2 Years MAKING an OPEN-WORLD game

2 Years MAKING an OPEN-WORLD game
Music by Davide Joerg
open.spotify.com/artist/5E4Dw...
Hello guys! Over the last 2 years I have been developing my dream game, Project Destiny, and in this video I want to show you all I have done to shape it.
With no experience with unreal or 3D video games, I started by knowing the engine, I thought of a game that was actually playable, I developed the basis of the gameplay, I thought about the story and concepts of the game, I created the first map, I opened this KZbin channel and... many other things! Enjoy!
Let me start by introducing myself, my name is Patrick and I live with my wife, my daughter and my beagle in Switzerland, I have a full time job so I’m developing Project D in my free time.
I've already created and published a finished game, so I know what it means to create a game and what it takes to get to the end.
But well... it wasn't a great commercial hit, and since my dream is to be a full-time inde-game developer I know where I can improve!
Clouds of rain was a 2D game made with RPG Maker! So now I wanted to take a big step forward, moving towards 3D and Unreal! But how? Try, make mistakes, repeat and of course say a lot of bad words!
I had created a prototype where it was possible to climb, fight with a sword, hide from enemies, hunt,... but it was too much, so many mechanics and little time to refine them.
So I said to myself, what can I take from all this to make an interesting game?
Answers: 1 open map, freedom to explore, travel, beautiful landscapes, story that develops through exploration and much more! Project destiny was born here!
Before starting the actual development I wanted to have an interesting idea to work on, in terms of story and concept of the game, after several sleepless nights I thought at this idea:
The aim of the game is to tell the life of a person from childhood to old age, based on the player's choices through an introspective journey in a natural environment inspired by Japanese animation movies, like princess mononoke or Your Name.
The player will explore open maps where a story will be told based on the locations he explores.
Each important place that we’ll explore will tell an important part of the protagonist's life.
Every player will have a different story based on the choices they have made during the journey.
I will return to this topic in another video to explain in detail how the story will develop based on the journey and the ways that each player will take.
So get to work! I started by creating the basic concept of the core gameplay, then developing the main game mechanics.
The genre of the game can be classified as a 3D platformer, since the basic gameplay is conceptually simple and there will be no combat, I wanted to to pay a lot of attention on the level design!
Starting from some very bad hand drawings, I started studying the maps inch by inch, and then began to develop an unreal map made of very beautiful white cubes and rectangles. I needed This step to understand the pace and balance of the gameplay.
At this point I said to myself, what do I do now? Do I want to develop the game closed in my beautiful house in Switzerland? for another ⅔ years? and then sell it to my dog ​? like my first game?
No! I'm starting to show to the world what I'm doing on my KZbin channel! But what do I show? The map obviously, thanks to Unreal I can create environments that are detailed and beautiful to look at, with the hope that they will attract attention.
I started by creating environments because I felt comfortable in this job, having a little experience in this regard. So that I can present something concrete and beautiful in the shortest time possible.
So... let's move on to the visual aspect! Many tests among bushes, trees, water, stones until reaching a good result.
At this point I said to myself, let's put everything online and see what people think!
I have received so much comments and compliments and for this I am grateful to you.
I also received many requests for videos explaining my processes to achieve this result.
Easier said than done, between a constantly growing little girl, a very active dog! Just kidding ;P and with the game in development I had to find time to do everything.
I then started developing the map with the graphic assets and style that I had perfected in recent months.
This is the longest part of the work, because the map I am developing is very diverse with many variations of colours, shapes and composition.
This is because each location on the map must be able to communicate something specific to the player, to make the journey as meaningful as possible.
Seeing my map take shape is a very nice reward, comparable to beating the Elden Ring Bosses
byeee

[@CertifiedFreshMemes]

I'm also on my gamedev journey. Only a month in so far. It's very inspirational to see what you have achieved

[@graphiclinegames4843]

hold on! keep it up! Thanks for the comment, it's a great motivation!

[@NightfallStudios01]

Love watching Devlogs, You just gained me in the KZbin family excited to see more

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thank you

[@gianp33]

amazing work wish you all the best, cant help seeing myself as i started the same indie dev journey when my little girl was born, she's 4 now and has a little brother whos 2, made a lot of mistakes in the beginning mostly from greatly underestimating what it takes to make games (i do art my brother does code) after many ups and downs, couple burnouts and dead periods i finally feel ready as an artist, 4 years ago i made a square cow in blender and now i got to the point where i can solely rely on my own art. you're from Italian Switzerland? Im from turin Btw.

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Grazie per il bel commento, non siamo così lontani, abito a Lugano. Diciamo che la famiglia va prima di tutto, quindi capisco le difficoltà, ho sempre meno tempo da dedicare ai miei progetti con la piccola che cresce :) vi auguro il Meglio per i vostri progetti. :)

[@betoharres]

I loved your style, I just got into inde game dev last week in my free time as well; this video is so inspirational! I also want to make a video game with the same style, but I'm gonna first make some simpler games in godot :)

[@graphiclinegames4843]

good luck with your project. I think it's a good idea to start with smaller projects, thanks for the comment

[@Jay-rs4co]

Subscribed. I just found this gem of a channel. I wish you good luck.

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Thank you!

[@majabohm9600]

This looks great ❤ I hope you are proud of what you achieved and continue to have fun with the development of your game! All the best, I'm looking forward to seeing the final results 😊

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Thank you so much, these comments are also a huge source of inspiration and motivation, thank you

[@1995music4ever]

1:33 quite relatable ahahahahaha Nice video Patrick! I wish you (and your family) the best and I can't wait to see this game fully developed and completed. Now I'm really curious to play it, the concept is interesting, definitely not something that you often see. Great job!!!

[@graphiclinegames4843]

wooow I think I know you :D thanks AILED :D:D:D!

[@pedropvitoriano]

That’s so beautiful! Subscribed!

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thx

[@akiltejaa7062]

Good luck my friend ! Keep up the amazing work ❤

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thx

[@kotomichi14]

nice journey, I subscribed to see more :) I like the idea of the game

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Thank you very much, I will reveal more and more in the future

[@leongfeller1635]

Really nice Video Patrick, a friend and I (who also live in switzerland) are also creating a game in our free time. You are really inspiring, and a great Motivation to keep on creating the game.

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Awesome! You are an inspiration to me too! good work!

[@monado1761]

You're a real inspiration for a game dev trainee who's learning from KZbin tutorial lmao and imho i never seen any game that looks this gorgeous this different so many anime games looks very similar nowadays yours truly looks special in comparison i really want you succeed take as much time as you can i can't wait to play your game

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Thank you so much, these comments are also a huge source of inspiration and motivation, thank you

[@Taruil]

Immer wieder spannend, Leute aus der Schweiz oder Deutschland zu finden, die Spiele machen. Und das auch noch allein. Sieht sehr schön aus, deine Open World :)

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Danke :)

[@BunyipHutch]

Beautiful world building going from squares to scenic landscapes 🌟

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thx

[@TheYvesL]

Hope it is a success 🎉 I am also thinking on making a game in my free time

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thx, well, do it :)

[@thebham95]

great work!

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thx

[@Emile.1855]

very cool !

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thx

[@imraan_alam]

Nice Job

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thx

[@CrazyyCanadian]

Good job!

[@graphiclinegames4843]

thx

[@Aemn_912]

thanks for you videos i wondering can i make 3 pixel characters in UE5 or just unity??

[@graphiclinegames4843]

I think it’s possible ;)

[@sfgmonah]

The map looks nice but the waterfalls seems off

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Hehehe I have to say I'm quite satisfied with the waterfalls, maybe they're too stylized?

[@Willyadam]

how u create a water material?, its looks perfect

[@graphiclinegames4843]

I think I'll do a tutorial in the next few months stay tuned

[@probro652]

Hoffe das du mit dem Spiel weit kommst

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Tausend Dank

[@zekenebel]

You should take some time looking into critical thinking and design processes when it comes to game design. You seem to have fallen into the trap most early developers do in making something visual with no substance. This isn’t 2 years making an open world game this is 2 years making an environment for an open world game. I understand the grind and the need to want to have a beautiful environment. But that should always be your last concern when it comes to a game. Think of it like a movie. I can setup a pretty set piece, get the lighting correct and have stunning camera work. But if I made it to this point without a plot, actors or any story. By the time I have came up with this story ima have to change 90% of the set.

[@graphiclinegames4843]

Thanks for the constructive comment, I think you're right, and I also think I actually have an interesting idea, I just can't present its full potential now, I need a little more time to have the material necessary for the full reveal of the project . In any case I will take your advice and I will try to put it into practice in the future. always appreciated.

[@zekenebel]

@@graphiclinegames4843 I’m glad u found it helpful. I would have appreciated something realistic when I was first making these mistakes myself. I should have mentioned in my original comment that your art has clearly gotten to a great point. I hope you have the same success in design and implementation of the game itself.

[@oliver-nation4377]

Sounds like AI voice over, but the world itself looks nice enough, tho i am a fan of high poly, instead of the breath of the wild low poly landscape.

[@jacapraca-gj5rw]

bro what ai has such an accent?

[@graphiclinegames4843]

:D Jep, I speak italian :P