The Games Foxes Play (github | original post)

Sigh, this was not a productive week. I barely made anything. Besides some bugfixes here and there, some lore descriptions I had missed, and code for a future "pushable box" object.

I wish I could say it's because I was busy saving orphans and leading righteous crusades against evil... But after someone on Discord said "hey, have you heard of Rift Wizard? It's really similar to your game's design in some ways!" I proceeded to spend all my limited daily free time trying to win it. I have a very addictive personality when it comes to optimizing "builds" or crafting synergies, and being able to choose any spell on each run was practically opium to me. I know that if I just used discipline and stopped, I would have had the thought of "maybe THIS build will do it" haunting me at the back of my head 24/7.

Don't get me wrong, it's a really good game, and has some great ideas. In fact, it's really motivating that a fairly low-budget, solo-dev game with amateurish textures is capable of forging such an interesting (and addictive) experience. I ended up winning it in the end, too, so the curse is now lifted from my soul.

Meanwhile, my music-making friend was an absolute beast and made two new tracks while I was out and about blasting pixelated monsters. He will therefore be carrying today's sharing post.

Lanterns is a horror-themed track. In the Roseic Circus branch, there's currently a segment where your FOV is reduced to 2 tiles only, while creepy arachnid creatures blink around, sneaking up on you for a stab, only to be gone the next turn when you try to retaliate. The main circus theme was way too happy for such an unnerving moment, and so, this theme comes to add variety!

A Core and its Keepers in a Field of Infinite Causational Possibilities is a soft, comforting track with offbeat and distorted elements hinting that perhaps not all is well. It contains a lot of the different musical motifs found elsewhere in the game. My composer said he wanted this one to be used as the final ascension theme. I think he is getting a little bit ahead of himself, especially considering the... discipline level of his partner.

Yeah, I don't know what is up with that ridiculously long title, or what it even means. He was probably laughing at me typing that full name in the code every time. You fool, that's what dictionaries are for.

It's really meaningful to me how much he is in love with the lore, the ideas, and is open to discussing the game 24/7 with me with nigh instant chat messages. Honestly, it's almost eerie. But, he really wants to see this thing happen. And now the evil wizards of the pixelated world are dead for good, so I have no excuse.

If any other addictive personality procrastinator like me out there is reading this - get someone involved in your project, even if it's complete strangers. Like in this thread, right here. Even if sometimes one slips up, having a community, or a partner you want to keep ties with really helps keep the project in the back of your head in those less proud moments.

I will be seeing you all next Sharing Saturday with some real content.