Upgrading the Island Map! Unity Indie Game Devlog

[@CustomName]

this video was so peaceful lowkey

[@8Blits]

Didn't know you were interested in game dev!

[@iced5531]

@Andy Randy stfu

[@isto_inc]

That unrolling animation is SO slick ooooohhhhh weeee

[@Magnogen]

I love getting updates for this game.

[@hugofrogboywithstuff]

Me too

[@jackmaguire8634]

Agreed!

[@julienmauguin3214]

Yeah like it is not even out yet but it feels so good this way

[@ellazec5246]

Islands should start randomly named. Perhaps Patrons can get to submit their own Island name that can be generated in-game.

[@BWDev]

Randomised names are planned 🙂

[@redxstudios2565]

@@BWDev will cock island be allowed?

[@leontius5502]

@@redxstudios2565 Why not

[@juliusgustafsson5270]

@@BWDev maybe>> one

[@C1maCat]

@@BWDev Would be a nice touch to pull the names from Indigenous languages of the Indigenous groups who claim the areas lumbermill is based on. Plus they sound awesome

[@BlueDavrial]

Considering you're going with the classic "paper map on wood table" look, I'd recommend having a red pin put in whichever island you select. Not as busy as a red circle or a pointing hand, but still visibly sticks out, more than just the very slight hover over color change. You could even animate it dropping into place

[@AAlexDoesStuff]

Maybe circle the chosen island with a sharpie like you would on a real map.

[@liuqmno3421]

Love this idea! Would give it an extra touch

[@hrmny_]

Yes, the slight colour change seems way too suttle to me, especially after it has been selected

[@Chris-55]

Oh yeah it would look lovely!

[@KRYMauL]

@@hrmny_ I barely noticed even at 4k

[@mauleblanc4147]

It could also be a pin 📌

[@memokingmh784]

Suggestion : Add a compass,ink bottle and a feather to map screen

[@xdn_yt]

love the idea!

[@Vyrement]

This is a great idea

[@remcon559]

Suggestion: If you rename an island you now have to click the pen icon again. I think it would be clearer if the pen icon were to be replaced with a tick✔, when you are editing the name.

[@MattFenner23]

Was going to say the same thing

[@albingrahn5576]

also, pressing enter or clicking anywhere outside of the text field should automatically apply the new name like how renaming files work

[@drawcentral1048]

Always a good day when there is a new dev log from you.

[@ethandolbear3834]

Good freakin' episode. I really do enjoy watching these whenever they come out. That map rolling animation though! Beautiful. (Side note, I also love how you incorporate real life in there from time to time, this time in particular with the snow and whatnot in your area, brings a sense of realism I suppose.)

[@BWDev]

Appreciate it! 😁

[@RandomProduct]

BWDev: "The islands now have some subtle variations in color" Me, a red-green colorblind: 👁️👄👁️

[@Magnogen]

Lmao that's exactly what happened to me

[@WildPork]

I could barely see a difference and I'm not colourblind. I much preferred the animations

[@streetster20]

You should add a desert island that has palm trees (would be cool for some of the smaller islands that are generated!)

[@Vyrement]

I love this idea, could also do a snow one with spruce trees.

[@aneeshpatankar4252]

Was thinking the same thing! Maybe cactuses/cacti also (even though that breaks from the "lumber" part of Lumbermill)

[@bikerscoutproductions1040]

I would recommend that you have a starter tutorial island that is very simple with one tree type. This can introduce early concepts without shoving everything in the players face. Then it can disappear after a few things have been learned

[@Th0rmator]

I feel like the Islands should give a bit more feedback when hovering over, the current version worked fine for the closer up shot without the table, but is a bit to unnoticeable now that the map is on the table I think. Other then that it looks great, keep it up!

[@WS-xd4sd]

Just another brilliant video and a demonstration of your design skills and your ability to implement what you design. It's great that so many people are happy to contribute to enhancing your idea - but stick with what you're doing because it's super evident that you've got a plan and I love how you're leading us further down down that path with every video.

[@highfiveee5909]

Hey Ben! Nice update as always. I just wanted to give a small feedback regarding the Island Hover animation. I am working as a UX Designer at a really big company and Motion Design is my task area. IMO the "lifting up" animation looks really great and I don't see the extensive visual overload you mentioned. Maybe think about the following: There will be a lot of people who want to play Lumbermill (I'm sure of that!) and some of them will have visual impairments such as (partial) color blindness. The subtle light up on hover won't be visible for them at all. I am a person who is able to "see just right" and I already have problems noticing the change. This becomes much worse if you can't see green properly for example. This lift up fixes all those problems and still looks cooler in my opinion :-) Just wanted to give my feedback on that, otherwise great job!

[@voidcaller7536]

Birch, redwood, dogwood and cherry blossoms could be cool tree additions

[@jfredd]

Your devlogs are extremely interesting, I love how you can manage both the code and design part of such a cool game and switch between them as you make progress

[@aXYZGaming]

been waiting for this

[@skenda]

Can't wait to purchase the game! It sounds really fun and your updates are really entertaining!

[@mats595]

I waited all week for this ^^

[@simonp.1021]

i know it may not be a good idea but if you'd add rivers they'd be deeper than the surrounding and you'd had to go deeper in the ground to lay cables. these deeper cables would then be more expensive to buy than the others so that there'd be a bigger challenge for certain areas on the island. maybe there could also be a random variation of hight in these rivers. this idea randomly popped up in my head when i saw the forest scene with the small river.

[@penelopelehnert212]

that’s such a good idea !!

[@knighterez5083]

ye baby another devlog

[@Codethe_Road]

This was a massive improvement on the actual dev-vlog style. It is amazing how much the KZbin side of this project is improving.

[@mikeohc]

Very encouraging to see you develop your game and talk about problems and obstacles you faced!

[@jmbiv_dev]

wooh that unrolling animation though 👀 so cool to see how far Lumbermill has come, new map is looking great!

[@Auxilor]

coming up on 50k subscribers! you love to see it

[@rebeccarisk1772]

I really like the new version of the map on the table. The unrolling animation is a fun addition as well!

[@bitbraindev]

Wow! That roll-up animation is perfect!

[@not_too_bad4354]

An addition to the map screen! When you select and island, there could be an animation where a red circle appears around the island, like it’s being drawn. Along that, there could be a sound effect sounding like a pen drawing on a paper. Otherwise, really love the game! Can’t wait until it gets released!

[@antonimisenglish5960]

love to see the game get better better and better!

[@joeyharrington1863]

Brilliant! One suggestion is that you use a more consistent icon for the different tree types. Right now it's one that's the shape of the tree, one that's the shape of the leaf, and one that's what the tree drops, so I would suggest choosing one type of icon for all the trees. For me, the leaf shape feels the most in-keeping with the old-timey surveyor vibe. And especially since leaf shapes are so distinct across species, it could serve to educate the player on how to identify the trees in real life!

[@henrylarson1]

I'm really impressed! Mak,ing GUI is so much fun but can have difficult programming sometimes. The map unrolling is an amazing touch too. Loving the progress!

[@TheShelfman]

The map unroll animation is really nice! Feels very satisfying😁

[@bluecrystalstudio402]

Lumbermill is getting better with each update :)

[@VyvyanTheGreat]

That map unrolling animation is fantastic!

[@AugustoCabrera]

That map unroll animation it's EPIC. What a great job!!

[@nextProgram]

Nice work! I really like how the map is looking

[@DowzerWTP72]

I don't really have any interest in game development, but a lot of my personal projects would really benefit from me building a graphical overlay, both in 2D and 3D, and so I love watching your videos. I am busy weekdays trying to find a new job (which is damn difficult in this pandemic), but at weekends I get to continue with my own projects, and I love watching your videos just as inspiration and as a little treat while I work. So thanks for the smooth, relaxed atmosphere, and great work on the progress you've made thus far. Edit: "don't really have any interest in game development". Though true, I am a gamer, so I also want you to know, as soooooon as your game goes live, I'll buy it immediately! I'm so excited for it!

[@Noe-Mastro]

Every time you upload a new update about your game i feel so excited for it to come out!!!

[@H1ghFuerDre1]

Someone in my discord just showed me this and I must say this looks awesome, great work! Can't wait to give it a try!

[@CodemasterJamal]

UI is looking sick, brotha! Love how the map rolls out on the table. Very clever.

[@ThePixelExpedition]

Gosh, what another lovely dev log. I love your humor and that you get right to the point, keeping us engaged. It's too bad you didn't keep the islands popping up when mousing over. I really liked that effect 😋

[@cilliank.8786]

Just as a suggestion, maybe high light the selected island even when the courser isn't on it anymore just to make it easier to keep track of which island you have selected

[@thedaranesianconfederation7221]

To the core devs: Thank you for supporting my favorite solo indie game developer

[@WS-xd4sd]

just read your comment and you're so right. It must be hard to generate revenue when you're full-time developing on your own - lets hope core pay him well because he is so good! best game devs ever.

[@thedaranesianconfederation7221]

@@WS-xd4sd When you understand a stranger so well that you understand every single detail of the phrase that he didn't mention

[@hm4266]

The part of playing this game, is watching it development, great job!

[@itsbeanic]

Just loving it mate - keep up the graft.

[@Rufiowascool]

The entire of KZbin, and THIS is what I will watch every single time no contest. I love this fucking series.

[@zweetkonijn]

How do you not have 1mil followers yet?! Everyone needs to see this channel. I realy like the game so far!

[@MaddHattPatt]

Oooo that unroll animation is so slick!! Nice job!

[@RugbugRedfern]

4:42 My biggest pet peeve with DOTween is how hard it is to figure out what values to adjust for tweening UI! Glad you got it working though :) Also, instead of just seeing a few parameters of the island before you buy it, I think it would be cool if you could tour the island and look at it yourself. feels kind of weird to just buy it based on a few things you read and the overall shape, but maybe that's the experience? Anyway, all the new improvements are amazing. I love your UI and how genuinely immersive it feels in the main menu. Good luck!

[@damijan589]

When purchasing an island, it could be cool to see confetti fly out from the bottom or side of the screen in celebration with triumphant music (or something similar). Currently, it's a little uneventful. Keep up the great work!

[@1nfern088]

Maps looking really clean. Especially that animation :D

[@Ferenc-Racz]

Nice progress! The map rolling amd the island seleczion is very impressive. Congratulation. :)

[@rabbodwins]

So close to 50k subs! I love watching these devlogs.

[@xen-42]

always looking forward to a new devlog, lumbermill is looking great!

[@broganking9830]

That map unroll animation was tight!

[@dallasphillips91]

Seeing how you do your save system would be very interesting to watch!

[@Itsysss]

Great progress BWDev! Really like the calm video theme :D

[@gravityblocks8596]

This game looks amazing so far, I do think that maybe you could add seasons to it. Maybe make winter where you need to make your machines and workers warmer, and summer where you need to provide more water for your workers, and you could change the way the trees look every season too.

[@nichegames9590]

Wow, you really pulled it all together for that map. Looks good.

[@remcon559]

As for the tree-type icons: I think it would be better to use a picture of the actual tree. Otherwise the player has to first figure out which icon corresponds with which tree-type, which isn't that hard, but still seems unnecessary.

[@Vyrement]

I was also thinking this.

[@vikkever4233]

I agree, but maybe that would be a bit distracting. I think it would be clear if you add the same icons on other places in the game, so the player recognizes them after some time

[@CaioAletroca]

@@vikkever4233 Yeah, like when you are on a island, selecting the tree and shows a info panel using the corresponding three icon

[@TheAlfak]

Maybe putting a small flag on the island on map screen would be good indication if it is owned by someone or not Also different colours for different companies I guess

[@BWDev]

Something like this is planned 🙂

[@haulin]

@@BWDev I'd be interested in a "what's planned" devlog, so we don't keep throwing suggestions that are already on the radar :)

[@BWDev]

@@haulin Cool idea, but as a lot of it is subject to change I'm careful not to announce anything to then change my mind about it / not have enough time to implement some of it 😅

[@haulin]

@@BWDev Understandable. I'd just like to see how you're managing a 2 year long project in Trello. But it's your channel. Thanks for the great content so far!

[@ash12181987]

Always fun to see your updates, keep up the great work

[@dauraktv]

I’m so happy for you! You’ve got direction in life, fulfilling work, security in finances

[@westforduk]

First time commenting on one of these videos. Been following for a while. Just wanted to say the map unroll animation looks incredible. Keep up the good work :)

[@ZygerGFX]

Great video man! really enjoying the devlogs. the aniamtiosn and art are great, i really love the small tiny little icon to show the species

[@BWDev]

Thank you!

[@MrBennie]

I enjoy watching your videos so much! Can't wait for your game to be released!

[@LordofGold]

You could implify a compass symbol in the bottom left, as it is seen on most maps - just google for "map compass" and look at the images, something like that would make the world map feel a bit more like an actual map - but still great work!

[@miatatude5362]

I feel like suddenly changing the cursor on mouse over would be satisfying!

[@Break.]

9:42 The bit of UI that pops up at the right is either too far to the right or needs to be changed colours because it doesn't look good over the brown wood. Great video btw, I'm really impressed with your progress!

[@Skeffles]

You've nailed this map, it looks fantastic!

[@HalfmoonSZ]

I think it would be super awesome if travelling to an island had a zoom effect with a super smooth transition, where you wouldn't have a cut to the island. I know this is difficult for a number of reasons, especially the isometric tile view, but I'd love to see that.

[@MattiaConti]

You and flow studio inspired me a lot! Thank you

[@chillmusic5960]

One thing that would be cool is if you could find islands with mushrooms, bamboo, some weird trees or some rare type of tree. It would make the game feel different and add a sense of discovery.

[@wtpgamingyt6231]

YES FINALLY ANOTHER EPISODE!!!

[@klawzilla]

The map looks great, I think you should add something that makes it clear which islands you own and which are undiscovered though, like a small tent or building in the middle of the landmass just to make it easier to differentiate between owned/unowned. Maybe the number of small structures on the island could go up the more developed it is too.

[@zman90]

I think you should add birch tree. I also think the value of each tree should go Maple>Pine>birch>Oak with the lesser valuable trees being more common

[@Chris-wy1wh]

Me: sees devlog of lumbermill Also me: *happiness noise*

[@seerserric]

*More happy noise*

[@Nizart]

warum sollte ich dich abonnieren?

[@Chris-wy1wh]

@@Nizart warum nicht

[@jameson4862]

i like how you made the mapple leaf orange because beforehand it looked pretty suspect ;)

[@Void_Forgotten]

I can't wait. To see this game complete

[@aneeshpatankar4252]

Maybe as you unlock tress on new islands, you could have a system of planting the new ones on islands of your choosing. Perhaps also a "breeding" system to create/unlock more valuable/rarer/special trees?

[@MrOrangutan]

You should totally have more subscribers. This is awesome content! Keep it up!

[@chriscox1618]

Imagine a frozen island with arctic pines or something Love the series

[@anonymouspenguin7118]

That map animation is neat!

[@justingolden21]

Looks awesome as always! In the beginning of this vid I was pessimistic about the aesthetic of the map system, but by the end you got everything fixed up, looking real nice. Make sure to focus on the player experience above all else, keep that in mind when designing the random islands, discovering species, exploring, crafting, etc. What emotions would a player feel when playing the game in this way or at this moment? Love the work, look forward to the next log : )

[@PSIBoredomOmega]

I love how the saves have a .lumbermill file extension

[@joakimodelvall]

It would be nice if you added storage for when you export your products, so u can stockpile at the port. It would also be nice if the player controlled the boat logistic and ferried the goods to a location to sell stuff instead of magically appearing boats come to you. Then u could setup routes for your tankers to go between different islands picking up goods. Another suggestion is to have robots/employees load and unload from the belts like in factorio.

[@klawzilla]

Also, the segment with the snow footage got me thinking that some islands should have different biomes, like a snowy biome with trees native to that habitat, a marshland biome etc etc. Though I imagine that would be something that comes much later in development, and obviously that’s not how geography works (unless colder islands were far north/south and warmer were in the middle)

[@truepenut8755]

Adding different temperatures and wind speeds so power sources can be stronger or weaker based on the island. For example if an island has a high temperature, solar panels work better

[@seand.8897]

we need snowy islands ahhh!!!

[@Stalkie]

Really cool! Maybe you could show the screenshot of the island ON the map instead of only when you click on the islands? That way you can see which islands you own at the first glance :)

[@9redwoods]

I totally think you should use the island-lift-up graphic when you hover your mouse over it! I feel like that gives the player just the right amount of feedback and makes selecting islands a more satisfying experience. It also gives you creative freedom to add feedback once you click the island, giving it a sort of bounce. Maybe it was the stone texture underneath that was making you dislike it?

[@tomzitiger]

So close to 50k

[@wuppi]

You should also add an indicator for owned islands in the map screen. Maybe a flag or something similar? Other details could be great as well.

[@AndrewDavidJ]

Wow! Really impressive UI work! Keep it up! :D

[@ZVLIAN]

One of the few managemend games I might buy

[@deraminator945]

An addition to your map = put a compas in any corner or draw a map compas (you know like how it is sometimes in some old maps)

[@3lectr1x]

Yay half way there to 100k!! congrats!

[@azbi4]

Love the progress so far! It might be an idea to give some more feedback to the player about which Islands they currently own. Maybe a little red flag?