Last Recap (2022-2023)
- Abilities: Ironwright, Hydrosurge, Detonate (a base ability), Rush update
- Volcanic Island beautification
- Bot behavior updates
- Physics Refactor & Props
- Pause Menu
Progress of 2023 & 2024
🦋 🔗 New Bluesky Account! This page’s twitter buttons now point at the Bluesky account.
🔥 New Map: Flamevale!
Still in early prototype and testing phases, but it is a larger map with many fiery hazards perfect to knock foes into. Set in a redwood forest fire near a frontier town. A large river bisects the map providing a way to quench the divine flames.
⏸️ Pause menu improvements. Mouse support. Loadout building vs rebinding. Various settings options
🎳 Prop Advancements: Support for complex prop spawning including the following
- Monster Balloon. When broken it spawns an enemy.
- Braziers. An immobile target to be broken. May curse you when broken.
- Gong. Ring the gong to activate an event (open doors, elevators, etc)
🎈 Floatation behavior for proprs and environment objects. They bear ‘weight’ and can be displaced.
🎯 Break the Targets objective: Spawns a number of props to be broken.
🧑🏽🏫 Tutorial level to teach new players the basic mechanics in a very hand holding manner.
⏲️ Stage event system: Events can fire/be listened to, allowing easier linking of Props to execute actions like enabling elevators, eruptions, etc. Used in the tutorial.
🛡️ Ironwright got a visual update. Idle shields ‘breaking apart’ was originally a bug, but was kept because it’s fun!
🏹 New base ability: Salvo. It fires one to many projectiles, they can be spread or launch in sequence. There are already four variants in prototyping:
– Twigshot (depicted): Inflicts injuries, effectively reducing max health.
– Water Bolt: Replenishes cooldowns faster.
– Icicle: Makes vulnerable while halting and slowing the target.
– Vacuum Blast: Pulls targets struck towards the caster.
💥 Detonate: These 3 abilities are used by bosses and enemies and have existed for a while. They’ve gotten a fresh coat of special effect paint. Detonate gives a brief delay to escape before dealing heavy damage.
⚡ Tempest (Detonate variant): Launches several lightning strikes on or near the target. Be careful not to dodge into one.
🌊 Vortex: Beware being repeatedly pulled to the whirlpool and made an easy target for other attacks.
💢 Recovered my Github project after Github tried to delete my entire project tracking with a forced upgrade.
🌌 Added Astral platforms (SSB-style jumpthrough platforms) to levels for easier navigation. A few will get the new astral elevators that use the new moving platforms tech.
🐉 Prototyped Procyon (Boss) navigation system. Still plenty of development to do before this is working.
👪 Bots are now defined by tags and by families at different prowess levels. This makes it easier to build & generate encounters that feel different from each other.
🪲 Fixed new and old bugs (related to physics refactor and prop refactor)
🏢 (Not Game) I was laid off from Microsoft (2023)
🏢 (Not Game) I got a new job! (2023)
📕 (Not Game) I’ve been writing a book! (2024)
💍 (Not Game) I got Engaged! (2024)
Closing: 2023 & 2024 were years where I focused on a variety of other life objectives. I worked on Attunement but not to lesser degrees. I enjoyed the distance to recharge my game development motivations.
Progress is now gradually moving along as I built and improve systems. I’m working on the introductory elements and fleshing out more gameplay variety. My hope for the coming year is to tackle another iteration on the procedural mode now that I have more rituals, enemy variety, and gameplay permutations. Ideally, I’ll tackle the game’s first mechanically unique boss fight!
Thanks for reading, here is to a great 2025!