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[Thomas Finch]

So, I've decided that I'm going to start showing gameplay gifs. They'll be mostly placeholder art at first, but currently I haven't given you guys much proof that I've done any real programming (I've done a lot, don't worry). So look forward to a new gameplay gif atleast once or twice a week from now on!

[Thomas Finch]

Devlog Update #39 - 03/12/14

Drumroll please... our first official gameplay gif:


What is happening here:
1. Nearly all of that is programmer art except the player and the 'void'.
2. The black and red glitch is a "Hell Void". If the player touches one, he is sucked in and 'dies'.
3. The thing sitting on the void is a 'hellhound' named "Pain". He sits in one spot and tracks you if you're close and nothing is blocking his view. If you use an ability within his view, he grabs you with his vision and pulls you into the void.
4. The red flash and screen shake happen because the player tried to use an ability within the hellhound's view.
5. The art for Pain is actually just the concept art for him with a green arrow drawn on to show where he is looking.
6. The closer a player is to a void, the more it shakes violently, eager to send him back to hell. There will also be plenty of voids around levels without hellhounds on them, so the player will have to avoid those sometimes.
7. Lastly, in the final game, there will be an animation for the player where he is looking terrified and trying to pull himself away, sorta like being dragged away by someone. This animation will be used for being grabbed by hellhounds and being sucked into voids.

You know, making a gif was surprisingly easy. I remember it being way more complicated.

[knifeySpoonie]

Really cool stuff, nice gamplay mechanics and some nice and straight forward FX to bring it to life, good work, also love the dieing gif up above.

[Thomas Finch]

Really cool stuff, nice gamplay mechanics and some nice and straight forward FX to bring it to life, good work, also love the dieing gif up above.

Thank you very much! :D
Holy crap, I'm #26 on IndieDB. I didn't realize people liked gameplay gifs that much. O_O

[Thomas Finch]

Devlog Update #40 - 03/14/14

Here is a WORK IN PROGRESS of the cabin that the player lies dead in at the beginning of the game:


The finished version will have the player's dead body in the middle and the cabin will be on fire.

[Thomas Finch]

Hey guys, not really big enough for its own update, but the artist just randomly made me a game icon. So here it is:

[Thomas Finch]

Devlog Update #41 - 03/16/14

Another new gameplay gif for you guys!


What's happening here?:
1. This is another gif of hellhounds, but this time it's the hellhound Restraint! This guy will stalk you when you're not looking, but play shy when you are looking. If they get to close, they'll grab you and drag you back to hell.
2. Obviously, it's still completely programmer art except the voids and main character.
3. The things the player is bouncing on are the Squeamish Spirits. When you touch them, they panic and throw their 'arms' in the air, sending you flying away.

[Thomas Finch]

Hey guys, quick update about translation. So far, I have 6 translators for the game which means the game will definitely be in atleast Chinese, Russian, French, Spanish, Japanese, Dutch and of course English. Like I've said before, I want the game to be in as many languages as possible. It's only about a page or two of text for the game total. If you're interested in translating, send me an email ([email protected]). Even if the language you could help with is listed above, I could still use your help!

[Thomas Finch]

Make sure to follow me on twitter, guys: @despawngames
Sometimes I post stuff there that I don't post here or anywhere else.

[ARRD-ART]

Looks great! Has a sort of Journey vibe to it. Loving it!

[Thomas Finch]

Looks great! Has a sort of Journey vibe to it. Loving it!

Thank you!

Sorry I don't have anything to show/tell you guys today, but if you have any questions about the game (or me) you can always ask! I love answering questions. Discussion helps me improve and refine my ideas.

[Thomas Finch]

Actually, I do have news! Game Maker announced they're adding in PS4, PS Vita and PS3 export modules. This means, there's a 95% chance I'll be releasing Ethereal on these platforms as well!

[Thomas Finch]

Devlog Update #42 - 03/21/14

Our third gameplay gif!


I realized I've never actually shown the game's main mechanic, Flipping. So this gameplay gif shows off Flipping. It also shows off two other things: 1. My hover text. It'll mostly be used for story purposes and during tutorials, but you can see it fading in and out under the platform in the demo. 2. The smooth camera. The camera follows behind the player slower than the player actually falls. I did this on purpose to give the feeling of weight to the character. Not real weight obviously since he's a ghost, but it gives the player a better feeling of falling than if the camera followed him perfectly.

[Thomas Finch]

We're trying to decide which of these we want to use:

NORMAL TITLE ART


PIXEL TILE ART


Which do you guys like better? The pixel art one might look better when animated.

[alvarop]

I like the normal one better a lot more. Can't you animate that one?

[Thomas Finch]

I like the normal one better a lot more. Can't you animate that one?

So far about 15 people have responded and 14 of them have said they like the Normal Art version better. I asked the artist if he could animate that one and he said yes! So we're going with that one.

[Thomas Finch]

Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm hoping once we secure funding I'll have a lot more to show you guys. Tomorrow I'll make an update with some creepy/cool art. I'll have a lot more on Saturday though.

[Thomas Finch]

Devlog Update #43 - 03/28/14

Hey, a little late, but here's the creepy/cool art I was talking about!


His normal animation has no eye on it, but once he can see the player his eye opens and darts to look in that direction. If you can't tell, this is Pain, the hellhound I showed off in Gameplay GIF #1.

[knifeySpoonie]

Really nice! love the pulsating feel.

[Thomas Finch]

Really nice! love the pulsating feel.

Thank you!

Devlog Update #44 - 03/29/14

I have something insanely exciting happening right now for Ethereal but I'd rather not talk about it before things are official. I'll make an announcement as soon as I can but keep your ears open! Meanwhile, here's a gif of the game's first area in movement! You can see the parallax background in action. The only thing missing is that the cabin needs to be on fire.