Devlog #15- Building

This week has been, surprisingly, a very productive one. Although maybe I shouldn’t be surprised because ups after downs is such a big part of my game dev process. I’ve polished a lot of existing systems this week including finishing up the quest system I wrote about last week, and adding some more sound effects. But the main thing I’m gonna talk about this week is the new system I added: Building at base camp!

Basecamp

The base camp is where you’ll start every run, and where party members hang out, so it should start to feel like home.  The building system is a big part of this, allowing the player to gather materials and build up their base throughout the game.

With the help of the (not N)PC Yusuke, you will be able to build set objects around the base camp, with new plans added as you play. The basecamp is part of Yusuke’s dream so once he learns he has the power to build stuff, he sets up wooden pegs all over the base camp to mark out his ideas. If the player approaches these pegs, they’ll see the necessary resources and an outline of the object to be made. Bring them all there and Yusuke will swoop in to fix it up right in front of your eyes.

-------------------------------------------------

Why add building?

I have always loved building stuff in games. Getting to build a secret base in Pokemon Emerald [img below] was mind-blowing to me as a child, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that I added building to my RPG. 

It’s tempting to make some huge crafting system where the player has loads of decorations with infinite customisation that they can place anywhere in the world- but, my game is an RPG first so I’m not going to let myself get carried away.

The system is purposefully simple, with very limited customisation, if any. It adds some more incentive to exploration and it's more about visual progression than customisation. Each new object constructed adds to the Stability Level, so it connects back to the main game loop. Some objects will act as mementos after unlocking them through story events and quests, and some are found through exploration.

Recruited characters will hang about in different places around the base-cam, so make a chair and you might find a player sitting in it when you return to camp, and they might have something unique to say about it too.  

------------------------------------------------------

Pegs

I struggled with how to visually represent the building system, but I’m very happy with where I landed. Pegs aren’t intrusive, but allow the player to see all their options outside of a menu. Admittedly, they're a little small, but I think players will get used to keeping an eye out for them.

These pegs work so well in fact that I’ve decided to use them again (blue ones) to mark unlockable shortcuts across voids in the overworld. Similarly, when the player approaches they’ll see what stability level they need, and if it's stable enough they can build a permanent bridge allowing access to new areas or ways to bypass encounters. (WIP of a void and bridge below)

-----------------------------------------

So, how’s that demo coming along?

After last week, I’m doing my best powering forward towards a demo. I’ve decided that unlocking the bridge (pictured above) will be the final point in the demo version. Even in a short demo, it gives the player something to work towards which they can do through any means they like- explore/battle/levelup/build to gain stability through various runs. And I think this is a good sample of the overall feel I want the game to have. Also after unlocking this bridge, you'll be somewhat rewarded with a very unfinished look at the town.

So now it’s just filling in all the gaps between the tutorial and unlocking that bridge, which feels a bit more doable. I’m gonna do my best to get it done by the end of this year, which my brother tells me is what I originally told him is the estimated release for a demo (but I think he might be confusing it with last year…uh oh)

Thanks for reading! See you next week! :)