Creating Artificial Happiness for my Indie Game (Devlog)

[@BWDev]

For those wondering, in this video I used Conceptboard for mindmapping / planning, and Lucidchart for Flowcharts!

[@ecoppa6533]

I was just about to ask that lol. Keep up the good work!

[@sneddonisaac]

I quite literally live just down the road from the arboretum!!! That’s actually crazy! Also great devlog man!

[@scrollogy5847]

Ya

[@meaterbeater2781]

If you haven’t already thought of this you could add a harbour at the coast that is used to transport goods to and from your island and by upgrading it you can increase the amount of things you can transport

[@brian1000ism]

Yeah it would add a lot of flavour and realism too!

[@thespud1094]

Little did you know he then continued to do this

[@dakodakelm1800]

I really love how this game is coming together, please don't lose motivation. I NEED THIS

[@DIYDamian]

"The only problem was sleep wasn't helping our little guy here feel any more rested." mood

[@Joe_Payne]

Went to bed at 5 last night and it's 3am rn. I should probably go to bed

[@aarthificial]

Interesting

[@isto_inc]

Oooh i've never thought to change the sample frame rate to speed up my animations. you learn something new every time!

[@TwixDylan]

Just a suggestion, but it would be handy to have a tool tip show up when you hover over a need suggesting the player how they might increase this value. Also it could perhaps highlight the nearest tile where they can replenish this need (eg: the well). Regardless, awesome work dude!

[@Trainhead]

Arboretum is an awesome place, I hope you had a lovely time there!

[@coffee_bean__]

Love it man. One thing I would say is a slight rework on the textures, as there is not enough contrast. Screen seems very flat and could do with the colour popping a bit more to make the foreground elements stand apart from the background elements. I understand this would take a while, but just my thoughts :) have a good day

[@Goodgis]

This game is seriously starting to look amazing! Can't wait to see more!

[@RogerClotet]

" :) AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" describes perfectly my mood right now.

[@GamesBySaul]

Love how the game is looking! - and how you have the personalities done seems really nice, one script to handle loads of different personalities which could just grow, I love how that works! :D

[@xcrinn9896]

Somehow I just know that when this game gets released, DangerouslyFunny is going to get his paws on it and find a way to run the most efficient factory with the worst possible work conditions

[@Stalkie]

I actually love the way you show those nitty gritty details like time lapses of the canvas and glimpses of the scripts etc. As someone who just started learning unity, this gives me a lot of ideas on how to structure my own attempts at making games!

[@CMister21]

Develog after develog your game gets richer and bigger. It's super impressive especially for a solo developer. Good job man.

[@ShafterPlay]

Great job as always! I'm just thinking that you could give a key to the guy from Let's Game It Out when the game is released or in early access. He makes super fun videos on simulation games like yours.

[@BWDev]

His channel is terrifying for devs but I'm up for that 😂

[@fortyforty-seven1061]

BWDev he would be a great bug tester

[@cipmylo6919]

@@BWDev hes the final boss of game development

[@Magnogen]

Britain certainly has been autumnal recently, and wet is an understatement.

[@dustinjames1268]

Cant wait for this to be finished Maybe eventually branch out to more types of resources and processing methods, including pollution to incentivize people to continue progressing the technology to keep the air clean and be efficient Pollution would decrease crop growth and wellbeing of workers requiring you to be strategic with your placement of buildings

[@ivorkusic105]

This looks like it's gonna be one of those super in-depth management games that everyone loves... huge potential for this one!

[@animakesgames]

Aw, this is so lovely. I really liked all of it. The artstyle and your soothing and friendly presentation style... and it was especially cool for me to see the flowchart for the AI. looking forward to seeing more of this. I wish you all the best for the development. : )

[@Emma-eh5lx]

So awesome seeing this game come together! You do a great job at explaining the concepts while keeping the video not too long. You should make a video on your workflow and unity best practices and tips. I’m sure there’s a lot I could learn from you!

[@_loxymore_]

I think that the well should be linked with the underground lakes : like you can build a well only on top of an underground lakes

[@timbonator1]

Or make tunnels underground 🤔

[@nichegames9590]

This video raises my happiness level. I can't believe I didn't see this video was out until 4 days later!

[@arturkarabekov1920]

Want to play this game so bad now :O I remember your first devlogs, how you created the first employees, made the option to move and place stuff. Look what an amazing game you have her now good job!

[@cineblazer]

This series is amazing, and so is the area you live in! Wish we were getting some of that rain here in California lol :)

[@BWDev]

I wish I could send some of it there!

[@FlorianDeimer]

Could be cool, if the 5 Level System of the lumberjacks would let the player choose different options in a skill-"tree" :D

[@lucasesposito471]

I see what you did there

[@ethaninspired]

I think you should add animations for the employees: Chopping trees, entering buildings, unloading logs etc.

[@juegosfaciles3087]

I want to buy the game dude looks so fun

[@juegosfaciles3087]

@Brayden Remington G06 do you know what is going to be the price ?

[@xsticcyds5459]

@@juegosfaciles3087 I think it might be 10-15$ when it comes out.

[@xhold]

NEW DEVLOG! YES!!! Great video, I’m loving seeing this game come together!

[@graysonvanderzalm7709]

You should add fruit trees, maybe they can supply a canteen (reduce cost of food maybe) for your lumberjacks. They could also snack on them out in the field

[@bussa373]

are you going to add the different types of cutting wood? like clear cutting, selective cutting, farming wood, etc? and erosion effects and like polluting rivers etc? that would add difficulty i think, but a cool thing to see

[@Nick-Games9]

Love the faces, give a really nice modern yet retro feel!

[@mikebrewer_alpha1990]

sorry if this seems like a stupid question so early in the game's development but with so many similarly colored things its hard to know what's what being partially color blind sucks...luckily the orange trees help but i have to watch ur videos multiple times to see everything happening but are u going to add a different way to see things descriptions? or a better way to tell what is what

[@BWDev]

Thanks for the feedback! I’d like to provide some kind of colourblindness accessibility option. Will try my best to get that in for release 🙂

[@marcelocalucho1756]

@@BWDev Will happieness effect the productivity of workers?

[@marcelocalucho1756]

@@BWDev Will placing clashing personalitys in the same camp effect productivity?

[@marcelocalucho1756]

*crew

[@corbin4360]

@@marcelocalucho1756 Read the description :)

[@forgetmesnot3475]

You might consider adding name tags or a "sim" sort of indicator so the player can easily tell the mood the workers are in.

[@cleo1901]

cant wait to get this game! i love games like this because they NEVER get boring! (to me at least) Love The Dev Logs Keep em Coming!

[@auseawesome9112]

Well done, you are an inspiration to me and i love your videos! Edit: More trees would be awesome!

[@StarWarsNerden]

finally. These videos are addictive

[@FrankyTaxi]

i just realized the lumberjack in the sleeping mechanic was sleeping for weeks!!!!

[@LTGD]

"Basically a zoo for trees" is the best way to describe an arboretum ever.

[@zerchol4044]

Would be cool if you could personalize their tents, like change the colour of it and maybe it could give a small boost because you care about changing it?

[@onon128]

Your devlogs really inspire me

[@crushelnast6657]

Idea for item: Edible sap. If you keep it, you can boost the morale of your workers with it by giving it to them.

[@mutedGOOSE]

I always check daily for a new video, and look forward to your uploads Keep up the great work!

[@rebeccarisk1772]

Awesome update! I've been loving keeping up with this game

[@donkfalcon1243]

I feel like this sort this of system would work really well with the different workers having personalities. And the sliders may go faster up or down depending on what kind of person they are

[@BWDev]

That is exactly how the personality system works 👍

[@underscoreLu]

Lumbermill looks super fun. I love tycoon games.

[@FlowPoly]

I’m actually getting so excited to play this man. Good job

[@Zawazuki]

Its been a long time coming, but this game is certainly starting to take form.

[@BWDev]

Appreciate you sticking around! 😁

[@Skeffles]

This employee need system is really interesting! Great job.

[@samuelhulme8347]

You can add multiplayer and the players can create their mills they can trade ( from a harbour ) , and they can compete as well, and if employees from one mill are unhappy they can find a better mill and move to it

[@thewaterleaf7929]

an amazing devlog with amazing work as always

[@branidev]

What an amazing progress don't loose motivation this game is a true gem ;)

[@TomHawkin5]

So awesome to watch this game come together. Can't wait to play it

[@_hallowed_]

Something that I'm not sure if you have though of yet is a weather system, so everyday it has a chance to rain or snow depending on the month and that could effect the employee happiness and other stats (like rain could make them less thirsty over time)

[@Storelag]

I always find this really relaxing to watch

[@bblz9171]

I just like watching your chill videos! Thanks!

[@TheDrover15]

All these features look amazing, the crew management looks super fun especially with setting time off so that clashing employees might not work on the same days... With all these features though It makes me wonder what a new game will look like... Could you perhaps do a small play through of the first couple day?

[@vozvolta271]

i can't wait will this game comes out i love the art style and the concept, i'll definitely buy it!!! best of luck

[@crnoman9408]

I know i cant afford it but it feels awesome to see a beautiful game is being made

[@sharkdude08]

you should make an animation for when the workers are interacting with things

[@jeremiasscharovsky5434]

Will the workers have an animation for walking up to the filled bucket and taking a sip? It would make it more obvious and it'd make them feel more human

[@m1bl4n]

I'm actually hyped for this. Reminds me alot of Rollercoaster Tycoon.

[@7gears312]

This game just looks so clean!

[@SanctumCreative]

Awesome amounts of progress man!

[@leonefoscolo]

01:31 I felt that in my soul

[@KRAGH5]

To add life to the forrest you could add wildlife and rivers.

[@ronhobbydev8999]

oh cool two videos back to back

[@Parritz]

The game looks interesting probably will buy when it eventually releases

[@proxy1035]

i know it's an old video but i still find it funny how increasing a variable named "tiredness" counts as being less tired....

[@BWDev]

It’s been changed to Energy

[@RavenclawNimbus]

“Multiplying anything times zero, tends to equal zero.” Yes, it does tend to equal zero. XD

[@pingu4396]

Huge. Always a big fan of your game.

[@juzzapm3252]

This game looks so good.

[@pallascat6767]

I can't wait till this comes out!

[@Elysiummmm__]

you could make all different variations of the well into the game and then make a variation selector in the control panel

[@verychunkyman2525]

I haven't watched these videos since like 200 subscribers (since i got banned from discord and didn't join back >:[ ) games coming along so well buddy keep it up - i still have it wishlisted :)

[@alexjaison934]

Was reading the title and i thought this'd be hella useful but then i got to the fourth word

[@damijan589]

a crack that spins on the side of the well would help the animation standout more. At the moment, it's a little overly subtle

[@serial-designation-pgd]

Very nice video! Keep up the good work

[@nicholasleach8770]

can't wait for this to be released!

[@zazadude]

that is so inspiring... why would you look for friends when you can just code happiness? EXACLY. u dont need it, just code it

[@shxyze8254]

And you dont need to ocasionally argue with it aswell!

[@wesleyjanse6600]

Something I noticed: the hair color of the lumberjack at 8:20 is really hard to see, I didn't even notice it untill he went into the grass.

[@NikitaBelomestnykh]

I think you should go with hours instead of days and allow for scheduling of rest - work - any - joy (may be add the need to write a letter home or watch television or play music). With this you can add clock and a night/day cycle. That can effect how mush time you have until the "lumber order" deadline. I think it makes more sense with all of the bathroom breaks and sleep a no one really sleeps once a week and uses the restroom once very there days. Make each hour last a quarter of your day length and it would make for a great scheduling element and speed in the game.

[@BWDev]

I spent a long time considering this - and went with days over hours for a number of reasons. Lumberjacks can’t work at night due to safety, so there will be a number of hours each night where nothing happens in the game and players will simply be waiting for day to continue with gameplay. This would also mean a night cycle is a little unnecessary in a game like this - especially as it would add a huge amount of time to the game’s development. Scheduling by hour is also a lot more finicky than scheduling days, and I couldn’t see a way I could make the interface without it adding a lot of clutter. While it may not be 100% realistic that they sleep on days off, I think the trade off is best from a gameplay perspective - and I want to release the game ASAP. There are a lot more things I have planned, that I think are more important than a day/night cycle. Hope that explains the thought process 👍

[@ShizulsBack]

I would like some Artificial Happiness

[@reglan_dev]

Cant really wait

[@TinyDeskEngineer]

"The only problem is that sleep isn't helping our little guy here feel any more rested"

[@itay1232]

If a lumberjack drinks too little because he doesn't have enough wells to drink from he should also go to the bathroom less

[@boijix8723]

To everyone who reads this, have a great day!

[@SquidyGuitar]

thank you

[@DanielAbeleira]

You too man

[@pom69]

bad day?

[@bigboibob2568]

Cheers 👍

[@bitbraindev]

This is so cool!

[@stonefreak5763]

Nice video an game, I am following this devlog from the 1st video on. There is just 1 thing: I don't really like thos specific green of the UI (1:12) I think, it is a bit to dark, because the Background is also dark grey... Other than this, i like the game very much, i have already wishlisted it for a month or so now and i Love the devlogs. I am studing Games Programming at the SAE Institute and your Videos help more than you propably think. Thanks

[@elohimvarela7179]

Just wait for this game to come out and Df to find it...

[@tauheedgamedev2388]

Great progress lots of elements to manage in game, Its slowly turning into real life, are you looking into external factors affecting production like a sudden virus outbreak or a surge in the flu. 👍 Wishlisted

[@geraudgreyling1864]

This was a meaty update

[@TapirHoliday]

Maybe you could add a "Pyromaniac" personality. It could speed up there work but gives them a chance to set fires :P

[@superhseep]

Hey @BWDev! I highly recommend you get a copy of A Natural History of North American Trees by Donald Culross Peattie. I just looked it up and the physical copies are expensive ($100!). But you can get the kindle version for $10. I think you would find it an extremely valuable resource. It is essentially a collection of essays on species of trees. He talks a lot about the lumbering of tree species, their uses, and the history of their lumbering. But he also writes rivetingly about their overall beauty and value in our culture.

[@BWDev]

Sounds great, thanks for the suggestion! I’ll check out the kindle version for sure 😁

[@vasco___]

New video, whoooooooooooo let's go !

[@delta927canadien-francais5]

Great as usual

[@kocraft137]

Love ur game so much, please dont throw away time at other things such as Core. I know u get sponsored, but don't drift away from Lumbermill. Ur super cool

[@BWDev]

Sponsorships fund the game - it’s not wasted time to me as the game can’t be made without them.

[@kocraft137]

@@BWDev thanks for explaining that, did not know. Keep up the good work :)

[@FluePeak]

cant wait for Lets Game It Out tho play this and find all the bugs lol

[@h76tr]

Maybe change “thirst” to “hydration” so the decreasing status bar will make more sense.