I've spoken in past blog entries about the pursuit of the Goomba. To develop that key enemy for your game that "fits". That is the right combination of threat and satisfaction of defeating.

I had the epiphany yesterday that  i wasn't going to go down rabbit holes trying to find ways to make my game more complex, I wasn't going to inflate the enemy AI with junk and create a slew of edge cases that need resolving, I wasn't going to spend countless hours developing a complex mess to sort. Instead I will continue to double down and developing things that are satisfying for the player. I don't want to make a game that's a pain in the ass, I want to make a game that is a great big fun toy that's bubbly, drops candy when you whack at it, and doesn't infuriate you when you interact with it. To that end I will be developing even more enemies that are fun to fight like the hefty shark I created yesterday

It's been so nice as of late to just feel "decent" again. To have the fire in my belly to be pushing this forward. To feel my way through the game, work on what I think is pertinent, find gains, and repeat day after day as core systems begin to come online.

It's an age of contradiction. Yes i'm developing in SeaCrit from the darkness of this cave, but this industry has gone to hell, I feel vindicated and fortunate to be on this journey alone. I feel a great sense of purpose and potential with each passing day as these new elements elevate the game.

Still feeling better, still able to muster up energy to work done almost every single day for long periods at a time. Still feeling strength returning as I tackle issue after issue with more competency for design and code than i've ever had, developing core systems that are usable and fun, and not prone to breaking. When I stumble across bugs these days, I handle that sh*t promplty. No road blocks as of late, everything has been getting better day after day as the midnight oil burns.

Been a long while since I put out a demo, but I'm really focused on putting out an all encompassing revamp that reinvisions every aspect of the game. Better realized levels, combat, items, AI, dialogue, world, the whole shebang. No point spending time on builds to put out a semi competent product so people can see the game is kinda ok now. Just going to push hard and make every inch of the game fun and polished. Long way to go still, but making great strides.

Here is the revised baby shark, simple fun shape that I think makes for a fish that's fun to smack about.

Today more creature goodness! More simple melee fish that are fun to smash apart, I want to get around to creating more varied and fun ranged fish. Currently when you get too close to the ranged fish they just shoot at you at point blank range and it's not fun at all. I need to find a new behavior for them to execute at a close range so that they're fulfilling to engage with as melee without feeling cheap. My current thoughts is to give them a short range melee attack, or maybe a new ranged attack that's very slow moving or has a long windup and keeps their heading so the player can reposition themselves and engage from a new angle. Gotta tweak and tune to find what works best! I'm really enjoying being able to just decide on a whim what to work on, and not be trying to be make art by committee with too many cooks in the kitchen.

All the small things are coming together. All the dev sessions are culminating. The vitality of old days long gone are returning, the idiot, bright eyed optimism is back. No cloudy madness in the way to obscure the vision of a better game tomorrow. Still feeling like my old self and smashing forward day after day, even on the weekends! NO REST FOR THE WICKED!