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The Question Of Perspective - Overscoped Bug Game

Pondering the shape of the game world made me realise I first need to answer a very important question that is influencing everything. And that is 2D or 3D? Found it very hard to write down a pro/con list. So drew some sketches and now I think i can. That first spread form the sketch book is full of confused nonsense. Anyway.

Pretty much instantly noticed that pure 2D is not what I want and the real question is 2.5D or 3D? The reason for that is simple. I can mix 3D environments with 2D assets which will make a lot of things easier like z sorting or having complex Environmental geometry. But no matter how it's actually build. The question of the camera perspective is still not answered. I had three options in mind.

Side scrolling Con

Reduces the game to a plane. While depth could integrated its disconnected and artificial. Pro

Much easier to make a destructible terrain system.

2D asset creation and integration is easiest.

Easier to implement stuff like base building. (The constraints of the camera remove a lot of variables.)

I think a bug game in a side view has an immense charm. Unlike an isometric view, the world geometry is much more impact full on the player movements. Scaling walls and digging would be a lot of fun.

Isometric Con

World will lack height. Even if it is there its just not as present. Traversal would be more common to other games. Pro

Base building would be the easiest in this version.

Controlling groups of insects would be easiest as well

Its just such a comfortable camera view. You can use many clever tricks to build engaging worlds and at the same time have a nice overview at all times. But I think that also means its a bit boring and feels less… buggy?

Third Person Con

Basically everything is more complex.

Hardest version of base building, lacks oversight.

Little room for cheap, easy 2D assets. Pro

Movement would be the closest to the vision.

exploration is more natural and easier to telegraph (seeing things in the distance etc.)

While 3D is just a massive leap in complexity in all aspects its also the best in handling the core aspect of the game. Moving through the world. There is just that aspect of a many legged creature skittering along the surface and moving the camera above a wall to see a massive structure in the distance.

This is much much harder then I thought. All versions of the game could work and work well. While very different in some aspects they all could be platforms for proper over scoped bug game.

Sheesh.

O think i tend towards a full 3D version but a side scrolling version grows on me more every second.

#indie dev #game development #game pitch #game design #cute bugs #my game #my art #artists on tumblr #overscopedbuggame

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Player Classes - Overscoped Bug Game

Defining what the players are is something I am very unsure about. But at its core something bug-like walking (flying?) around. My first impression was a simple bug and its easy to modularize and visualise so i think it will stay the centre piece. But of course there is a ton of range of what that even means. What kind of possibility space.

I formulated four player classes:

Ex- Hives A lighter nimble body that is capable of flying. Fast traversal.

Multi-pedes Anything invertebrate that is a bit longer and has 8 or more extremities.

Slime Fungi A growing slow moving slime fungus. Always adapting and very resilient.

Free Bugs The core class. A single bug with a bunch of legs that does bug things and is bugging around.

AS is evident from the illustration on the left. I want it to be strange not naturalistic at all. Cartoony in a sense but not childish. Pokemon inspired as much as it is inspired by Abara.

This is still very much constantly shifting what it means. I am sure we will see a lot of reworks and refinement of this.

#indie dev #game development #game pitch #game design #cute bugs #my game #my art #artists on tumblr #overscopedbuggame

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World Generation - Overscoped Bug Game

Trying to figure out what the world looks like, also made me trying to figure out how the world is structured. I was thinking about the games I have been playing in the past and what worked for me and what not. Starting at the centre is something that works well. It allows to explore in all directions and find something. Backtracking is easier and fast and with growth comes better transportation to keep the size of the world manageable. Having clearly defined biomes and transitions areas between them. But that's basically where I got stuck immediately. Because I have no Idea what the world looks like. Its it flat or vertical? 2D or 3D? Not even a basic feel for the shape of the world.

But there are two things that are super clear to me:

First I want procedural animation. I think it's a crucial part to make the players bug body feel right and well bug like. Having many legs the are constantly arranging to the shape of the world is the basic fundament of the game feel. That means the world must be build an structured in a way to reinforce this feeling and the traversal of the player. Walking is must be fun at all time.

Second is that the world should be small. Or rather not too big. Maybe being cramped should be even part of the goal. That its never feels empty. Unlike most games where vast majority on encounters its hostile that should not be the case in overscoped bug game. Finding the right density will be tricky I think On thing that worries me is that depending on how much the player can change the world it might be dangerous to make the world too small.

We will see.

#indie dev #game development #game pitch #game design #cute bugs #my game #my art #artists on tumblr #overscopedbuggame

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First impressions - Overscoped Bug Game

I have some very clear vision of how it should feel and certain elements of the environment. But I am not sure at all how it looks in detail. These are my first two visuals of how the wold could look. Which immediately begs the question. Is this a 3D or 2D game?

Left Sketch

I wanted to convey what you will see when you start out in the game. The first impression of the player. An alien landscape a place that is clearly not for humans. Its not the same worlds as ours just from a small perspective. Its a worlds completely devoid of humans. Invertebrate fantasy Landscape.

Things I would like to improve.

more Life

more flora

a better sense of light and atmosphere

Right Sketch

This is an impression of a mid game situation. A bustling area surrounding a large hive. With lots of trading and travelling opportunities. One of my mayor gripes with many of the games is how dead they feel outside of combat. Something I want to tackle.

Things i would like to improve:

add even more bugs running around

show more different things they do like harvesting and bartering

it feel oddly flat. more verticality in the foreground.

#indie dev #game development #game pitch #game design #cute bugs #my game #my art #artists on tumblr #overscopedbuggame

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The tutorial level is coming together for our indie game, Nightshift Galaxy. Let us know what you think!

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Updated vfx for the spider tank zipline ⚡

#I have a mighty need!

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Initial Thoughts On Character Creation - Overscoped Bug Game

The first thing that comes to mind when designing a simulated multiplayer open world game? Right! Character creation.

I love character creation and always wanted to make a nice character creation system and UI. But I was never motivated to make a bunch of human shapes and modulate them. Glad I found this idea.

The basic character editor is very simple. You can switch out the basic body parts for different shapes. Decide on a pattern and its colours as well as material properties. Like shinyness and bumpyness.

The bug body consists of an Abdomen, a thorax, head, legs and manipulators as well as antennae. There are two special colours. Eyes and glow effect. Both should have a glow intensity slider.

As the designs are not natural and closer to Pokemon or similarly heavy stylised shapes so they are easy to combine and modify with material properties. So I am convinced combining even odd shapes will work well with a unifying material.

There are some fundamental problems with the character design approach though. Mostly that I don't have equipment and progress has no visual mark. I am not too happy about that so hope making morphs instead of items will help adjust shapes of the bodies during play enough to satisfy players.

I think the whole thing is so straight forward, I could make a prototype myself. Not being a coder and all that.

Just need to nail down the look i guess.

#indie dev #game development #game design #cute bugs #my game #my art #artists on tumblr #overscopedbuggame

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If you want to play the original game...

Games I want to prototype - Tank Wants Home 3D

Years ago i made this bitsy game where you play as a tank stranded on a beach and trying to find out what's going on.

I sill really like the basic premise and started a fully fleshed out 2D game but soon realised I want it in 3D. None the less i like the work i did on the more polished 2D version. Have some mock up of the look.

The Idea: Play as an AI tank trying to find its home after the automatic war wiped out humanity

explore the battlefields

solve puzzles to reach new areas

talk with the survivors of the automatic war

find home

#tankwantshome

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An Idea Strikes - Overscoped Bug Game

That's just how it goes sometimes. A Idea strikes with overwhelming force.

I want to make a bug survival game. Where you play the bugs... and only bugs.

While playing Corekeeper with my partner i loved the many invertebrates in the game. It made me happy i wanted play as them. So I started formulating my desires. This will be a documentation of all these thoughts about a game.

Every instance of this series will be based around spreads from my sketchbook. With further text explaining my scribbles and notes.

The pillars of the game.

The core pillar of the game is empathy. How this will manifest I am not sure yet but I envision a bunch of mechanics that heavily lean into cooperation, observation and communication. Between players and the world.

I will go into details for all or most of these ideas in the next posts but I want to write down some core principles anyway.

So what are you actually doing?

Explore and in a fantastical insect world.

Explore an dense open world

Use pheromones to trade, hire and communicate with other creatures

Dig up resources

Build bases

Create automation systems with pheromone chains and hired helpers

Collect knowledge and improve your body with usefull body morphs

Play with friends local and online

Create your own character

Simulated world with seasons and creature behaviours

So absurdly overscoped as promised.

#indie dev #game development #game pitch #game design #cute bugs #my game #my art #artists on tumblr #overscopedbuggame

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shes wondering if you want to go out and get some detritus

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Games I want to prototype - Tank Wants Home 3D

Years ago i made this bitsy game where you play as a tank stranded on a beach and trying to find out what's going on.

I sill really like the basic premise and started a fully fleshed out 2D game but soon realised I want it in 3D. None the less i like the work i did on the more polished 2D version. Have some mock up of the look.

The Idea: Play as an AI tank trying to find its home after the automatic war wiped out humanity

explore the battlefields

solve puzzles to reach new areas

talk with the survivors of the automatic war

find home

#indie dev #game development #game pitch #game design #post apocalyptic #sci fi #walking simmulator #cute tanks #my game #my art #artists on tumblr #tankwantshome

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Games I want to prototype - Dieselpunk Bullet Heaven

I really enjoy bullet heaven games and i want to make one that is more focused on movement. Dieselpunk Desert Centipede Fortress Fights Motorised Hordes Of Enemies

control a giant centipede fortress (it never stops)

use special abilities to aid in combat

survive hordes of attackers for 10 mins

continue a run for another 5 mins if your feel cocky

fight bosses

upgrade your centipede and guns

hire units to help you in fights

collect meta resources to upgrade between runs

Its basically your run of the mill bullet heaven but with a focus on mobility and ranged combat. Which is the main issue i have with the design. Nearly all bullet heavens are melee. If I add lots of shooting enemies it becomes a bullet hell again.

Another challenge is that i think i need procedural animation.

#indie dev #game development #rougelike #game pitch #game design #dieselpunk #vampire survivors #bullet heaven #dieselkrieg #insects #my game #my art #artists on tumblr

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Flying mechs known as Jetheads from my upcoming dieselpunk narrative artbook TANKHEAD. The Deluxe Edition is available for preorder now at: tinyurl.com/yc88v79n

#tankheadmecha #tankhead #artbook #robot #mecha #emerson tung

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Just remembered I did a grunt in human equipment.

After the break up of the covenant i imagine a battered fleet cold jumping and accidentally finding a hidden human colony.

After some initial posturing both quickly realise that for survival the smartest way is to work together.

As a lot of the covenant equipment is damaged new suits are designed and build.

This is an early grunt environment suit. Later versions have full enclosing for off-ship and hostile environment operations.

Most weapons are copies of older UNSC hardware. There are some self developed weapons too. Including reverse engineered plasma carbines.

To fully show thier intend of cooperation all marine units are mixed humans/ex-covenant.

While most forces stay at the home system smaller expeditions are done to figure out what the hell is going on.

There have been encounters with humans, pirates and the banished.

But none were larger encounters and the fleets went undetected.

So far.

#my art #halo #grunt #unsc #fanart #unggoy

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Fanart of @alexriesart's Birrin project.

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Death Korps of Krieg, but rat

#skreeeeeg

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#amazing