]

Looking Good!

[Cosr]

Well, I have officially failed to really finish any part of Can't Save My Hollow Heart for the competition. Progress over the last couple weeks has been dismal. My productivity crashed after Ludum Dare, what with it being winter break and all. That will teach me to try and commit to a competition while going home for the holidays.

I want to continue this game (though I've said that before and didn't). Hopefully I can get some good progress done once I'm back at university, before I get too busy with course work.

I liek the character sprites without the outlines.

Well, I've been drawing the character sprites without outlines anyways, and just added the outlines for the mockup. So early versions will probably have non-outlined characters anyways and if it's easy to pick out and read the characters in motion then I'll keep it that way.