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[foofter]

I finished level 2 and can finally get started on the third and final level.
Full demo of first two levels here: https://wzackw.itch.io/monster-garden

Current Features:
・12 playable monsters, up to six on one playthrough
・Short (around 20 minutes), but very different depending on how you play
・Unique "Let X speak" dialogue system
・No battle or epic storyーit's hard to describe, just play it!



Someone who played at IndieCade wrote a review: https://simplecritique.com/2016/12/06/indiecade-europe/

"What I liked about the game was it’s uncompromising style and casual dialogue."
"Monster Garden was the most 'indie game' experience for me at the Indiecade."

[foofter]

Finally figured out how to make some nice gifs using Instagiffer and LICEcaps! Phew! Everything else I used (like the native Mac app Giphy Capture) made super low quality images that were too blurry and jerky to use.

Now to commence with a GIF Storm, starting with this:

(Can't remember exactly which combination of those apps and quicktime screen capture got me here, but at least now I know it's possible!)

Also, I finished a new character, Tenty:

[Artifice Machine]

Woo!
Glad to see you're still working on this.
I have to try out that demo again sometime.

[foofter]

Woo!
Glad to see you're still working on this.
I have to try out that demo again sometime.

Thanks for the support! And you can now play a full 50% of the game here when you have a chance :
https://wzackw.itch.io/monster-garden

[Nordanvinden]

Nice GIF! It really feels lika a good theme-GIF for the game.

Also got that nice retro-color-feeling for the new Tenty character.

Keep those monsters coming!

[foofter]

Nice GIF! It really feels lika a good theme-GIF for the game.

Also got that nice retro-color-feeling for the new Tenty character.

Keep those monsters coming!

Thanks! Someone pointed out today that the characters are all secondary colors instead of primary...not sure if that has anything to do with it, but it's fun to think about the colors. 

[foofter]

I made more progress on my GIF-making skills to show two new characters that appear in Level 3:


Also, I forgot to mention that I had the pleasure of talking to @s_standke (Twitter handle) for part three of his "Talking Simulator" series of interviews with game devs for his gamejamcurator tumblr.

You can check it out here:
https://gamejamcurator.tumblr.com/post/156803123631/talking-simulator-003-william-zack-wood

What a treat! I just love this image he made for the header:

[foofter]

I made a new trailer:
[Edit: took it down so there weren't a million old trailers littering Youtube]

And I am so excited that the system for level 3 is really simple, and I've already gotten a lot of planning for it done, so it should come together quickly. It doesn't require much new graphics either (besides some new monsters that I can't wait to make).  

[foofter]

My musician made a theme song for when you're in the garden and I love it! It suits the game and other songs a lot better than the taiko drum music I used before.
It's in the new version of the demo on https://wzackw.itch.io/monster-garden

Also, I made two new monsters for Level 3:


It's coming along MUCH faster than Level 2, thank goodness. Just a few more Bobo variations and then writing a bunch of dialogue.

[foofter]

I made a bunch of little images to introduce the characters, which I think I'll use as a countdown to releasing the game starting two weeks beforehand on Twitter.

Here are some examples (the three new characters for Seedling 3):

[foofter]

I took a break from working on the third seedling (seen below) to fix a bunch of small things I'd been meaning to address.


Mainly this involved what happens between seedlings in the garden. I had a bunch of half-implemented schemes for getting to know monsters, planting seeds, and dancing, but I got rid of all that for a simple, stream-lined system.

Now, if you failed a seedling then monsters give hints on how to beat it, but otherwise, they say things according to their personality. Foofter comments on new monster friends, Feb gives tips on how to get the most out of the next seedling, and Baby says silly comments on whatever happened in the last seedling, etc.

I also made a more flexible feedback system for the first seedling, so there is more variation in how the garden could end up looking afterwards...too hard to explain in detail, just trust me on that one.

I also made it so that you can secretly get the boss monster from the first seedling to kind of join your garden. I think this will be possible with all the bosses, and then there will be a secret boss ending if you manage to get all the bosses in your garden.

Speaking of endings, I figured out that it will all culminate in a monster party, varying greatly based on which monsters you have. So, while the game is short, the fun will come from replaying and seeing all the different combinations of monsters and endings that you can get.

Phew. Feels like a huge relief to have all that straightened out in my head (not sure how different the game seems to players, though). Now I can get back to finishing Seedling 3...

[foofter]

I finished the base for Seedling 3.

It's a little hard to explain, so I made this image to help. (It actually helped me grasp what I've done, too!)



It's like one big branching conversation starting at the bottom, except each part is a scene with two or more monsters talking. After the scene they leave through one of two exits, and then you can let one of the monsters in your party decide which way to go. (They give hints about which monster they'd like to follow so it doesn't feel random.)

And as you can see, each room has a different shape to reflect the different situations. I had fun with that part.

There are four choices to make, and at the end, one of three monsters can join the party.
(There are five endings if you do the math, so two involve not recruiting a new monster.)

Then there will be the boss battle (ie. boss conversation) using your new monster! Can't wait to get started on that part next. 

[foofter]

Monster Garden is now on Steam Greenlight:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=905017346

I wasn't planning to do this so soon, but then I realized, hey, Greenlight might disappear any day now, and if they cancel it and your game wasn't greenlighted you get your money back, so...why not?

If it gets me a few Twitter followers or useful feedback then I think it was worth it.

[maruki]

I like the character design, and this seems like a refreshing idea. Voted YES. :D

[io3 creations]

As I mentioned on the greenlight page, I like the graphics ~ including the character and level designs.  But, unlike most, nowadays I tend to gravitate toward the "odd/strange/unique" type of visuals.

Either way, good luck with greenlight!

[foofter]

I like the character design, and this seems like a refreshing idea. Voted YES. :D

Thank you! I appreciate it! I'm definitely going for "refreshing characters."

As I mentioned on the greenlight page, I like the graphics ~ including the character and level designs.  But, unlike most, nowadays I tend to gravitate toward the "odd/strange/unique" type of visuals.

Either way, good luck with greenlight!

You are my target audience! Haha. But yea, I decided to take odd/unique and run with it. And I thought no one else would like it much, but I've found that apparently at least a few other people out there do, too - I just gotta find them! XD And thank you for voting/commenting.

[io3 creations]

You are my target audience! Haha. But yea, I decided to take odd/unique and run with it. And I thought no one else would like it much, but I've found that apparently at least a few other people out there do, too - I just gotta find them! XD And thank you for voting/commenting.

Yep, a few of us are out there!

If you want to promote your game, look for similar "odd/unique" games and see who played those (comments on steam, gameplay on youtube, twitch) and give them a copy.  Since you mentioned the full game will be short, and your current demo is even shorter, perhaps it's better to contact others once your game is done.  But that's just a guess.

[foofter]

You are my target audience! Haha. But yea, I decided to take odd/unique and run with it. And I thought no one else would like it much, but I've found that apparently at least a few other people out there do, too - I just gotta find them! XD And thank you for voting/commenting.

Yep, a few of us are out there!

If you want to promote your game, look for similar "odd/unique" games and see who played those (comments on steam, gameplay on youtube, twitch) and give them a copy.  Since you mentioned the full game will be short, and your current demo is even shorter, perhaps it's better to contact others once your game is done.  But that's just a guess.

I was thinking the same thing. I used to have 3/5 of the game up for free on Steam, but now that I'm almost done I reduced it to a super short demo in anticipation of releasing the whole game. Then I plan to contact Youtubers who've played games like Undertale, Earthbound, Lisa, etc. I'm already compiling a list of them!

And thanks for the support!

[Moriny]

The game looks different. Tried to get the demo and failed...

[foofter]

The game looks different. Tried to get the demo and failed...

Sorry about that! 
Are you by any chance on a Mac? For Mac users, it only works if you download it through the itch.io app (itchi.io/app). It's an RPG Maker MV problem... Sorry.

In the worst case scenario you can always play in your browser, although it's a little laggy:
http://wzackw.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/www/index.html