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[j-swan]

Screenshots look great, brings back the memories of 3D platformers. Why did they stop making those anyway??

[_Rob_]

@j-swan, I think oversaturation and money mostly!

It's been a while, but it's most definitely time for an update! Over the last few weeks I've been mostly focusing on "Ancient Greece Trap". Investing time in both the aesthetics, some more grounded and interesting platforming challenges and last but not least - interactive NPC's!





Update Video

[SolarLune]

Yo, this looks really cool! Great graphics; they've definitely come a long way. Love how the characters wear different clothing depending on the world. Keep it up!

[gimymblert]

Update Video

FIXED!

[Joj]

I'm so glad I didn't let the first page of the devlog be my only impression I got of the game. the artstyle switch on page two was really awesome to see. Love the vibe it's the gameplay gives.

The two images in the OP didn't make the art change as obvious as I would have hoped, might have been the muddy shot of the museum followed by the muddy shots of the old build, I don't know. Might be worth switching it out for one of the more recent vibrant ones you've made

[_Rob_]

That's a very fair point thank you for pointing it out, not updating the first post for this long was rather remiss of me! Glad you're liking the direction it's headed it too!

[TonyManfredonia]

Each update video/post/screenshots/etc. always has more and more hype. With the resurgence of quality 3D platformers, my excitement couldn't be more amped up!

[_Rob_]

Glad to hear it!

The last week or so has been a change of gear, again to avoid myself getting worn out and losing creativity. So I'm back to majorly overhauling the old west level, The Chimp, The Bag & The Bunny!

The last few months have taught be that due to Clive's versatility and jump distance, building levels that incline works very well, and helps avoid long stretches of nothing. Plus there's the added bonus that once you get to the top, finding your way back to the beginning is fairly easy. This western level is no different, as of yet though only the top most parts are built and I'm still blocking out the "Mar Town" centrepiece.

[_Rob_]

Update time, progress on the wild west level has continued. I'm still lacking most of the NPC quests and some more enemy variety etc, but hopefully this should give an idea of where this level is headed! Plus there's a short preview of the work-in-progress boss battle!

[oahda]

OMG, train-top! *v* Game looks really good! What a mean way to stay airborne, tho!

[SolarLune]

Whoa, looks pretty sweet. Nice work on the graphics and gameplay; seems like you guys have put a lot of emphasis on gameplay and mechanics, which is great. I wonder about the lighting shader; something more cartoony, or just less "stock"-looking might be nice. For example, boosting up the sun's level to brighten things up a tad, and perhaps altering the lighting shader to just have less smooth shading (more toon shader-like).

[froggyishere]

OMG IT'S BANJO KAZOOIE

[_Rob_]

@Prinsessa - Glad you're liking it, and have no fears the Chimp Chopper move was Wrench's idea!

@SolarLune - Possibly, the game used to be far more cartoony but things have progressed since then. Ultimately I think I'm happy with it, but who knows things are always being tweaked!

The last couple of weeks have been spent remaking the old level "A Grave Mistake". Taking heavy inspiration from films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and games like MediEvil. As the level is set at night, I can accent blue tinted areas with nicely contrasting pumpkins. The atmosphere feels like it's getting there now!

[_Rob_]

Been a busy few weeks! Work on A Grave Mistake has continued, especially with the addition of a pumpkin patch adjacent.





We've also announced the boss for that level, Vlad the Impala



There's also been a whole lot more work under the hood, fixing long term bugs, overhauling the HUD system etc; I'm planning a video showcasing some of these features soon!

And lastly, there's been some more work done on the Victorian level, The Great Wen. A deliberately stark different colour scheme than any other level, and including out main villain, Dr Daucus' poison factory (masquerading as a cure-all tonic!). The tonic of course is a nice pink to contrast against the green hues of the rest of the level (thank you colour theory!)

[gimymblert]

Can't wait to impale the impala and destroy the toxic tonic

[_Rob_]

Whoops! It seems I've been neglecting this topic... things are rather busy, regardless I'll paste in the latest news article as it'll cover most of the stuff I've missed!



First things first, the controls; things as always are being slowly refined over time - animations updated, input delay tidying etc. Long story short, our titular duo are now more acrobatic and easier to control than ever. The goal is to have a control scheme that's easy for casual players to pick up, but with some more complicated moves that can help more experienced players speed their way though levels! For example, they have retained their crouch jump move (requiring a crouch, and then a jump), but they also now have an additional side-flip that executes when the left stick is flicked in the opposite direction than they're moving.

Next up, worlds! Since last time progress has been made on 6 of our main levels as well as The Space Between Time (our hub world). I've been concentrating on a few different facets; mainly bringing parity to the art direction, smoothing the level flow and paying close attention to colour theory. This has resulted in much more interesting, fun and distinct looking worlds with unique colour pallets for each!

For example:



The Chimp, The Bag & The Bunny



A Grave Mistake



The Great Wen



Corsair's Cove



Iceceratops



Tempus Tombs (interior)

Lastly I think it's worth discussing release platforms. Back when we first launched this campaign we had Wii U as a main target platform. As I'm sure most of you are aware by now, the Wii U has ceased production and is fairly quickly being phased out, making room for the Switch. Whilst we definitely want CnW to appear on a Nintendo system at some point in the future, it seems very unlikely that the Wii U is a viable option any more. So I would like to apologise to anyone who was hoping to see Clive 'N' Wrench on their Wii U, but that is unfortunately no longer the plan.

However we still aim to launch with PC as our lead platform and with Linux and Mac hopefully following soon thereafter. As for consoles, we're also very eager to appear on one or more in the future, but that will entirely depend on how well our initial release goes! I do hope you can understand this decision, and feel free to ask any questions you may have!

Before I depart back into my creative cave, I'll leave you with the last couple of gameplay video's!

[_Rob_]

It's been too long! Here's a new update, featuring The Great Wen as well as a peak at the game's first boss cutscene!

[oahda]

Woohoo!

And agh, didn't find your twitter until today, so sorry for probably spamming you with a couple of notifications now!

[Demon Lizardman]

Looking good, just looked at your development cycle from the very early days of this project and loved the fact you changed the art style to be more appealing.  Now for some critique

Pros:
Appealing looking main character
Gameplay looks fun
Animation for main character looks nice (Can't say the same for some enemies, they look a bit less polished and janky)
Nice retro platforming feel to the look

Cons
Music sounds a bit generic and forgettable
Some environments don't look detailed and like the style the characters have, basically style clashing
Lighting looks pretty flat in some areas, harsher shadows would make some levels like the horror and wen area more appealing

But yeah, looking forward to this. Will be keeping an eye

[_Rob_]

After a short absence (thanks Breath of the Wild...) I am back to working on CnW's medieval level, Middle Age Crisis!

I've been trying to find a balance between natural looking level design and making sure traversable areas are distinct from off-limits places. Using methods such as concave walls and large props around the level edges seem to have a nice effect so far, but I'll keep working on it.

I'm also finding that extra details such as tall grass patches, rocks, barrels etc really help to bring life to the area, especially when some of it is animated. For example in the scene below the trees blow in the wind, crows fly around and land at random, chickens roam the flat land, the wheel of the broken cart slowly turns and even the flag in the background flaps! It seems the lesson I'm learning is that all the small details really add up to a much richer feeling world, which pays off in a much more interesting place to explore!