1 Year Making My First Open World Game (my regrets & my progress)

[@BuckeyeBunny]

You've put so much passion into Night Stones, and I love seeing these behind-the-scenes videos. Just think, a couple years from now, your daughter might stop running long enough to play this game! 😊

[@advancenine]

Haha! This got a literal LOL out of me. Its honestly so hard for me to imagine that girl ever stopping. I just finally got her to sleep! It's 8:50pm and she skipped her nap today! She's gonna be trouble... I can tell :) Thanks for always being so cool and supportive. I appreciate you.

[@BuckeyeBunny]

@@advancenineBy the way, I have two red-headed boys (both in high school now)...enjoy your little carrot top(s); they sure are extra special. 🥕

[@advancenine]

@@BuckeyeBunny Really!? Thats cool! I'm coming to you for parenting advice cus these red heads are fiery! No one else in our extended families has red hair but apparently its in the genes somewhere. I blame the vikings :)

[@dontyaknow2398]

Stop lying to the man lol, not even his daughter should play things made by garbage people like him. She should be taken into custody, away from creeps like this man.

[@moonchildeverlasting9904]

Here's the reality. Let me just lay it down. He (author) finished the circle of life quest. * He grown as child. * He studied * He found the job routine * He found a soul mate (wife) * They (wife, author) are married * They have children - Life goal is complete The years to come will be second goal. Raising children to be successful to complete the same journey as he and his wife did. Now it boils down to being part of the children growth. And create things of legacy and happiness. This indie-game / youtube journey is that. He knows how to succeed at work He knows the children need to be carried for. The game development is a new puzzle where all is new and creates excitement and fulfillment. Most young parents find drive for love and energy with their children to embark on quests unbeknownst to them. Being an adult without children and probable never have builds a yearn that is undescrible. So to Author, even if you feel you stumbled upon on a treestump on the dev road, you have fans loving you, your children loving you, your wife loving you, and your work buddies admiring you. you have succeeded regardless 🙌 so dare to take risks..show others risks are worth to reach what you love in life. ... Just as in reality. ❤

[@kyoyo9350]

You need to be selective about what feedback you let get to you. There's good feedback from fans and people with good intent then there's troglodytes that just don't want to see anyone succeed, it's not worth devoting energy to the latter. Anyways I hope you find success!! Its been nice to watch this game grow the past year

[@advancenine]

That’s good feedback. I really appreciate it. I don’t let it get to me as I truly didn’t mean to be offensive in any way. But at the same time, I don’t want others to feel that I’m being disrespectful. They still may not want to hear it, but it makes me feel better that I did my best to remedy the situation. It’s more fun to be nice :) which I can tell you know already with this nice comment. Thanks for the support.

[@WishMish15]

​@@advancenine I agree it is more fun to be nice! It's always funny for me when I get a hateful comment (within reason) and I respond really respectfully and kindly, how fast people do a complete turn around on their attitude because they realize there's a real person behind their screen 😆

[@Zefrem23]

Just keep in mind that trolls are either 11yo edgelords or bitter old haters who never go outside. Both can safely be ignored. Congratulations on getting The Legend of Vault Boy: The Wind Waker so far, it's been a fun journey! 😉

[@ARNite26]

Been binging a bunch of indie game dev stuff on my KZbin recommended and I'm enjoying each and every one. I'm regaining that passion to work on my own games!

[@xNeoGenesis]

Woah it was unexpected to see my comment first thing in the video! Always glad to see how the project is progressing and it's honestly very impressive what you have achieved in this little time.

[@advancenine]

That was a really cool thing to say and I love reading your comments. Your support is truly appreciated and I look forward to making a rad scrapbook filled with your kindness. Thanks for being cool. I appreciate you.

[@neilcognito]

The negative comments are so dumb and seemingly from bad faith. I mean, ofc you're allowed to talk about your wishlist and goals for the game. At the end of the day, it's a product, passion or not. You don't spend 1000s of unpaid, dedicated hours making something to not want it to be successful, in whatever metrics is valuable to you. Please don't let those visionless comment and takes affect your mental health or your journey. You've doing absolutely amazing - and I am so excited to see what the game ends up as at the end of all of this. And, yes! I pray you receive endless success and admiration for all the hard work you continue to put into this project.

[@Dondingo4]

Yeah, it's crazy that they don't understand that he wants to make something everyone would enjoy, not just him. That's how I took that comment he made in that video. Also, I think he was just in panic mode about the wishlists. Worried it wasn't going to be liked.

[@advancenine]

Hooray! So there ARE people who get it! Man I appreciate the comment and validation so much. Your words have really helped calm me down. I have so many entrepreneurial failures in my rear view mirror and it, admittedly, leads me to doubt my capability. I'm starting to feel more confident with nice comments like this. While Night Stones is not a sure thing, this game is worth finishing and worth seeing how players like the finished game. Honestly, thanks for being so cool and helpful.

[@ThomasTurini]

​@@advancenine I 100% agree with him. I cant wait to buy and play the game, it's going to be the first time I play an indie game. I was in the french army for 8 years and now im learning web developement and programming , ofc it led me to game dev. You are the first game dev i ever follow, its so nice and inspiring to see the amount of work behind it etc... hopefully the game is a success and why not ... night stone 2 😝 (since i'm not a native english speaker there are probably few mistakes, sorry for that)

[@Vixxee_]

I've been watching you since the first episode, I love the game! Can't wait for the release!

[@rashadcolvin3518]

I just want you to know I'll be a day one supporter when this game is released. I enjoyed your journey and you're an inspiration to aspiring game developers!

[@LzBy1]

I still can’t believe how good this game looks in just a year of part time development. As a dad of 4 and full time software engineer, you inspire me to tackle my own projects. It’s remarkable what you can accomplish by taking small, deliberate, consistent steps.

[@HomeCode]

Thank you for keeping us updated! I LOVED the demo and have played it multiple times already. I plan to play it more :) I'm still so stoked about the original idea of a game that a dad could play in a few hours. Hope you don't get discouraged by dislikes and all that... thanks again!

[@briceleroy]

For the amount of work done as a side gig, this is mind blowing good. I want to play Night Stones when it comes out and I'm definitely buying it. I understand that tone and what you say matters to some, but what I really appreciate is your dedication to finish your project and how you leverage feedback! And I love these videos, and how you explain how you resolved some of the issues you faced (technical and/or gameplay)

[@ohno7012]

Everything about this is super wholesome!

[@cliqist]

The game looks fantastic, looking forward to it! With regards to the negative ration, one thing I would mention is that this video and the previous one seemed heavy on the promotion. I clicked on this video to learn about your regrets, but most of it was on the the game features. That said, it looks amazing and I'm definitely going to keep following!

[@andygeers]

Definitely one of the best devlog series on KZbin at the moment. The amount of progress you have made in one year is INCREDIBLE - keep going!

[@TigerEEMan]

Your Content is so good I love watching all the Devlogs. I played the Demo and LOVED it. I wish listed the game and am so excited for the final game.

[@advancenine]

Yesssssssss! I really appreciate the wishlist. It’s LITERALLY so helpful to me. Thanks for help and I’ll work hard to give you an amazing game :)

[@squarestar326]

This looks lovely! I hope it ll come on switch too tho. This orange lightening in the buildings slaps! I love it,the palette is fantastic! It looks like a mix of zelda and oceanhorn, which i both love. And if the audio we hear in the background of this video is the one from the game, then it s really promising.😊👍❤️

[@MarushiaDark316]

Congrats on your 1-year anniversary. I can only imagine how difficult it must be trying to balance all that stuff at once. For not being an artist, the visuals look outstanding with a rather distinct style. It's got a lot of charm and character.

[@TrixHouseDev]

I love how the game is evolving and the way you are handling the development, by incorporating, when possible, the suggestions you receive. It is not easy to balance the will of realizing your vision and of making a game that actually people like and play. I am trying to do the same with the game I am developing, by asking friends what they think and trying to merge their ideas into mine.

[@MWA-Games]

You make big improvements! Keep going what you are doing :)

[@BasKr1996]

It feels counter intuitiv that the skeleton stops to hunt you if you stop moving. Maybe make the enemy "locate" the player by sound. That way it follows the sound of your foot steps and if you don't move, it loses track of the sound and thereby the player. Could also be extended to make sound based puzzles

[@rutchjohnson]

So it's the same outcome...

[@shawns4354]

Naw, it's a cozy game, and I feel he explained it well. It makes for an active time based system.

[@shawns4354]

Right, just add sound ripples fx and OP would be happy. ​@rutchjohnson

[@BasKr1996]

@@rutchjohnson Should have clarified that i would change the mob model of the skeleton to something that hunts based on hearing to make the behavior more obvious

[@ActiveDayDreamer]

I like how you have an end goal for the game and that you aren't making it longer than necessary. Knowing when to end the story is important, and having a manageable scope for the game is equally important in finishing a polished product. A shorter game with quality and substance is far better than a longer game with too much quantity and fluff. So far, you're on the right track and have the right mindset in pushing your game to the finish line. Keep up the good work! I believe in you!

[@GrandEvoker]

Watching the progress of your game over the past year has been a big inspiration. Trying to get my first solo 3D game off the ground. Been doing small 2D games with teams for a few years.

[@mutatedart]

Just downloaded the demo! As someone who wants to make games too, if I can find the time, I really appreciate your videos. You said you wanted feedback, where should I provide that when I am done?

[@advancenine]

Yeaaaaaah! Thanks for playing the game and providing feedback. It's honestly SO helpful. You can leave feedback here in the comments. Or snag my email from the about page. Or hop into Discord and leave feedback there. No matter the delivery method, I sincerely appreciate it :)

[@priyeshraut]

I love games like legend of zelda, oceanhorn because they are simple yet adventurous without getting overwhelming by the missions that requires a huge chunk of your time and could get complicated , this game is giving me similar vibes I could see the legend of zelda inspiration/influence, the art style is very beautiful and from the videos the puzzles look simple yet enjoyable, if possible I would suggest you to add some sort of crafting to make it a little bit more interesting, but hey I am not the one doing all the work so do what suits you best , I am a learning art student and would like to make a game of my own with similar genre in near future, keep going you are doing great, would love to play your game♥♥♥ Edit: I just played the demo and absoluetly loved it the ambeince, the music are very stunning and the controls are very smooth.

[@mason8714]

My 7-year-old and I just jumped into the demo today, and we're both hooked! The graphics are stunning, the story is captivating, and the gameplay is incredibly engaging. It's already on our Steam wishlist! I had a few ideas that might be worth considering (no worries if they're not a good fit): Task Tracking: Would it be possible to add a section in the menu that displays the current task or upcoming quest? Navigation: Would adding a mini-map to show current location or a button to access a full-screen map be helpful? Character Health: Will there be a health system in the full game, or will the character still be one-hit KO'd by plants and falls? On a fantastic side note, this game is actually motivating my son to read! He usually avoids books, but he's giving it his all to follow the story in your game. Great work, keep it up! Speaking of the story, we did get a bit stuck after giving the nails to fix the watchtower. We explored the world a bit, but there aren't any clear clues on what to do next. Could it have something to do with the fisherman and getting him bait? Or maybe the guard at the cave leaves at night, allowing us to enter then? My son is eager to continue, and I know he'll be asking me for help soon!

[@cinnamonroll5659]

good luck dude! your doubts show youre doing the right thing

[@IASKIN]

Game looks sick. 🎉

[@advancenine]

Not as sick as this comment! Thanks for being so cool :)

[@patrickagarcia5913]

I swear to god, I admire you a lot for always seeing bad things and feedback as a way to improve. I know how hard it is but I also know how important it is. Good job!

[@advancenine]

I swear to go I really appreciate you saying that. Its truly validating and you have no idea how much I appreciate it :)

[@DesignerSlashGamer]

Lady and the Tramp was one of my mom’s favorite movies as well. Naming the doggo ‘Lady” is an awesome tribute :-D

[@advancenine]

No way! Your mom sounds cool :) the name of the dog is a big deal in the plotline so it was worth mentioning...

[@milothecorgi12]

Just wishlisted on Steam. Looks like it'll be really fun when it releases. Awesome stuff!

[@advancenine]

You wishlisted it? Aww that’s so cool of you and the best possible way to help me! Thank you so much for your kind words and rad support!

[@srsherman7]

Bro, I started using that same character mesh to protype a game Idea a while back and was like why does this guy look so familiar.. LOL you've done awesome with him. Looks great in your game. Also great job and staying positive with the haters out here on the interwebs. I struggle so much with imposter syndrome I have a hard time when I see those type of comments. Keep it up!

[@MrMagic-lj2rb]

I didn't know you could get graphics like this without art skills through shaders. The look of the game is one of the best parts!

[@advancenine]

Right!? Sweet, huh? Shaders are like a brush for people with math and programming skills.

[@jessiahriner632]

It's insane seeing this game built in real time. I have so much more appreciation for you, devs after using Godot. Getting your character to just walk around is insane let alone make it look and feel good. I hope this game pops off and I'll definitely be buying the full release.

[@advancenine]

Wow what an insanely kind comment. Thank you for being so supportive. I really appreciate it. My first game was complete trash. This is my seventh game. Just keep making and you’ll get better 😀

[@TheKingOfDucks1234]

You have done an amazing job! it would be cool if you implemented a health system, since i think i would find it kind of annoying to get one shot back to your last checkpoint. and maybe the player could find items like gloves or shirts or armor or something to get more health. Keep Up the good work!

[@chilenitonuma]

I'm not on your Discord, so I thought I'd share a couple non-game-breaking bugs from your Steam demo here: 1 - You can jump while swimming and push past whatever the force is that is preventing the player from swimming far from shore. It seemed like the boundary where that push-back force is applied is fairly narrow, because after jump-swimming for less than a minute, the "storm" effect turned off and I was able to swim freely again. It's hard to tell distance out in the middle of the water, but I could tell I was moving in relation to the scrolling water textures and the wind-stream particles. I was able to swim for several minutes. I was curious if maybe I wasn't actually moving, because I thought I might eventually swim to the edge of the map or water plane. To test this, I tried swimming back in the opposite direction, and I was definitely far out in the middle of nowhere. I decided to quit and restart because I didn't know if I was heading in the right direction at that point. 2- you can jump while lying down (at the start when you enter the dream world).

[@advancenine]

Yo! You’re amazing. These are REALLY good finds and I REALLY appreciate you letting me know. I’ll fix them. Thank you!

[@michaelperrigo]

You are inspiring the hell out of me right now

[@meidankan]

First time seeing about this game, honestly it looks SO good! the glider rocks and I actually loved the rivers :D

[@seraphin01]

good job mate, your progress are amazing, I really don't know how people can solo dev like that from scratch. I hope you succeed and maybe someday just work on your passion and kids only

[@ThunderPlayStudios]

That's some sprit right there, keep that up mate. I'm waiting

[@hamzahgamedev]

As a solo game dev myself, I absolutely loved this devlog series and it is probably one of the main inspiration for me to make my own open world game. All the very best for the release and I am so happy to see the progress you have made. 💪

[@PaycoTsunami]

Yo just stumbled upon your channel, tbh I think how open you are & how far your development is going is fantastic. Keep it up!

[@Seshua87]

IMO it's all about perspective, many might see negative feedback as just that, negative. Although some negative feedback is trolling, the non-trolling negative feedback is invaluable and can actually save your game from failure. In my complete honest opinion, my first thought when seeing the thumbnails of your game was that it looks like another "Cozy" game. Which might come off as a bad thing, but that's isn't completely true. Tons of people love cozy games. It's all about what audience your trying to reach. One of my favorite quotes is "Trying to please everyone, pleases no one."

[@brallex]

It's amazing what you have done, and I'm even more excited for the game and future devlogs after this video! You're a great inspiration to me as I dream about being a dev youtuber. Keep your positive attitude and style, I always feel better after watching one of your videos :)

[@_justchill777]

Love this game and the progress, don’t let the haters get you down! You have a ton of people waiting for the eventual release!

[@nodytk]

So I've been watching your videos for probably like 3-6 months now. I wishlisted your game the moment it entered steam, and I also joined your kickstarter(a first for me, i've never done kickstarters before). I just want to say I enjoyed your first demo. I'm also happy to see you're taking feedback and working with it. I haven't personally left any, but I will be more than happy to try this new updated demo. While I'm sure a few people have been overly negative, I want you to know not everyone feels that way. This is YOUR game, own it! If you see criticism and you agree with it, by all means fix it, but not because someone else told you to, but because you agree with them and want to! Please, keep up the good work, keep asking for those wishlists and kickstarter donations. I truly hope you succeed in this. A big part of why I want to see you succeed, I'm a father with 2 kids and I'm a full time software engineer. I've always wanted to make a video game. I see you living the dream I wish I had put the energy into it too and I just can't help but want to see you succeed and for my part I'm doing everything I can to support you in your endeavor. Since I started watching your video series I've begun teaching myself game design in my free time. I'm nowhere near as talented at it as you are, but your videos serve as a constant reminder that I don't have to be perfect to make something cool. On top of all this, I love playing indie games. I'm honestly tired of all the $60 dollar 700 hour long content games. I'd much prefer a shorter and cheaper experience that I can enjoy and share with others. I really hope your game hits this mark upon release, because I'd love to tell everyone I know to try it, as I have done for countless indie games in the past. Good luck, keep up the good work, and most importantly keep trusting in YOUR vision! That's what myself and countless others have invested in and want to see!

[@rutchjohnson]

You showed a bunch of new areas in this video. It would be nice if you traveled to different areas that felt different. Right now they all have that same color DNA You are good at shaders, maybe you can make different areas stand out from each other by mixing up color tones, weather, fog, lighting, etc. Right now its the same extremely saturated colors everywhere. Just my two cents.

[@ponodude101]

Amazing work over this year! Loved the demo so much and I cant wait for the full game to hopefully make me cry. You're accomplishing what I hope to accomplish some day. Keep up the awesome work!

[@CaiusNelson]

I think making games is ultimately a balance of making a game for yourself and for your audience. It's important to be passionate or at least committed to the game you are making, but we're also making it for other people to enjoy so it's good to know what they want. That's why I think the best games are the ones made by devs who are as much a part of their audience as their fanbase. They make a kind of game because they want to play it too. Keep up the great work!

[@YamiKaizoku]

This is a great progress man! Appreciate ur work! Cant wait to see ur next steps!!!

[@gabrielorellana7962]

As long as the game is fun, there will be people who play it. I believe one hook of your game are the puzzles but we don't get to see a lot of them in your videos or maybe I'm wrong and the game is just about walking around cute landscapes

[@monster828scratch3]

I just played the recent update of the demo and I LOVED it! Really excited to play more!

[@advancenine]

YESSSSSSSSS! Thanks for playing it and I am literally SO HAPPY you liked it :) Thank you!

[@silcoish]

You mention you're not an artist, can you explain how you go about getting or creating models for your game? Everything looks so coherent!

[@advancenine]

Thats a good idea, I'd love to do a more art focused vid in the future. I'll on it :) Thanks for the kind words!

[@aaronmark3930]

The game looks totally rad ma dude keep up the good work

[@aaronmark3930]

and no need to apologise my guy, haters be hate'n

[@ghostly66799]

This game looks beautiful I will play the demo on video or stream and give my ideas and impressions on it, I like to test new games and new experiences, I got some coding experience too so for me it will be very good to see everything

[@foldupgames]

AND you're running this KZbin channel to support the game! You are one busy fella.

[@ProfePlaysMinecraft]

This sounds awesome. So glad I stumbled on this.

[@SkoobasArt]

Just played the demo and wanted to say well done and wish you all the best luck with it!

[@advancenine]

Yeaaaaaaaah! Thanks so much for playing the demo! I REALLY appreciate it and it makes me SO happy that you liked it :)

[@ElianeGameDev]

Your journey is so inspiring and your game looks amazing! I wish you the best!

[@shawns4354]

While this game may get knocked around by the platformer/adventure fan bases i believe the cozy community will gobble this up. Look at Palia, even for me it was a bit lacking in challenge but has a huge cozy following. And after all i believe you referenced A Short Hike as inspiration? And thats exactly the expectations i have for this game. Others may be expecting the next ToK. And thats not Night Stones.

[@lukehall3808]

Great update. I can't wait to play the full game when it's ready!

[@moonstar_connor]

Awesome to see what you’ve accomplished in a year!

[@Vellar92]

Hey :) I just wanted to try the game. But first it warned me I can't play it with keyboard, than when I tried to start it on my Mac OS, i got this message "You can’t open the application “NightStones” because this application is not supported on this Mac." I have a Macbook Pro 16-inch, 2019. I like how the game looks and will try it on my PC later, but still :) Good Job!

[@fastpicker89]

What I'd love to hear about is how you were able to get people interested. What's your marketing strategy?

[@mikeriderbrasil]

Very very very cool and inspiring! I'm sure it's no easy task developing all this while raising your children and working a day job. Keep up the awesome work! I played the first demo and I'll surely play the updated one. You rock nerdy dad! hahahahaha

[@iamsushi1056]

Wow, it’s been a year already?! Keep up the good work, Ryan!

[@NOFRILLS_GAMING]

I LOVED the demo, and so did the wife! We cannot WAIT to play the full version!

[@advancenine]

Yo! Thanks for the kind words. I'm so behind with everything. I just sent you an email :)

[@NOFRILLS_GAMING]

@@advancenine got it! I appreciate you! Super excited!

[@Nounsi_Dev]

follow your journey from the beginning and honestly, u have come so far. The new enemy system is so cool while not turning the game into combat base. Im really hype to see more

[@jordysaldana5993]

Could you make the fog on the cliff sides of the owl city and the caves more, cartoonish? It’s giving simple render distance vibes. The game looks so good tho! I’ll definitely be playing the demo some time soon :)

[@noise_dev]

wow! this looks amazing! good luck man!

[@airyspaw]

You are so nice! The game looks super cute. I can't wait for it!

[@ElNicopewpew]

You are so friggin awesome, keep at it!

[@Wathfea]

Add a torch and a full dark always changing layout labyrinth with traps :) and secret caves behind waterfalls!

[@Surfboarder4]

very excited for the finished game!

[@FrogKin9]

I love watching your Devlogs. That progress looks to me almost impossible. Did you everything yourselves in your free time (Sound, FX, animation etc..)? Either way, very impressive!

[@misticalinteractive]

Happy Easter and keep it up! It seems pretty good!

[@s4bishii]

Amazing progress my friend, this is shaping up to be a great experience. Keep up the good work! ps: your little girl runs just like your character, coincidence? I don't think so.

[@advancenine]

Dude. I spit out my coffee reading this. You are freakin funny. Thanks for being so cool and supportive.

[@shawns4354]

So glad to see the game expanding from the initial demo. Demos are good but releasing them too early to the whole of the steam community can dent ones optimism. As for the last video, i bet alot of people came in new after the exposure at next fest and so you had those with bad faith comments. Keep up the hard work!

[@SamuelCox-k6x]

I've just downloaded the demo on steam and I played it for a bit and it was really fun but it was really easy to get lost(I definately got lost) unless you get the compass really quickly. just a bit of input I had that i think might be a bit better if you changed.

[@3DArt4Games]

Even tho the terrain is simple, it looks stunning what a lovely little game : )

[@Diuler]

Those bad comments represent a very ignorant part of the community they talk about art and expression while they only know about Zelda and don't know a thing about your main ispirations and your journey as a solo dev. I'm proud to say I'm here from day 1 and I really love what you're doing, you really inspire me to create new and wonderful experiences and I really can't wait to play Night Stones. Thank you for updating us with your devlogs and making us part of the process

[@legendaryjoker9318]

I recommend a small cute and unique butterfly that has special powers to read the dialog and a few tweaks and abılıtys like of u play her a melody with an enstroment and she can help u wıth puzzles or look for things and as the game progresses the melodys will get boring for her so u woo have to find more

[@StarlightStudios22266]

I love this, I got an idea, what if for the different places you explore they have different seasons! Or over time the seasons change

[@eminiks3695]

hello i played your demo and here is my thoughts i really like the game it just needs polish. example the water in the start of the game i tried swimmings far out in the water to see if there is an end to the water i didint find one but when i wanted to go back there was no way inside of the game other then exit and rejoin the save. i also find the ladders kinda okay but they could be way better and add a feature for the game if you make it so whenever i jump off the ladder and instally touch the ladder again i will go back on. when i tried to jump off and go back on i had to wait for some cooldown that only took like 1 or 2 secs but even that is a little annoying. i also just realized you can just fall out of the map into the water it would be really nice if there was a reset button or if you go out of the map and touch the water down there it would just reset you back to your last postion. anyway hope i could help even if its not alot i still hope it will help have a good day

[@jookyuh]

Amazing!

[@isaiahdietrich7980]

Looks amazing! Makes me want to start my own projects 😂

[@pippaloves]

Looks absolutely beautiful.

[@coreymiller6581]

Don't apologize when your audience is being hypersensitive 😛

[@advancenine]

Ok so I'm not imagining it? Thanks for saying that. I really felt like I set the background up appropiately but knew I really angered people when they started sending spam bots into the Night Stones discord server. The internet is awesome and bad all at the same time....

[@denischen8196]

This game needs better sound design and VFX. Footsteps, jumping and landing, swimming, riding a boat at various speeds should all have sound effects and particle effects. Keep in mind how long particles should last, how fast they are thrown out, and whether they collide with the ground. Also, have you found a font that you like for the dialogue and UI?

[@mishoelashvili2157]

i think it d be so good if the character was customizable, with clothes,accessories.hair color and stuf

[@lucbloom]

I will play the demo again and do a QA/design feedback round, but would really appreciate a sign of life this time. Lol, even a sole eyes emoji on the last Discord message would be fine. I do see there are way more comments currently, so I also get that you’re busy.

[@antonyakushev3502]

amazing work! one notice: is it possible to turn off text animations? this effect is quite annoying. anyway, visual design is awesome, and i simply love that boat sailing!

[@xanderxv16]

I love everything about this game and it has inspired me alot. But how do you do the art used in your game

[@pedrogoncalves4585]

Looks really cool

[@ArcoTwentyOne]

This is looking so good!

[@KrisP91]

Great video! Also no need to apologize for anything! AAA publishers tend to make s*it games without giving a rats ass about what their community is saying without bothering to apologize or even acknowledge complains (event though they charge like crazy), so no need to worry, you are golden 👍

[@Shepherdboy16]

This game looks beautiful! The animal characters and the scenery remind me of Tunic. The only thing off I would say are the human characters. They look very round and almost like like they should be in a cheap kids show. based on everything else I know you can fix this!

[@advancenine]

Super good feedback! I show off some of the updated characters here and I'd love to know what you think: kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHKakKl8mc-iiLM

[@Shepherdboy16]

@@advancenine Hey man! Wow, I am genuinely so amazed and excited for this game and want you to no that I'm not hating on it in any way! With that being said, I watched it and I still think you could do so much better. I like the idea of customizing characters but lemme try to explain my thoughts. Your animal creatures all look SO good and all styled in the same manner and they match the surroundings! But your human characters look very idk...off. Like they don't fit in the game. Especially the anime eyes/hair on the new options. I like the simplicity of your original dude and I like customizing but I just think the humans could be styled to match the rest of the game better. Best of luck, brother! Keep up the great work!

[@yuvalb159]

As a new dude learning game dev with no art skills I have to ask. How did you make models & textures look good? The game looks amazing!

[@IMAofficial]

yooo. nightstones devlog time!!!

[@MelodiCat753]

I was one of the people who disliked your previous video. It felt a bit corporate-y to me that your title included "and it did not go well" when overall your NextFest was a success! I see from this video that you really are genuine; I think you just have a more formal way of talking. I notice you often start your replies in the comment sections with "Thank you for the reply," and it's kind of adorable, ha ha. By the way, I laughed out loud at the swimming conversation in the video! Thanks for addressing the feedback, and don't be too hard on yourself. The game is shaping up to be really fun!

[@Echo8Studios]

Personally I say ignore the FUD. You’ll never create a game that is going to satisfy everyone, so just develop it the way you want and enjoy the process ❤ This game looks absolutely amazing and I’m astonished that you’ve been able to do all of this with a full time job and 2 kids on top of that 😮

[@Lol-ni8wm]

I think a potential thing to add could be dragons!