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[Mark Mayers]

Update 114: 04/05/2017

Last weekend William Chyr did a playthrough and analysis of the latest Desolus demo.
I joined him on his Twitch stream to provide commentary and discuss the development and design of Desolus.

You can watch the video here!





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[Mark Mayers]

Update 115: 04/27/2017

A BRIEF RETROSPECTIVE

Development of Desolus has been conceptually volatile since the beginning.
Reading through much of my own DevLog, it's interesting to see how much this game has changed.
I've written articles previously about this, such as The Evolving Design of Desolus.

The game has gone through three major iterations.
Sep 2014:  Original concept, manipulate particles using a black hole.
May 2015:  Changing how the black hole in the game works, focusing on energy redirection.
June 2016: Adding alternate dimensions to the game, and increasing focus on surrealism.

The current iteration of the game can be summarized with a series of recaps which I did, back in February.
-Development Recap I
-Development Recap II
-Development Recap III

Fortunately! At this point in development, much of the core game is pretty well established.    
I feel like I have good internal direction for creating the rest of the game, and building off of what I have.

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EXPERIMENTING WITH MECHANICS

Since GDC I have been working on entirely new content, and searching for interesting concepts to explore.
I'm planning on exploring themes such as inversion, symmetry, and alternate space.

Worlds in the game are each based around a variation on the dimension concept in some way.
These are still in prototype stages, but have potential to be full game mechanics.

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WORLD ROTATION



A new mechanic for Desolus, which rotates the orientation of dimensions!
 
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PORTAL WITHIN PORTAL



Experimenting with portals within portals. The results are super strange.

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[Mark Mayers]

Update 116: 05/01/2017

ARCHITECTURE IN DESOLUS

For a while, the game has been completely devoid of any type of buildings.
Recently I have been experimenting with adding architecture to Desolus.

Here are some work in progress examples:







Adding architecture isn't purely for aesthetic reasons.
I have been designing levels exclusively through the use of a terrain system.
This has allowed for great looking natural scenes, but can become monotonous due to self similarity.
 
Architecture gives me considerably more utility from a design perspective.
I can focus on aspects such as vertical level design, and the difference between indoor and outdoor space.
Levels can now be part of massive interconnected structures, rather than terrain which has somewhat contrived design.

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A LOOK BACK: EARLY DEVELOPMENT

Way back when I first started the game, I actually intended for it to have architecture.
However, due to lack of proper tools and experience, I decided to focus entirely on the creation of terrain.

Here are example screenshots from September 2014:





Now that I am vastly more experienced, I am able to properly integrate architecture into the game.
At this point, I think I have all the tools I need to make Desolus, which is very exciting.

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[DantronLesotho]

Hello Mark!

The game continues to look and feel/play amazing. I look forward to its continued development! Also I am jealous of your update regimen.

[Mark Mayers]

Hello Mark!

The game continues to look and feel/play amazing. I look forward to its continued development! Also I am jealous of your update regimen.

Hey thanks!! The devlog entries often take some time to write but it ends up being worth it.
I used to do updates more frequently, and should get back into that habit again.

[Doliprane]

Wow. Would you consider a PS VR version ?

[Mark Mayers]

Wow. Would you consider a PS VR version ?

I met with some Sony reps back at IndieCade 2015, when I showed an early prototype of the game.
This was back when PSVR was called 'Project Morpheus' and not announced yet.
One of the reps, Nick, actually left Sony to go work for Oculus. He's a cool dude.

Sony seemed pretty interested in me bringing Desolus to PSVR, so it could be possible.
Last time I talked to them was PAX East 2016. However, I plan on pursuing that opportunity again.

A hypothetical release timeline would look like:
Initial Release:   Desolus for PC
Release +2 months: Oculus and Vive
Release +6 months: PSVR and PS4
Release +8 to 12 months: Nintendo Switch?

I might not be able to do a simultaneous PC and VR release as well. It's too complicated.
Console releases also take a long time, especially since you have to get certified.
 
Release is still pretty far away though. At least a year.

[io3 creations]

Release is still pretty far away though. At least a year.

Hmmm ... where have I heard this before?

Oh, here:

Press Coverage

Desolus is still pretty unknown, but PAX was great for exposure.  
I'm still far from release (at least a year)

... a year ago

Actually, I didn't exactly remember that but came across it again since @Ishi (Leilani's Island devlog) is looking for tips regarding demoing at an expo/convention and I had your (and a few other dev's) posts with great tips bookmarked.

[Mark Mayers]

Press Coverage
I'm still far from release (at least a year)

Estimating time is a futile task, hahaha. Although 'at least a year' was technically correct

Actually, I didn't exactly remember that but came across it again since @Ishi (Leilani's Island devlog) is looking for tips regarding demoing at an expo/convention and I had your (and a few other dev's) posts with great tips bookmarked.

That's fantastic! I'm glad this devlog could be of use to other developers.
I've read through some of the Leilani's Island posts, and it looks like a lovely game.

[io3 creations]

Press Coverage
I'm still far from release (at least a year)

Estimating time is a futile task, hahaha. Although 'at least a year' was technically correct

True, true.   

Especially, for game development where after completing 90% of your game, you still have the other 90% left. 

[Doliprane]

Wow. Would you consider a PS VR version ?

I met with some Sony reps back at IndieCade 2015, when I showed an early prototype of the game.
This was back when PSVR was called 'Project Morpheus' and not announced yet.
One of the reps, Nick, actually left Sony to go work for Oculus. He's a cool dude.

Sony seemed pretty interested in me bringing Desolus to PSVR, so it could be possible.
Last time I talked to them was PAX East 2016. However, I plan on pursuing that opportunity again.

A hypothetical release timeline would look like:
Initial Release:   Desolus for PC
Release +2 months: Oculus and Vive
Release +6 months: PSVR and PS4
Release +8 to 12 months: Nintendo Switch?

I might not be able to do a simultaneous PC and VR release as well. It's too complicated.
Console releases also take a long time, especially since you have to get certified.
 
Release is still pretty far away though. At least a year.

Thank you ! Fingers crossed !

[Mark Mayers]

Especially, for game development where after completing 90% of your game, you still have the other 90% left. 

Haha yes, the game is still in the *first* 90% of development, so it will be a while to go.

Although I do feel like I am making tangible progress towards release!
As of recently, I am very much in the content creation phase rather than conceptual phase. 

Thank you ! Fingers crossed !

[Mark Mayers]

Update 117: 05/10/2017

SYMMETRICAL STRUCTURES

I have been developing more of the architectural style for Desolus over the past week.
This structure is part of an example level for a new mechanic I am currently prototyping.





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MIRROR IMAGES AND REFLECTION

Pay attention to the shape and symmetry of the structure.



The top half is actually a mirror image of the bottom half of the structure.

The structure contains two halves which are reflected in the same was as this example image:



This is critical for the new mechanic I am working on, which involves mirror images and reflection. 
More on this later!

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[Mark Mayers]

Update 118: 05/12/2017

INVERTED ARCHITECTURE



A fundamental theme in Desolus is inversion, and fortunately I can use architecture as another means to convey this theme.

As such, I've been experimenting with inverting the orientation of architecture between dimensions.
-In the orange dimension, architecture is oriented up.
-In the blue dimension, architecture is oriented down.

When standing in the center of a dimension gate, this results in an interesting visual effect as seen above.

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INVERSION IN LEVEL DESIGN

There's a lot of unexplored territory for ways I can use alternate dimensions in the game.

For a while, I was very focused on the 'mechanics' and 'state' of dimension gates/stars/etc.
Now that this core is well established I can think of more interesting and bizarre ways to use the alternate dimensions.

Outside of visuals, right now the dimensions are primarily the same.
However, I can make the actual topology of the worlds very different, which leads to creativity with level design.

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[jamesprimate]

OHHHHH the new structures are looking fantastic. great scale too 

[Sustrato]

This looks like a game for smart people. I probably won't enjoy it. You should just stop making it a game and partner up with a really fringe script writer to make a two hour movie that feels like leaving your head in the microwave.

[Mark Mayers]

OHHHHH the new structures are looking fantastic. great scale too 

Thanks dude!

This looks like a game for smart people. I probably won't enjoy it. You should just stop making it a game and partner up with a really fringe script writer to make a two hour movie that feels like leaving your head in the microwave.

Leaving your head in the microwave for 2 hours sounds like an unpleasant and likely fatal experience, heh.

I don't think this game could be a movie, nor would I want it to be.

Difficulty for the sake of difficulty is uninteresting to me, so I strongly consider that when designing.
Yes, it's a puzzle game which is probably going to be difficult. The player needs to be willing to learn.
However, it's important to have intuitive design so people can learn complex ideas gradually.

Puzzles will probably range from 'Zelda' difficulty to 'The Witness' difficulty, but unlikely 'Stephen's Sausage Roll' difficulty.

[Mark Mayers]

Update 119: 05/30/2017

I've been working on the new first world of the game, and prototyping out the space it exists in.

One of the earlier puzzles in this world involves navigating a central structure.
This structure acts as a mini hub for other puzzles, and is essentially a puzzle in itself

I've designed multiple versions of this structure, but can't decide on the best layout.

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Due to the nature of this 'hub world' puzzle, the stairs are traversed four times total.

The primary problem with this structure is the staircases take a long time to traverse.
Each flight of stairs takes about ~10 seconds of walking, which is a pretty long time.
This is also one of the first areas in the game, so I especially don't want to waste the player's time.

This issue prompted several redesigns, but I'm not quite satisfied with any of them.

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Version 2 of the structure is probably least appealing visually, but has the most simple level design.
The staircases are easy to visualize off to the side, and traversal time is low relative to the first design.

However, this leaves the central pillar of the structure awkward, because it no longer has any purpose, and is a remnant of V1.
As a result the structure isn't as appealing or logical in design as the first.
However, for prototyping purpose it might be the best option?

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A compromise on V1 and V2. Has the benefits and problems of both structures.
This is essentially the same as structure V1, except the staircases have a shorter sweeping angle.

The spiral staircases sweep at 90 degrees, rather than 270. This means traversal time is roughly a third of structure V1.
However, obscuring the central structure with terrain looks slightly awkward.

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I spent a whole day on this design problem... and it still isn't solved. This is why games take so long to make.

[Pizzamakesgames]

I love the first version of that structure, and to me it sounds that the problem is rather having to traverse the same path 4 times instead of it taking 10 seconds to do so. Are the stairs traversed four times in a row back to back? If not, I don't think it's a problem at all, as coming back into the hub usually has you slow your pace, which going up cool steps for 10 seconds would be great for, and I'm sure most players wouldn't mind if what's after would be exciting.

[Mark Mayers]

I love the first version of that structure, and to me it sounds that the problem is rather having to traverse the same path 4 times instead of it taking 10 seconds to do so. Are the stairs traversed four times in a row back to back? If not, I don't think it's a problem at all, as coming back into the hub usually has you slow your pace, which going up cool steps for 10 seconds would be great for, and I'm sure most players wouldn't mind if what's after would be exciting.

That's a really good point actually. I'm thinking of probably redesigning the flow of the puzzle sequence, and keep the structure relatively similar.
The first version of the structure seems to be the ubiquitous favorite, it's the level design which is flawed.