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TIGSource ForumsCommunityDevLogs◣◢ Meawja [Rework] — A retro ninja adventure of a black cat!
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Author Topic: ◣◢ Meawja [Rework] — A retro ninja adventure of a black cat!  (Read 14365 times)
GabZero
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« on: September 23, 2017, 11:01:08 AM »



Meawja is an action platform game with retro pixel-art graphics where you take the role of a black cat. In this adventure, you will have to face the Master's Challenge and defeat all three Masters in order to truly become a ninja. Journey through dangerous lands while you improve your ninja skills and master the use of the ninja tools and your chakra. Be fast, deadly and fierce against a great variety of enemies and challenges. Can you face all of this to become a ninja?

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DISCLAIMER:
 This project is being REWORKED! Most of the visuals will remain the same, but we are reworking many details of the game like level design, gameplay, enemies and more. So any footage posted before FEBRUARY 2019 may not be in the final game! Read this mini-log to know more.

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Development Logs

Dev. Log #01 - Cinematic
Dev. Log #02 - Training Stage and Stage 01 Gameplay
Dev. Log #03 - [Stage 01] Boss and Miniboss
Dev. Log #04 - [Stage 02] Part 1
Dev. Log #05 - Comparison Shuriken x Sword
Dev. Log #06 - Beetle Jockey Making-of / Demo removed for now
Dev. Log #07 - Stage 02 Boss and preview from Stage 03
Dev. Log #08 - The Crimson Woods
Dev. Log #09 - The Coyote Hideout
Dev. Log #10 - The Hidden Swamp


All dev logs where being posted on IndieDB, but from now I'll add small updates in this topic to help me keep track of the development.
« Last Edit: December 09, 2019, 05:24:47 PM by GabZero » Logged

GabZero
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« Reply #1 on: September 24, 2017, 08:19:15 AM »

This post will be constantly updated with the links to small dev logs I'll be posting.

Mini Development Logs

Mini-log #01 - Preparing the Store Page on Steam  [sep/23/17]
Mini-log #02 - Designing a hazard for Stage 05: Shaky  [sep/24/17]
Mini-log #03 - Animating the Stage 05 plant enemy: Whipper  [sep/25/17]
Mini-log #04 - Whipper animations complete  [sep/26/17]
Mini-log #05 - Store page on Steam goes LIVE! + New enemy animations complete  [sep/28/17]
Mini-log #06 - Remade projectiles and new enemy from Stage 05  [sep/30/17]
Mini-log #07 - Stage 05 new enemy + some gameplay gifs [oct/04/17]
Mini-log #08 - Creating the Shock-vines [oct/05/17]
Mini-log #09 - "Moss" enemy working, temple tileset on the way [oct/12/17]
Mini-log #10 - Water gate, light source and BG complete [oct/14/17]
Mini-log #11 - Hidden Swamp design process + Discord Server [oct/29/17]
Mini-log #12 - Stage Clear arts complete [nov/14/17]
Mini-log #13 - Added Bestiary, Gallery and Collectibles [Nov/19/17]
Mini-log #14 - Added treasure chests and gems + New Bestiary design [Nov/23/17]
Mini-log #15 - Gems updated + Logo Rework + Main Theme available [Nov/24/17]
Mini-log #16 - Market and Main Menu Background in development [Dec/04/17]
Mini-log #17 - Menu Backgrounds + Archives [Dec/08/17]
[SPOILERS] Mini-log #18 - All backgrounds complete + Boss preview [Dec/10/17]
Mini-log #19 - Small updates and fixes [Dec/16/17]
Mini-log #20 - Retro Filters added to the game [Dec/28/17]
Mini-log #21 - Training Stage Remake [Jan/03/18]
Mini-log #22 - Cave Worm death animation remake [Jan/11/18]
Mini-log #23 - Light floor + Archives WIP [Jan/12/18]
Mini-log #24 - Archives WIP part 2 [Jan/12/18]
Mini-log #25 - Archives WIP part 3 [Mar/10/18]
Mini-log #26 - Archives WIP part 4 [Mar/12/18]
-------------------
REWORK LINE
-------------------

Mini-log #27 - Rework and Hero Redesign [Fev/27/19]
Mini-log #28 - Hero new sprite [Feb/28/19]
Mini-log #29 - New Character Control prototype [Mar/05/19]
Mini-log #30 - New skills prototype [Mar/07/19]
Mini-log #31 - Hud and UI studies [Mar/16/19]
Mini-log #32 - Idle Animation and Fade In/Out [Mar/20/19]
Mini-log #33 - Movements and Attack animations [Apr/02/19]
Mini-log #34 - Ninja Tools and Charge Attacks [Apr/17/19]
Mini-log #35 - All new animations for the Hero are complete! [Apr/22/19]
Mini-log #36 - Final Hud Design Complete [Jun/05/19]
Mini-log #37 - Bamboo Forest reworked assets complete! [Jun/16/19]
Mini-log #38 - Underground assets + Training Targets [Jun/20/19]
Mini-log #39 - Chakra Statue, Ninja Tools and more [Jul/10/19]
Mini-log #40 - Updated Chakra Visuals [Jul/12/19]
Mini-log #41 - Tileset Update + First Enemy [Jul/28/19]
Mini-log #42 - Enemies from the Bamboo Forest complete! [Aug/03/19]
Mini-log #43 - Main menu WIP [Aug/09/19]
Mini-log #44 - Crystal Cave new look (WIP) [Aug/17/19]
Mini-log #45 - Crystal Cave first enemies [Aug/26/19]


« Last Edit: August 27, 2019, 12:46:53 PM by GabZero » Logged

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« Reply #2 on: September 24, 2017, 08:21:05 AM »

Mini-log #01 - Preparing the Store Page on Steam  [sep/23/17]

I spent all day filling all the requirements on Steamworks and finally sent it to review. It'll take 2 to 3 business day according to Steam. Since I already had filled my tax information and signed Valve contract a couple months ago, all I had to do was:

Quote
  • Review game description, like, tons of times. I had to simplify it, resume as it best;
  • Create store images: header, capsules, community icons, etc etc... In the case of icons, it asked for an ico file for Windows, a special one for Mac and a zip png pack for Linux. Luckily I just had to make a 96x96 png file and used a website for conversion: https://iconverticons.com/online/#
  • Upload trailer, images (you can't use external links);
  • System requirements (already made it way back, just review now);
  • Set price and a release discount (optional). The good part is that you can set an initial price in USD and then Steam suggests a value for all the other currencies. Still, you can modify each one if you like to. As an example, I set 3,99USD what would be around 12 BRL but I changed it to 8 BRL for this special case.
  • And fill other lots of small info.
.
.
Store page preview:



The images are placeholders and will be updated before the final release.
« Last Edit: October 29, 2017, 05:07:46 PM by GabZero » Logged

dspencer
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« Reply #3 on: September 24, 2017, 02:52:36 PM »

Holy crap that pixel art is charming. I'm super into this
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GabZero
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« Reply #4 on: September 24, 2017, 05:25:17 PM »

Holy crap that pixel art is charming. I'm super into this

Thanks a lot, dspencer! I'm really happy you liked it <3
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GabZero
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« Reply #5 on: September 24, 2017, 10:30:35 PM »

Mini-log #02 - Designing a hazard for Stage 05: Shaky  [sep/24/17]

Today I created and animated a hazard for Stage 5: Secret Swamp. All the enemies on this stage will be plant-like. The idea from this particular hazard was just a plant with thorns that can hurt the player. At first, I tried something like twisted branches, but at the end, I decided for a single tentacle-like idea and tried some colors:



I ended up with the third option since it created a better contrast with the background. I created a simple 11 frames idle animation where it just moves a little bit, and a 4 frames animation of it on fire since the player can burn it. We call it Shaky because the initial idea was for it to really shake all the time.

« Last Edit: September 30, 2017, 06:50:35 PM by GabZero » Logged

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« Reply #6 on: September 25, 2017, 10:31:02 PM »

Mini-log #03 - Animating the Stage 05 plant enemy: Whipper  [sep/25/17]

This particular enemy is inspired by a similar plant from the movie Quest for Camelot, a Warner Bros animated movie released in 1998. It was one of my favorite as a kid. Like in the movie, this enemy will not move and will try to hit you if you get too close. It was fun to animate, took around 3 hours for the idle animation + designing. Like before, I played with some colors and ended up with the original idea using pink/purple. The orange was chosen as a good contrast to the "head" since it's what the enemy will use to "punch" the player. The name Whipper should be changed to Puncher, but at first it was supposed to do a whip attack.






That's all I worked on today. Also, I made a research about some alternatives to Steam for selling indie games. Meawja will be available first on Steam, but I'd like to have some other options. I found those websites, any suggestion/opinion is welcome:

https://itch.io/

https://www.gog.com/

https://www.indiegogo.com/

https://www.nuuvem.com/

https://www.humblebundle.com/
« Last Edit: September 30, 2017, 06:50:25 PM by GabZero » Logged

GabZero
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« Reply #7 on: September 26, 2017, 10:14:22 PM »

Mini-log #04 - Whipper animations complete  [sep/26/17]

This took way longer than I expected. Animating the idle pose with 8 frames (added 1 extra) took me around 3 hours yesterday. Today, the punch animation took 5 hours. I'm happy with the result but I feel really exhausted.

At least this enemy is complete. Now it's up to my husband to add it in-game and make it work.



Inspired on a plant-like enemy from the movie Quest for Camelot: https://youtu.be/pHDkmINbefQ?t=2m4s
« Last Edit: September 30, 2017, 06:50:15 PM by GabZero » Logged

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« Reply #8 on: September 28, 2017, 09:22:55 PM »

Mini-log #05 - Store page on Steam goes LIVE! + New enemy animations complete  [sep/28/17]


We're happy to announce that the game is finally on Steam Store! Still coming soon, but you can already add it to your wishlist and post in the community.

http://store.steampowered.com/app/679910/Meawja/


Store page available in English, Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish and Russian.

--------------

Yesterday and today I worked on the next enemy from Stage 05: Spitter. It's a plant that will be always on the top and will shot seeds against the player. We're still deciding if the shots will follow the player or not, need some testing once it's in the game.

Some color tests. I did not try many variations because I wanted it to be purple from the start.



And the final result:




Only a few more enemies to go. This stage is supposed to be the hardest since it's the last one.
« Last Edit: September 30, 2017, 06:50:05 PM by GabZero » Logged

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« Reply #9 on: September 28, 2017, 10:20:17 PM »

I really like the look of this game. It gives a modern super nintendo feel. One personal critique I have is that the bosses seem to be a bit bland in their details compared to the rest of the game. The environments especially tend to exhibit more detail than the bosses and my eye is distracted away from the boss. Gameplay-wise this can tend to be a problem subconsciously.
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GabZero
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« Reply #10 on: September 29, 2017, 09:53:30 AM »

I really like the look of this game. It gives a modern super nintendo feel. One personal critique I have is that the bosses seem to be a bit bland in their details compared to the rest of the game. The environments especially tend to exhibit more detail than the bosses and my eye is distracted away from the boss. Gameplay-wise this can tend to be a problem subconsciously.

Thank you very much for your reply! It's the first time I get a feedback about those details, I never realized that. I have designed the bosses and minibosses to have a totally distinct color palette from the background in order to emphasize them, but was not aware that too many details on the BG could cause conflict as well. Can you show wich bosses have you found this problem? Or it's all of them?
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« Reply #11 on: September 29, 2017, 09:56:18 AM »

This is a hot game. I wanna show up on your games doorstep and say "I'm here to pick up Meawja" and take your game out to the ballpark and enjoy a Dodger (tm) Brand Hotdog, Prices at 10.75 to not cause a hot-dog shortage and enjoy it while enjoying an American pastime. Those animations remind me of a passionate lover slicking down my body with some lotion and giving me a sensuous, smooth back massage.
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BELOW FOR GOGNIOS

ABOVE, FOR GOGNIOS
GabZero
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« Reply #12 on: September 29, 2017, 10:09:48 AM »

This is a hot game. I wanna show up on your games doorstep and say "I'm here to pick up Meawja" and take your game out to the ballpark and enjoy a Dodger (tm) Brand Hotdog, Prices at 10.75 to not cause a hot-dog shortage and enjoy it while enjoying an American pastime. Those animations remind me of a passionate lover slicking down my body with some lotion and giving me a sensuous, smooth back massage.

Hahaha omg, thank you. I want to put this comment on a frame now LOL.
<3
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« Reply #13 on: September 29, 2017, 05:14:52 PM »

Thank you very much for your reply! It's the first time I get a feedback about those details, I never realized that. I have designed the bosses and minibosses to have a totally distinct color palette from the background in order to emphasize them, but was not aware that too many details on the BG could cause conflict as well. Can you show wich bosses have you found this problem? Or it's all of them?

The color palettes are very different but the contrast in the background can tend to drown it out. The ones that I feel especially had this problem were the angler fish boss and the moose ghost boss. The backgrounds in those scenes pop a lot more than the bosses do.

The ant/termite boss, bird boss, and golem seem to suffer the least from this problem. In the first two the brick background is less offending and in the golem boss its just black.

It may just be me. I think the one that needs the most work is the moose ghost.
« Last Edit: September 29, 2017, 05:24:07 PM by PsycheMac » Logged



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GabZero
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« Reply #14 on: September 30, 2017, 09:07:30 AM »


The color palettes are very different but the contrast in the background can tend to drown it out. The ones that I feel especially had this problem were the angler fish boss and the moose ghost boss. The backgrounds in those scenes pop a lot more than the bosses do.

The ant/termite boss, bird boss, and golem seem to suffer the least from this problem. In the first two the brick background is less offending and in the golem boss its just black.

It may just be me. I think the one that needs the most work is the moose ghost.


Thank you a lot for this feedback! I noticed that maybe the main problem with the angler fish boss (we call it the Worm) is that there's a light right behind it. I'll try to move that and see if this improves the contrast. About the moose, I agree with you, I'm just not sure about how to fix it properly. I'll discuss this with the team and see if we can find a solution. Again, thank you for sharing this point of view, It's the first time someone points those details.
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GabZero
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« Reply #15 on: September 30, 2017, 06:48:57 PM »

Mini-log #06 - Remade projectiles and new enemy from Stage 05  [sep/30/17]

I had not much free time to work on the project today, so just adjusted the projectile shot by Spitter. After some tries (and fails), we decided for a bright-style projectile that will follow the player. Also, I had time to make a simple enemy: Wanderer.

It's an insect-like that just do what the name says: wander around the screen. It does not attack, but hurt the player on touch and it's kinda annoying to kill, so you'll probably want to avoid it. It's planned to be used in narrow spaces, especially on the second part of this map.



I had a bad time animating this, tried 4-6 frames but all of them looked clumsy and unpleasant to watch. So I just decided to make a 2-frame loop. Sometimes all you need is that.
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PsySal
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« Reply #16 on: September 30, 2017, 09:20:25 PM »

This looks amazing and that is a very awesome trailer! Best wishes and following along Smiley
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GabZero
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« Reply #17 on: October 01, 2017, 08:53:40 AM »

This looks amazing and that is a very awesome trailer! Best wishes and following along Smiley

Thank you very much! <3
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« Reply #18 on: October 01, 2017, 11:08:22 AM »

Meawja! I don't usually go for cats, but I like the name and I LOVE the luscious smooth animations, especially on the big boss monsters.  Gentleman
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« Reply #19 on: October 01, 2017, 03:31:00 PM »

Player character's sprite looks great, and a bit like Zool for the Amiga.
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