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 😆

[@FrankEBailey]

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! 😉

[@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.

[@luckywright7285]

The game is looking so much better every single time you post. I have to be honest, the first few months I was only mildly interested in the game because I'm also an indie game dev. But, I'm actually starting to become interested in buying the game when it comes out now. Well fricking done, mate! 👌

[@advancenine]

That's great to hear. Don't worry, I'll totally convert you to the darkside in the next video with a brand new area and a SWEET new ability :)

[@djhindsight]

I really liked that other video! I loved hearing about your frustrations and hard data.

[@advancenine]

I appreciate that but I think you are one of the few that liked hearing the hard data :) I appreciate you letting me know!

[@shawns4354]

That's the kind of insight other indie devs gobble up, no crumbs left. Please keep sharing!

[@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!

[@Canyon_Steele]

Woah! That’s a lot of progress in one year 😮

[@advancenine]

Well that’s a kind thing to say. Thanks for the support. Somehow I always get in my head and think I’m moving too slow. So I really appt you saying this.

[@Canyon_Steele]

@@advancenine That’s awesome how much you’ve done, I am trying to get a computer right now to start making games. You’ve inspired me so much dude! Jesus loves you, and if you ever feel stressed or doubtful about your game or anything he will always be there for you! I can tell your game is going to go far! 😁

[@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!

[@Vixxee_]

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

[@Ar7ific1al]

BRO what even was that comment you used to represent the haters? That is insane! Man, I hope those kinds of comments don't affect you too much. You're living a dream, keep it up!

[@advancenine]

Hahaha. I kinda felt like they were trying to be negative but then there was this loose comparison to Van Gogh so I took as a win 😂 thanks for your nice comment and cool vibes. The negative comments don’t bother me - but they make for some great stories :P

[@the_dork77]

@@advancenineya, that person has no basis for getting annoyed with you, I even checked the account lol. Your game is really great don’t worry

[@xxkillbotxx7553]

Yeah I remember seeing that comment shortly after it was written. Completely unhinged.

[@paulie-g]

@@advancenine I think the point of the comparison to Van Gogh was that he was willing to starve for his art. I'd have picked one of the early impressionists just to avoid the whole missing ear side issue.. While the comment was obviously harsh, the sentiment has a right to exist - a lot of players feel like games would be better if devs paid less attention to market expectations and just made games as if for themselves. There's a lot of truth to that. If nothing else, this gives us games with new, unique mechanics and approaches. On the other hand, one-man indie devs really don't always have that luxury - no one's "dream game" is sufficiently tightly scoped to be executed by a single dev in a reasonable amount of time while working a full-time job, and few people want to put so much work into making something and then have very little in terms of both attention and financial return to show for it. I also don't see anything wrong with taking elements of successful games that you know people like and putting a spin on that, especially if you are a genuine fan of those games/genres - I've often played something and thought I'd like to play a variation on that theme with a few of my own ideas. As long as it's not a formulaic cash grab and has something of its own to offer, I for one am not at all averse to it. If one views game creation as a search within a design space, it's an eminently feasible strategy to start from a known-good point in that space. "Something like BOTW/TOTK, but short playtime and tightly scoped enough so I can actually finish it, oh and there's this fun day/night mechanic I came up with" is perfectly valid and there's a world where it is executed well and fun to play. As a non-game dev who doesn't have viable digital art skills, I've always thought this was a hard no to doing single-person game dev. The amount of visual style you've managed to extract out of shaders and other techniques on top of generic assets is genuinely impressive to me and could be very inspirational to others. Perhaps it might be a good idea to do a video about what you loved in the games you list as inspirations, what new ideas you wanted to apply to them and the game feel you're going for. I'm sure you have plenty of passion for doing your own game as opposed to "well, people love the new Zelda games, lemme cash in on that", because frankly you'd make more money doing freelance programming without all the risk *and* it's nearly impossible to make yourself work on something you're not passionate about for less money, after your real full-time job, and instead of being with your young children. You just need to convey that, maybe talk a bit about how you approached the design, the various choices you made etc. I have a suspicion that the format where you present what's been done as a heavily-edited fait accompli, while very successful at being succint and doing well on various metrics like CTR and watchtime (I like them for this reason precisely), elides how much you must have experimented with things, all the decisions and how much creativity goes into that, which to some people not familiar with game dev might make it look formulaic and mechanical, which it isn't of course.

[@miauw8762]

It was kinda hilarious to read haha

[@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)

[@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 :)

[@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!

[@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.

[@Deeveeaar]

What an amazing art style! Loved the video aswell!

[@advancenine]

Yo! Thanks for being rad and commenting. Love your stuff and it means a lot you’d even watch my video. Thank you!

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.

[@ChitChatoofficial]

Hi Ryan, I played your demo now and wishlisted the game .Its really amazing game ,great art and music as well as gameplay too. but i have some cons about the game which is the controls ,im really struggling while im playing with keyboard and also if game has the map or something similar it will be useful because its a top down game its really difficult to find and getting confused about the places in the game, excluding this , game is amazing please do more games . your are the one who making me inspired to do games. Thank you.

[@coopersimzer5993]

LOVE THE GAME THIS IS THE FIRST VID I SAW OF THIS AND ALREADY EXCITED KEEP IT UP

[@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.

[@ohno7012]

Everything about this is super wholesome!

[@ghabrielF]

You dont need to apologise! We appreciate all the hard work youve been putting in this game, and also I think it's really cool to listen to the community! It's impossible to make a good game blindly, without any feedback! Keep it going, youre gonna make it

[@YamiKaizoku]

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

[@faizah0179]

Your progress and passion are a huge inspiration for me. I also want to get into game development, and seeing your dedication motivates me. Your kids are lucky to have such a cool dad like you! I can't wait to see what more the game can offer in the future🤩

[@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.

[@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)

[@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 :)

[@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!

[@_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!

[@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!

[@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!

[@josewenzel]

Dad game dev is back! happy to watch your videos is always refreshing! keep it up my friend!

[@TheCreatoCorner]

This game looks so good, my type of game. excited for the release!

[@advancenine]

Thanks Creato! I love your content so your comment means sooooo much to me!

[@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 :)

[@anshul2145]

Never thought I would enjoy a game from this genre. Figuring out stuff in the demo was fun and I guess you are going for the theme of player just listening to whatever he is said to once and then figure stuff out himself but I would like to have a journal type thingy which keeps log of what was told to us.

[@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!

[@MWA-Games]

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

[@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!

[@cinnamonroll5659]

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

[@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

[@chinmaykulkarni2976]

I played the demo a couple of weeks ago. The game is really good. Waiting for the full game release :)

[@advancenine]

Thanks for the love and for playing the demo! I really appreciate your kindness :)

[@ElianeGameDev]

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

[@SnowyLeopardFrom1997]

UI Wise and for the overall feel, you win over me man. I just tested your game, great work so far! (I was stupid enough to not post my game for the masses to play yet, although it's been in the works for almost 2 years now. Big mistake from me, I know) I started mine on November 2nd, 2022

[@lukehall3808]

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

[@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 :)

[@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!

[@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!

[@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.😊👍❤️

[@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

[@IASKIN]

Game looks sick. 🎉

[@advancenine]

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

[@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!

[@danieledesa100]

Very good progress since first video. I love seeing these videos even if I would also love to see how you solve technical challenging from dev point of view like for example how you have approached level design or shaders... BTW the look of that shovel is weird... :D Keep up all the good work you truly are a source of inspiration for me!

[@moonstar_connor]

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

[@averagememer57]

I love when games allow you to solve/overcome a challenge in a multitude of ways. It always leaves me in a good mood when I can do things in my own way. :)

[@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

[@noise_dev]

wow! this looks amazing! good luck man!

[@ProfePlaysMinecraft]

This sounds awesome. So glad I stumbled on this.

[@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.

[@airyspaw]

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

[@misticalinteractive]

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

[@meidankan]

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

[@gandror]

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

[@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 😀

[@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!

[@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

[@Reditect]

Graphically, and otherwise, the game looks amazing imo. I love the videos and enjoy your story as a game developer, father, etc. To me, it looks like you work very hard. I somewhat envy your position and find similarities between you and I. That's not in a parasocial way or anything, just mutual respect. I have a background in game development and engineering. I hope to have a main job, maybe game development, a sizable audience, and most importantly a loving family bigger than the one I have now (a wife and kids, not just siblings and whatnot). From what I see, you're doing a great job. I wish the best of luck of the project, this channel, and your future. :)

[@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...

[@skandev1921]

yay! exclamation marks ! haha seeing my sugguestion in game made me so happy , love the new demo

[@advancenine]

Was that you? Dang that was a good idea. Thank you. Some players wanted more lore. Some players wanted less dialogue. So the newest release has the exclamation marks and WAY more dialogue choices. Now players can just get the basics or go deep. Such a great solution. I appreciate you helping me see it.

[@skandev1921]

@@advancenine Im very excited for the future ! ive been hooked on zelda lately so it made my hype for night stones even more

[@ElNicopewpew]

You are so friggin awesome, keep at it!

[@Surfboarder4]

very excited for the finished game!

[@michaelperrigo]

You are inspiring the hell out of me right now

[@kizuna.gamestudio]

This a lot progress for a year, congrats!!!

[@ItsBeekingXo]

The negative comments are stupid! You are allowed to talk about these kind of things without people jumping at you since half of them are random people who don't know how to make what you are making and don't know the stress of it!! Keep up the amazing work it's looking incredible!!!!

[@sammythehamster9093]

I remember playing the demo back in last December's Nextfest. I did download random demos but this one caught my eye, maybe the charm and curiosity. I enjoy the puzzles and solving npc's problems. I'm not a fan of keyboard controls I feels old school but willing to give the game a go. A break from generic cosy life sims. Night stones does have cosy feel.

[@advancenine]

Thanks for giving it a shot. You’re awesome. Just to be clear, the game plays better with a controller which you can totally play with. Or are you saying I should change the keyboard controls in some way? Thanks for helping me be better.

[@lucbloom]

Lol that hater comment needs some therapy because if they really think that about this project, there is absolutely nothing for them to enjoy in this world.

[@TheBigboy2345]

He sounds like somebody who isn't really creative and fetishizes creativity. Art almost always begins as imitation and an artist cannot grow unless he goes through the grueling process of imitating and creating.

[@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.

[@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."

[@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 😮

[@PotatoPapa1337]

only one year :o congrats man, looks amazing

[@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

[@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

[@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.

[@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

[@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. 💪

[@BallerinaPocketArchives]

Keep Improving Your Game! + Don't Listen & Understand Haters = Motivation & Passion ❤

[@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!

[@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 :)

[@foldupgames]

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

[@fastpicker89]

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

[@ChaloopaJoe]

While this is something that'd probably come later on anyways in the focused-polishing section of development, I feel like the skeleton needs a bigger tell when it wakes up. A player encountering it for the first time and it quickly getting up and immediately moving can cause some panic in the player. Might be good to have a longer and more obvious getting-up animation so for a new player its less frantic, and a good tell for the seasoned player who may not have noticed it at first before its too late! :)

[@SuperGamersgames]

It looks like there isn't feedback for hitting the Lost Travellers. I recommend having it so if the player tries to hit the Lost Traveller it plays a bounce off animation (if you've played Wii Sports Resort, I'm thinking of the one in the Swordplay minigames). This way the player will understand it wasn't that they didn't hit the enemy, it's that their weapon doesn't work on it. :)

[@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!

[@ArcoTwentyOne]

This is looking so good!

[@isaiahdietrich7980]

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

[@barry-allenthe-flash8396]

I love checking my sub feed and seeing more videos about nerdy dudes telling dad jokes! lol I have to say, I'm loving these video dev journals! After hearing about you getting negative comments, I think you need some more positive ones... and I don't even care about Zelda-esque games, lol. I won't personally be checking out the demo either (I also don't care much for playing games on PC), so I'm just a weirdo wanting to learn about how you're actually making this thing. As someone who _really_ needs to crack open Unity and get back to working on stuff myself (though I *am* an artist, but I'm focused on updating my modeling/animation skills in Blender atm) I find this all fascinating. You're quite watchable thanks to your jovial attitude. Seriously, I can't send enough positive vibes your way even if I won't play the demo. So dude, keep it up, you rule and your game development process seems like it's working out pretty well! _*positive vibes_ 😄

[@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.

[@pippaloves]

Looks absolutely beautiful.

[@iamsushi1056]

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