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[swordpond]

"Hi there! My name is Steve, and I'd like to share some news with you.
Recently, I got stranded on a next-to deserted island, in the middle of nowhere.
Boy was I frightened... I realized quite soon that I had to do everything within
my might to survive. Quite different from my day-to-day job at the office, right?"

                                                              

"Here are some photos from the island! People tend to doubt my credibility when
I tell them about the whole stranded thing, but how come I've got pictures of it then?
Silly, right!?"

"Can you believe that!? Everything was about combining the
right things! Throw a stone on a coconut to break it, throw a twig
on the fire to keep it burning... Incredible. And I had no
wildlife experience at all! I'm a New Yorker for christ sake!

Anyway, I'll keep you updated when I find more pictures. In the
meantime, you can check out my blog or something! Bye for now!
swordpond.blogspot.com"

                                                              

[DeadPixel]

Fantastic.  The entire game should be done in this narrative style, perhaps in some kind of message-in-a-bottle format!

[flavio]

Amazing. What platforms are you targeting?

[swordpond]

Amazing. What platforms are you targeting?

The game is only set to release on PC and Mac at the moment. There is however vague plans on converting it to flash format as well, but only the future will tell  .

There is an upcoming "Update Post" later today, with some new screenshots and a more thorough explanation of the combination system. Depending on how much work that gets done during this weekend, a video trailer shouldn't be too far away.

And thank you both for the feedback!

[swordpond]

Development Update

The recent days has basically been 100% about The Survival of Steve for me. The direct effect of this is that there's been huge progress, and that's good.

So, I promised that I would talk a little about the combination system. It's really very easy, and just an idea I thought would be fun playing with. Let's say that you need a bed... And you've got what the island offers at your disposal.



So, voilá, a bed made out of a big leaf and some sticks.



I wont spoil any more combinations from now on, as I want the players to try their way to success. Unforgiving or not, you wont be able to explore the entire island if you don't do these kind of things.

Another thing the game features is different endings based on your actions. If you think and use your wits, you will be rewarded for doing so. However if you choose to just clumsily cross the island and disrespect its nature, you might not get a pleasant ending. The question that you should ask yourself at the beginning is "What would I do to get off a remote island like this one?" and then use the tools the game gives you.

And then some new screenshots.

"The beach is quite nice this time of year."

"This cave needs a fire..."

"Eat coconut, you smelly pig!"

So, there you have it. As you probably can tell from the screens, the narrative element of the game is at its minimum. Everything you, the player, get to know is through these kind of "thought bubbles". I've deliberatly tried to keep texts and numbers on the low side.

Please, feel free to comment. It boosts the morale.

[Conker534]

I'm loving the graphic style!

[Adam F.]

Interesting. The graphic style is alright, but I'm keen on this whole "narrative" thing you have going. Keep it up!

[Elijah T.]

This looks beautiful.  I've always had a sweet spot for survival-oriented games, and I don't think I've ever seen one done with a sidescroller perspective before.  Can't wait to see it in motion.

PS the thought bubble idea is absolutely brilliant.

[Konidias]

I'm sensing just a hint of Minecraft inspiration.

[swordpond]

I would be a terrible liar to say that it hasn't been a part of the inspiration, yes Although the only similarities would be that you combine objects to get new objects. In The Survival of Steve it's much more simplified.

I want the game to feel like a puzzle/adventure game.

[swordpond]

Things I've been working on lately (Progress bar has been updated from 30% to 60%):

- Added the possibility to kill and grill fish.
- Added some other fruits.
- Part 1 is entirely done.
- Part 2 is almost done.
- Started working on some end-game content.
- Straightened out a few bugs (Going to hunt down every bug and glitch in a little while)

And loads of stuff I've forgotten or wont tell. The game is turning out good anyway.

[swordpond]

I know it's not pretty, but made for the lulz.

[Geeze]

I could imagine this game starting on a country club where a older guy tells about his "adventures". And of course he needs a tophat. Please include a tophat as a easter egg. Please! 

[JobLeonard]

Will this game feature stingrays?

  I'm sorry, I couldn't resist

[Thomas Finch]

I love this whole concept, the combining of things, the narrative, the visuals! Can't wait for the finished project! If you need beta testers, then count me in!