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[brettchalupa]

I think I am finally ready to make a devlog for the game I've been working on for the past two months.

a dream to fly is getting a make-over!

The original flash prototype was built with Flixel, and it was my first time using it. I had a ton of fun, and I decided to continue with the idea. The prototype has a finite end and a finite space, where the player must simply collect the "coins" before time runs out.

 Play v0.1.0 here.

After making the initial prototype, a lot changed in my life (for the better). I've been working on the game full-time and started my own business. Since then, I've completely changed the way the game works, added a lot of new sprites, and have a close friend, Jon Buresh, working on the audio.

A week after v0.1.0, I started reworking the game and that sort of thing.

 Play v0.1.1 here.

Thinking back to this version, I rotation the orientation to landscape and changed the resolution. I also added in the white star sprites and the red stars. In this version, there is no real difference between the stars.

In the future, the red stars explode when grappled. That sprite has definitely changed.  

I eventually added mouse control, where clicking or pressing space works for input. Version 0.1.2 also has black holes added, which teleport the player to another random black hole.

Play v0.1.2 here.

I also started working on some of the sprites in the game around this time.

Here is a taste of the early sprites:


From v0.1.2 to v0.1.3, I was testing out the possibility of simply using the AIR SDK to get the game running on iOS. I was successful in getting the game running on iOS. However, it ran poorly. At this point is when I realized it was important to start writing the game in Objective-C with Xcode to run natively on iOS.

Version 0.1.3 has a new resolution, that of the iPads, and includes asteroids and stars that disappear after grappling on them. The stars will release particles after exploding in future versions. I also removed coin collection, and I made it so that bubbles add oxygen. The only lose-state is to run out of oxygen.

Play v0.1.3 here.



I took a break from development on a dream to fly to work on who am i? The path for the game has changed a bit after reflecting and thinking about it.

As I mentioned, the audio is being done by my friend Jon Buresh. He goes to school for Game Design and is the main developer on Sintel: The Game.

The completed soundtrack can be streamed here. Jon has completed the soundtrack for the game, and I'm happy with it.

Name: a dream to fly
Platform: PC (Windows and Mac) initially, other platforms possibly down the line
Release: Spring 2012
Developer(s): Hokori Interactive (Brett Chalupa) & Jon Buresh (audio)

[brettchalupa]

Jon sent me another music piece, called Take to the Stars.

I've bee working on rewriting the flash version for iOS. The difference in syntax is my biggest slowdown, but I am having a good time learning it and testing it out.

I also downloaded and started messing around with a program called nanoloop for iOS. It seems like it might be a good program for making sound effects and music.

Lastly, I made a typeface for use in-game and in some other places. It's called Ascension, and you can use it for whatever you'd like.

[brettchalupa]

It has been a weird and slow past few weeks, as I have been travelling and doing some business related work.

This past week I have been working on the iOS version. It's been a slow process, but I feel like I am learning a lot. Stars, the player, and rotation are implemented. Now that I feel more comfortable with Objective-C, it's been moving a bit faster.

[brettchalupa]

I formally announced the game on the Hokori Interactive website. http://hokori-interactive.com/games/announcing-a-dream-to-fly/

[brettchalupa]

There has been a change of plans with a dream to fly, which may or may not be okay. 

Quite a few things have happened since I last updated, over 20 days ago. I got the game running on Android by exporting the AS3 project using AIR for Mobile. It ran totally fine, and that's super exciting. I worked on the Objective-C version a bit more as well.

However, I have decided to take a break from a dream to fly for now. It's been three months since I started working on it, and I kind of have lost passion in the original idea. I am not sure if I should scrap the work I have done and redesign the core gameplay or if I should just release what I have (after some polish). The easiest thing to do would be to release a flash version on the web for free and an android version for a dollar (or free). This is something I will think about, and when I have made a decision I will update here.

The project will get completed in one form or another, I am just not sure what form that is.

Also, Jon updated the track Take to the Stars. It's much improved now, and I really like it: http://soundcloud.com/hokori-interactive/take-to-the-stars-final

[brettchalupa]

Ah, it looks like the hiatus is over as I've been working on code for a dream to fly, figuring out the final form it will take, and Jon finished the soundtrack.




You can stream it on soundcloud.