2019 wrap-up
January 17, 2020
Come on boys and girls, let’s take a look at last year, but be haste, for I have little time to spare. Details on why below.
Plan A
the-Big-Game. I think there’s nothing more to say here. I don’t want to dwelve on the specifics and milestones, but the plan is to actually finish and release the game this year. Oh, and I also plan to reveal the actual name of the game this year as we go along. Not sure how to do it yet, I’ll probbaly create a video with the reveal. But not sure when to do it. I think I’ll keep it secret until I have a feature-complete build on my hands. I’m also falling into the feature creep a bit, which is scary. I’ll just have to say “enough!” at some point, and I’m bad at it. The same thing happened with ‘Where is 2019?’. If not for the December deadline I’d just be adding more and more to this game. But here it is, THE plan for 2019. There’s almost nothing else on my mind right now. The focus is set, engines are being revved and the countdown to liftoff already begun.
Aaaaaaand the countdown is still running. Ok, hold on, don’t laugh, don’t leave the stream just yet. Look here, listen. It’s nothing new when I say that I have a HUGE PROBLEM with estimating exactly how long my work will take. Especially if the project at hand is not one hundred percent written and sketched at that time. Having said that – when I look at the big game right now – it’ll be about 50 percent larger than expected. As in actual rooms / views count. Besides that, it will be much more complicated graphics-wise. Ok, in lamen terms – it’ll be bigger and prettier, and it just takes more time. But I assure you, right now I’m working around the clock daily, including weekends, I guess that’s the way these things work. Once I heat the furnace, the production goes into insane mode, so to speak. Title reveal was postponed intentionally by me after learning closer about how Steam actually works and it’s policy on being able to reserve a game name (spoilers: it’s non-existent, therefore you STILL don’t know what the game name is). Me being totally in tune with the big game development is also the reason why this article comes so late. I had to literally force myself to exit photoshop and game maker to write this.
Plan B
10 Gnomes in Oristano. I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking: Hold on now, you cheeky bastard, is the game already done and you’re just witholding it from us? Like the one in Paris? Well, not entirely. It’s like 85% ready. The locations are done, the gnomes are not. I’m shooting for June or July release. Probably July.
Aaaand, as expected, May it was. This game marks the first time of gnomes being actually nicely animated in Spine, I know, about time, right when the series is almost done. What can I say, I learn along the way. Not sure what I’ll learn in the future, because, you know, the path is winding and it’s all foggy down here on the treacherous road to game development immortality. Wait, when did I become a prosaist? I guess I’m reading too much Wegner nowadays. But the gnomes being released earlier was also a sign of deepened focus on the big game – I was just cleaning the house before the big push. Go and download the gnomes here.
Where is 2020? We’ll continue the adventure of Santa, we’ll find out what happens after he met Seaweed and move forward the narrative. Some of you are asking for a point and click gameplay to return in this series. We’ll see.
What do you think happened. He moved away from the Seaweed and went in different direction. Is that symbolic? Well, no. Santa just has his own boombastic adventures this year and met another prominent figure at the end of this game. Go find out who it was here.
Plan C
So here’s the thing. There is no plan C. And this is kind of big news. It’s also the testament of how much I want to focus on the big game. This year, for the first time since… Let me think… 2003?… So for the first time since 16 years I’m not doing a new comic book. The streak ends here. I’m diving straight into the big game right now in January and don’t expect to surface until the release.
Aaand there was no comics this year. Not even a single page was drawn. All drawing powers went straight into the big game. Well, there, and I also took part in this year’s Inktober challenge. I like a good drawing challenge from time to time. Honestly – this was not a good challenge. Not challenging enough, if you will. Read more about it here. Oh, almost forgot, I also helped in graphical translation of Crumb comic book. Graphical translation? What is this? Find out here (once I write about it in the future :D As you can see there’s no time spare for side projects here).
Unexpected Plan D
Seems I can’t just focus on one thing at any given time, even if I try. This is how the Submachine Card Game came to be. Me resting my mind from gamedev for a bit. This game was developed in August and right now I’m looking into ways of publishing it. Read more about this game here.
So, that’s 2019. Let’s take a look at what’s coming up…
Take a look at the above picture. What do you see? Lot’s of red? True. But I see a man who THOUGHT he’ll release the big game to the point of writing down actual spoilery development milestones on the yearly projects page. Includin the actual game name at the top. That’s how much I thought I’d be able to release the game in 2019. And here we are.
Plan A
The big game. Drawing all remaining inks. Painting all watercolors. Finishing puzzles, adding intro, outro, finishing the game. Testing. Creating three trailers: reveal, release and gameplay. Besides all that – the future is foggy.
Plan B
But not so foggy for me to not see that there are 10 Gnomes in Malmo and Where is 2021? on the horizon. Because they are. Gnomes being penultimate in the series, Santa not.
Plan C
Things that are uncertain and/or unlikely. Trying to publish Submachine Card Game. Still not sure what to do with this one. I’m torn between getting a publisher and releasing it myself. Maybe getting back to comics? But that’s a big question mark right here. We’ll see.
That’s all I’ve got for you this sunny morning of non-winter in Poland.
I’m going straight back to drawing board, got some more locations to draw for the big game.
Go away now.
