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[thesuicidalrobot]

Engine: MonoGame
Graphics: Aseprite
Map Editor: Tiled
Platforms: PC, Xbox One, PS4, and PS Vita
Projected Release Date: Late Q1

Hand Cannon Janky Reality (I like to call it Hand Cannon Junior for short) is a single screen 1-bit action platformer. The game takes influence from both Mega Man and the PDA Mini-Game in Alien Hominid. The game features 8 weapons giving the player access to a new weapon with the defeat of each boss. I am currently planning somewhere between 200-300 levels in the game. The game will also feature a level editor so players can share their own levels through forums. The game will also feature some minor puzzle elements such as additional keys and switches that will need to collected/hit to reach the exit, but puzzle elements will be minor and are mostly used to cause tension in combat situations.

All levels except for boss fights feature the same goal. The player must collect a key in order to open a locked door so they can move on to the next level. The player can overcome platforming obstacles by either traditional means, or using the recoil from some of the higher powered weapons. Ammo for all weapons, besides the charge cannon, must be managed properly as they all use up ammunition. I am still playing around with timers to add further replayability to the game.

About this devlog

I will try to update this devlog weekly until the game is complete, however, I work in the political world so my free time is usually dedicated to the development of this game so I won't make any promises. I am developing this game on my own (Art, Programming, Music, and Level Design). This devlog will mostly be used to provide updates and get feedback/criticism on some of my artwork and level design decisions. I am open to all criticism, so if you have any input please feel free to post all feedback.

[thesuicidalrobot]

Between the holiday and work I have been unable to make the progress I would like, but I have made some headway. I am about 95% done with my level editor. From this point on in development I will be using my own level editor, which is the same one that will be released with the game. Before I was using Tiled, which is a great tool, but there is no point of me using it going forward since I can create levels just as efficiently (If not more efficiently) in my editor.

Here is a link to the video on my twitter. https://twitter.com/Suicidal_Robot/status/1086771178880921602

There are also a gif below that shows the level editor in action.


Once the level editor is 100% complete, I will move on to the remaining enemies in the game, and hopefully start posting a bit of concept art and maybe some rough animations.

[thesuicidalrobot]

The goal over the last week was to have 3 new enemies in the game fully functional, however, I wasn't able to accomplish this goal. Life sort of got the best of my time, so I wasn't able to complete the task. Despite being a little behind where I want to be, I am still making progress with the 3 enemies. Firstly, I have already roughed out the animations for all 3 of the enemies, and have made my first attempt on cleaning up 2 of those enemies.


High Jumpers
This enemy walks a back and forth path until a player comes within range. Once the player comes within range, the enemy will begin to jump towards the player. The High Jumper will jump over spikes and pits to pursue the player. Since the animation is in the extreme rough phase, I will not be posting a GIF of him.



Explosive Goop

This little pile of goop walks a back and forth path. Since he does not have legs, he has to move by lunging his body forward, so his movement speed is inconsistent. If he touches the player he will explode into 4 smaller piles of goop. The goop cannot stick to walls, jump, or cross over spikes.



Bomb Dropper

This bomb dropping drone moves back and forth. Once a player moves within range he will go into chase mode. Once the player is within attack range he will drop 3 bombs in quick succession. Still in the process deciding if this drone will chase both horizontally and vertically, or just horizontally.

[thesuicidalrobot]

This post is a few weeks late, mostly because of work. Last week my company had a work retreat for 3 days, so I was unable to work on the game during that time period. However, I have found the time since between all of that to make some progress on the game. Currently, I still have to program the AI for 9 more enemies, but I am finally over the halfway point in regards to basic enemy AI. I still have to program the AI for all of the bosses fights, but I feel any progress is great. The enemy I am showing off this week is the ceiling driller.

Ceiling Dropper

This little guy waits on the ceiling until the player is in range. Once the player is close enough it will quickly drop down and begin to drill into the ground. After a few seconds of drilling into the ground, it will then explode shooting rocks at the player. You can destroy it before it explodes to avoid the rocks.

Below is a gif of the enemy in action but I have not yet programmed in animations, and have not created sprites for the rocks.

[thesuicidalrobot]

It has been forever since I have posted, but this project is still very much still alive and has changed quite a bit over the last almost 3 years. The game is still a single-screen platformer but allows you to move from screen to screen like in the classic Zelda games. It still contains a level editor, 8 weapons can be acquired, and 10 bosses in total. Once the game has been completed it unlocks a new game plus which introduces a Metroidvania map where you must face off against all 10 bosses, reacquiring weapons so you can reach new areas.

I have posted a screenshot below. A better resolution video can be found on my twitter page https://twitter.com/Suicidal_Robot/status/1477511860064636931

[thesuicidalrobot]

I am currently in the polish stage of the game. I am in the process of making sure all of the levels are fun, bug testing, and adding/modifying sound effects. Then I will start adding the Steam achievements.



If you are interested in the game you can wishlist it on steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1876360/Hand_Cannon_Janky_Reality/