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[khofez]

i love the idea of making your own stuff instead of using 3rd party code, but i also think that there is a limit to it, you have to balance what it's worth for your game at the moment, its pretty cool writing your own stuff but when you have to get it done and you are having trouble in making it work then i think you should use 3rd party stuff (unless you actually finished it and its working properly), i'd suggest you to use box2d, its pretty good and stable, you should try it

[naezith]

I implemented my whole stuff myself and it is very very dangerous I have to say. Like sometimes you think you coded everything fine, for example my handmade raycasting code, it looks absolutely fine. It works pretty nice for a while, until couple months later you notice a non-sense bug happening. It happened many many times to me and it gets more solid time but it's kinda bad to go back to that code because of the random bugs.

For the raycast example, one of the issue was like, this function takes a position and an angle. Lets say you put angle as 180 (which is DOWN in my code), so there is a laser object aiming down. It was working without an issue in any position. Then one day I put this laser to an edge of a wall, like it covers the whole wall. It was still looking okay, but after going down like ~3000 pixels, laser was ending. Why it would happen? I had no idea. I had a max limit for raycast but it was more than ~3k pixels. When I print out some beautiful numbers, it turns out that when I convert the angle 180 to unit vector, it is not being pure (0, 1), it is being (-0.000001, 1) or something. So that minimal error makes a 1px difference in long range and the ray hits to left wall.

I fixed it by adding some fixed values like if degree is 180, just use (0, 1) unit vector.

But this is like just one of them, this kind of stuff happens a lot. And it's even worse if you don't have some dedicated testers who knows technical stuff.

So now you know what kind of weirdness can happen. It is very dangerous and hard but writing stuff yourself gives you incredible flexibility. I am not sure if this is possible in a game engine but for example I can cast a ray from inside a wall and ignore couple walls without stopping.  

Also don't forget that my game does not have crazy physic objects or interactions. It all depends on your time and need I guess.

Your game looks pretty cool btw, I am looking forward to it!

[kkairos]

This one looks super-neat so far and I got reminded of it while checking a sea of devlogs, so I wanted to actually comment on it so it'd be easier for me to know when it actually comes out!

[ENDESGA]

Over the past few months people have been using my EDG16 and EDG32 palettes. I've received so many praises, and nice comments about the palettes

SO AS A THANK YOU, I HAVE FOUR NEW PALETTES FOR YOU!



DOWNLOAD ENOS16 for ASEPRITE HERE

ENOS16 can be used with simple Anti-Aliasing. The soft colours work best on a white background! This would be the palette I'd use if I was to design a Computer OS.


DOWNLOAD EDG8 for ASEPRITE HERE

EDG8 is crazy colourful! It can be used in a whole bunch of places ~


DOWNLOAD EN4 for ASEPRITE HERE

EN4 is used for SUPER MINIMALISTIC Pixelart. It's great for learning contrast, as well.


DOWNLOAD Arq4 for ASEPRITE HERE

Arq4 is a special palette I've been perfecting for months. It shines when it comes to sprites, and small details. The solid black and white make it great to use as well.




To add the palette in Aseprite, click on the 'Options' button next to 'Presets', and click 'Load Palette'. Choose the *.ase file, and HUZZAH!

Don't have Aseprite? That's all good!
You can sample the colours from here:




Make sure to follow me on Twitter, and tag the palette (#EDG8 for eg.). If you're super proud, and really want me to see it, tag @ENDESGA ![/size]

Until next time,
-Seth

[eigenbom]

Hallo!

[ENDESGA]

Hallo!

Hello Ben! :D

I'm thinking about posting more here... hmmm

[JobLeonard]

Niiice. If you tweet this at Nesbox, I bet he'll add them to his TIC-80 fantasy console too

https://nesbox.itch.io/tic

[stuffedwombat]

Damm those are pretty.

This will help me to actually do some pixelart instead of fussing over color all the time!

Thank you so much

[ENDESGA]

THE FUTURE OF NYKRA


As many who are reading this might know, I am making a game called NYKRA. A platform-based story-adventure manifested from the galaxy that has been in my mind for almost 7 years. Before I started NYKRA, I knew absolutely nothing about music composition, code, or pixel art. But through many years of learning, experimenting, and developing - plus more than 12 prototypes - this game is coming alive.

I would like to start this whole thing by saying:

THIS IS NOT A POST TO SAY IT'S BEING CANCELLED.
In fact, it's the opposite.

Though these past 6 months have been the hardest of my life, there is absolutely NOTHING stopping me from finishing this game. You have my word.
But when things progress, and when you're someone like me - trying super hard all the time to learn new skills - certain things become redundant in the development of a project (if I worded that correctly!). Tyler (Aviators) contacted me back in 2013, asking if I'd need help with music composition! I was already a bit of a fan of his, so this was like "WOAH!"  And when I said yes at the tender age of 16, he made some tracks that completely changed the way I made the game. It cascaded from prototype to prototype, with his handmade songs guiding me along the way.

But,

Unfortunately, NYKRA has taken a turn. It's no longer the sandbox game I wanted to make, nor the silly little Metroidvania. And because of this change to a more professional stance, with more of a focus on story, environment, and effects, the music style Aviators had just didn't fit any longer.
During this whole time, I've been experimenting, and making music myself with an app on my phone. Things went from there, and I've released more than 11 albums on my BandCamp. One of my albums "OUTERSOUND" even went viral on Imgur! And that was my first taste of people telling me that my music means something to them. I even had one guy say he just went through a terrible break-up, but my music gave him motivation to get through the day. Hearing that literally made me cry... it was mind-blowing  So from that I knew I had to hone my skills.

I NEEDED TO GET BETTER AT MAKING MUSIC.



So after a few years of playing around, I've gotten to a point where I can now make all the music for NYKRA. This has all been a thought for a while, and in fact, I was thinking about bringing this up BEFORE the Kickstarter! But things change so fast, and I had so much doubt in myself, that things got complex.
Not only that, but I haven't heard from Aviators for so long, that I feel it wouldn't even work on an ambition level either... Which has been why I haven't actually "hired" ANYONE. I'm so pedantic and obsessive about this game, that I have a constant feeling that I'm alone on this. It's crazy, I know. But I need to listen to my heart and gut. So I've decided to part ways with Aviators, and make the music myself.
This also now means that... ALL OF NYKRA IS MADE BY ME.

And this is something I've been dreaming of for years.
I'm now making the engine, the art, the gameplay design, the sound effects, and now the music.

I'm a madman.


THE CURRENT STATE OF NYKRA

At this very moment (2nd of July, 2017), NYKRA is about 18.2% complete. This was calculated by taking all the features, gameplay scenes, planets, characters, art, and dividing the amount I've done so far.
18.2% doesn't seem like much, but for me, it's a big deal. It means I'm making progress. Every day I have to tick off at least 1 or 2 things from my many lists. It has been slow, yes, but I'm getting there.



THE FUTURE STATE OF NYKRA

I think it's rather obvious now that "NYKRA will be made." But words mean little until they're something playable.

NYKRA is planned to be released before 2018.
and if not, definitely before mid 2018. It really depends on how much work I can do each day without working myself to death.

I've been working hard, trying to make the game as good as I can make it - with decent progression levels (which has been a steep learning curve for me ), and a proper story to follow. For a long while it has pretty much been a game where you could see all my crazy made up shit I thought of. But has now grown into a story that I hope many people will love!
Keu and Eo have evolved from a man with a ball of light, to a powerful duo! Keu herself has also become almost a mentor. Every time I make a level, or design something, I can almost hear her tell me "No no, I think the switch should go over here."... as I said, I'm going a little crazy.

When the game is almost done, a month before release in fact, I will be starting Private Beta Testing. I won't be taking people who ask, but rather people who I want opinions from.
The game is a little too complex to have random people play it before it's done, so for me it has to be tested by people I trust. These people will also include higher-tiered backers from the Kickstarter.

NYKRA is also planned for different devices. But it will more than likely first be released on Windows and macOS. Then Linux (if it works), then consoles like PS4 and Switch.

2018 will hopefully involve sleeping.



Depression...

I haven't been feeling so great recently, if I'm honest. I could write pages and pages about this, but all I want to say is that I'm doing my best to not only MAKE the game, but MAKE myself happy.


Social Media

Twitter has been an addiction of mine for so many years. But unfortunately, I've been sourcing a lot of my happiness from it. And when you do such a thing, things can take turns. Especially because there are still people who believe straight white humans are the master-race (just to name ONE problematic people group)... It sickens me, and sadly it has been making me feel REALLY terrible.
After tweeting about this blog post, I'm going to be keeping off Twitter for a long while. I need to go for runs more often, and focus on NYKRA - rather than fighting with horribly incorrect people.
(you can tell I've had this on my chest...)


Final Theory of NYKRA's Design

NYKRA is a game of discovery. It somewhat reminisces FEZ in a few ways, "a stop and smell the flowers kind of game", and to me that is very important. I never wanted to make a game that flashes in your face with giant floating Nazi zombies. I wanted a game where people can walk around, and get absorbed by the alternate universe... or heptaverse, if I may


Thanks so much for reading. I love you all, and I can't wait to read your opinions about NYKRA so far.

Regards,
Seth

[JobLeonard]

I haven't been feeling so great recently, if I'm honest. I could write pages and pages about this, but all I want to say is that I'm doing my best to not only MAKE the game, but MAKE myself happy.

This is the most important bit. I'd love to see Nykra finished one day and play it, but this matters more

In case you hadn't seen it yet, here is a great CGP Grey video on how to make yourself miserable, mainly to see what you might be doing right now that makes you unhappy. It has some great advice:





Hang in there!

 

[Michoko]

Thank you Endesga for writing this with an open heart. Actually I resonate a lot with what you wrote, so thank you for that too. I know the feeling of having such a clear and personal idea about what your game should be, that you think you're the only one who will be able to accurately translate it into an actual product. I'm still there for now, and of course, it feels overwhelming most of the time.

I often think "Oh my God, I'm so anal about this or that, the feelings I want to convey are so personal... how someone would be willing to work with me?". And other days, I'm craving for help, as I'm frustrated because I can't produce the artwork I visualize in my mind (even if it's not grandiose, but I'm more a developer than a pixel art artist).

I can understand the beauty of making everything by yourself, especially since you are obviously an artistic mind. I'm still pondering myself the idea of looking for external help, but I don't know if I could find someone else willing to help me without pressure, just for the fun of making something cool (I have a tendency to quickly feel accountable) All this to say that I know completely where you are (or have been), and that you are not alone (I'm sure we are many in the indie community feeling the same).

Anyway, thanks for sharing, and I wish you the best with your project. Enjoy the ride!

[ajmarin]

Thanks so much for reading. I love you all, and I can't wait to read your opinions about NYKRA so far.

Regards,
Seth

Hey Seth,

Was going to post on twitter, but seeing as you may be taking a break for a while I'll do so here: just wanted to say when I first started posting my work there your responses were incredibly encouraging, and I'm not sure I'd be digging so hard into game art if it weren't for people like you. Best of luck with the project, and even more so with being happy and focused!

[JobLeonard]

2018 will hopefully involve sleeping.

BTW, I'm sure people have pointed this out to you (it's also mentioned in the video I linked), but don't underestimate how important sleep is. A lot of people think they sleep bad because of mental health problems, and they sure don't help, but sleep also amplifies or even causes mental health issues. I speak from personal experience, it can be a vicious cycle.

Get rest, plan ahead for regular sleep, and be patient (don't freak out if you finally catch a break and don't sleep well for the first few days, because that's just because the pattern hasn't set in yet).

[DireLogomachist]

Thanks for the update, Seth!

As a backer, I'm glad to see progress being made on this, even if its figuring out what Nykra is not.

Make the game you want to make. Wouldn't be fair to you or us any other way.

(And your music is already amazing. I love your Soundcloud!)

[Lily]

Depression...

I haven't been feeling so great recently, if I'm honest. I could write pages and pages about this, but all I want to say is that I'm doing my best to not only MAKE the game, but MAKE myself happy.

Go for a walk in nature. Who knows it may even give you some inspiration!

[ENDESGA]

THE NYKRA DEMO IS LIVE!

GO PLAY IT HERE!

[botwoj]

One of the first times posting on a devlog but I just played through the demo and I was really impressed! Here are a few points of feedback that I could think of:

1. I like the attention to detail in the opening (cutscene?) of the demo, the movement of the shapes and text is engaging and create a great atmosphere. Definitely adds to the professional feel I think you're going for

2. I enjoy navigating the menus for the most part, especially the lock opening/combination graphics! The sound effects add a lot to the realism. But I felt that navigating the chest opening menu a little fiddly, since the "down" key selects which item while the "up" key (which is how a player mainly accepts/continues anything in the game) is set to close the chest. I would much have preferred activating the menu and collecting the item to both be the "up" key, and for it to be automatically set to the "collect all option since I don't see why I wouldn't want to collect everything (aside from inventory space in the future?) As a side note I don't see much a point in being able to open a chest again after it's empty, so perhaps not even giving that option will let the player know that they've looted it already

3. In the first platforming section where the player has to stand on the button to open the door and then quickly jump over before the door closes again, I found the head space rather low, making it feel rather uncomfortable when trying to clear the section. It could be just that I'm bad at platforming, but I feel that for the first serious platforming challenge of the game under time pressure, where the player is still getting used to the physics of the character, it should feel less claustrophobic I guess.

4. In the cutscene with "Pta" (if i remember the name correctly), I felt the camera was rather jittery, as it kept going back and forth between the two of them when I felt they fit in frame together just fine. I know cutscene work will probably be tweaked going forward, but just a point to take note because the camera was just a bit too noticeable when it wasn't needed. I felt a similar issue when traversing some of the areas after the "end" note, where the camera seemed to lerp into "rooms" a bit too early, like immediately when I entered the "room" mid-air rather than when I actually landed on a platform in that "room".

5. Really nice combination of pixel art and the vector-y shapes. Usually I would rather pixel perfect grids but it seems to fit NYKRA so good job! I did feel that the implementation of the smooth shapes in certain places, particularly the red enemy spike that drives downwards with the noodle arm, looked a bit awkward. I think a few pixel jaggies may help but I'm not entirely sure. But otherwise I like how the combination works together, especially for the glow-y effects!

6. The world you've created is intriguing, especially in combination with the runic shapes placed around. I must say that the number of names and specific terms that is mentioned in this beginning section of the game is a tad overwhelming. Not that there shouldn't be any at all, it does add to the mystery and the sense that there is more to the world, so its a balance you have to strike.

But overall I'm excited to see where the game goes! Hope the feedback is useful

[DinoByte Softworks]

Been waiting to play this for a while. Glad I finally got the chance to play this game.

I will be exploring more of the world in the demo. (plan on multiple replays XD)

Keep up the great work! Cant wait to see more of the game!

[ghosted]

I've been following on twitter for quite a while and just tried the demo out. Really great work so far. Would've like to have achieved more by the end as I wasn't quite 'hooked' by the time it ended but the promise is definitely there. Anyway, here's the few major things that stuck out to me...

• loved the polish of the demo as a whole
  
• jump felt like it had a slight delay after I pressed the button but maybe I'm imagining it
• the lockpicking felt quick and satisfying. A nice simple idea really well executed and I messed up a few times but didn't feel robbed or frustrated.
• the lift activation puzzle was just a bit too much of a strain for me and I think I lucked the solution slightly rather than entirely navigated towards it (though I was getting there slowly)
• if that aforementioned puzzle reset when I cancelled out of it I think I'd have been happier figuring it out because a failed attempt left it in a different state to how I started the previous attempt so deduction was hampered a little
• satisfying feedback on the melee attack but just when I thought I had the hang of fighting the enemies safely, it ended
• I like the use of up on the dpad for interaction but it was also cancel which meant I kept selecting Take All and then cancelling because the previous time I used 'up' it was an affirmative action not a negative one. I feel it should be consistent so up is always use/open/activate/take' and down is always back/cancel/drop.
• really liking the audio so far

Hope that's useful.

[mokapharr]

I'm on love with your art, from the colors to the slight animations of the flora. Seems really nice. Any chance for the demo to come out on Linux? Or has anyone tested it in wine?