How One Change Made My Game Fun - Devlog #6

[@harrisondunbar9002]

Suggestion: If you are considering sticking with the idea that the main character is like a fish then you could make the player accelerate slightly when it reaches water to help preserve momentum which I think is key for movement shooters. The player should only loose momentum if they make a mistake rather than loosing momentum because of the way the level is set out.

[@e_buffturtle]

This was an ingenious design shift from top down to side scroller. No wasted time on redoing assets at all! I did enjoy the more cave like levels because they could tie into the lore of relics and artifacts stuff. The main thing I think you should experiment with is a grappling hook mechanic where you shoot a hook from your bow to pull you in a direction (this would work really well in a cave setting). You can make some simple crab-like enemies that crawl on the “land” and continue to crawl on it even if they pass through water. You could also make a simple tank flying enemy that shoots a barrage of projectiles and you have to get behind cover until it goes on cooldown. I feel like this type of enemy will force the player to prioritize playing defensively and will break up the play space with dangerous bullets.

[@timberdev]

That are some really great ideas, thank you! I have thought of a grappling hook but didn't want to make something generic. I will experiment a bit and then decide how the grappling hook should work.

[@Einxeld]

@@timberdev sometimes generic grappling hook is also very fun to play with, so don't ditch this idea away too soon please :)

[@Pabs1234]

adding to the crab idea, a boss that is only on land and is far away from water

[@vil-mo]

@@timberdev i actually think adding grappling hook will hurt leveldesign. Instead of carefully choosing path from A to B using environment, player will just mindlessly grapple to the place he wants to go. This is just my speculations, but those kinds of huge mobility increases should be carefully considered with game that has such a grate leveldesign potential

[@box7215]

@@timberdevmaybe the player could switch between land and water movement? Right now it might feel like the land is just air, so being able to switch between swimming in water to rolling (you could charge up while in water, using more power than a dash but traveling farther). In water rolling would move slower than a dash, on land it would move faster, with more bounce on the walls.

[@benjattkk]

Glad to see you back! You have one of the coolest art-styles on YT

[@vibevizier6512]

Honestly, I do think that dashing enemy could def come back. Seeing em fall to their deaths while coming for you would be pretty fun

[@aephemerial-tv]

I second this! Really clean and colorful art-style.

[@alvin_row]

This looks honestly really cool! I know this is one of the lamest parts of game development, but please take a look into making the colors stand out a bit more. Not because of art-style (it looks great!) but because it was pretty hard to recognize water and non-water on my screen. Make them feel like two different colors instead of two shades of the same one. About the new changes, they look super cool and I'm glad you're back at it! :D

[@redcarbluecar]

I feel the same

[@Vega_Voice]

Here here

[@tellet2378]

yeah

[@zack8207]

The changes are awesome! I think it would be really natural if you added a bhop mechanic where if the player times their dash just right as they hit the wall they go bouncing off in a certain direction with bonus power/speed. Could feel really satisfying!

[@timberdev]

Omg that sounds pretty amazing! Thanks :D

[@Minecraft31]

I love this minimalistic and modern art style for the game, and the video editing as well as everything else, amazing work!

[@FreakyGamma]

WOW! Production quality really shows in this video and I wanted to let you know I appreciate the extra effort put in. Game is looking awesome and as soon as you showed the first iteration of your new level style I thought of the next fix you ALREADY implemented with having floating water areas! So I think you're going in the right direction. One idea I thought of was to add a shockwave/shotgun style effect to the bow when you charge it up to a certain point, it seems obelisks are spawning a bunch of enemies right in your face and it's extremely difficult for the player to not get hit when challenging them, so Charging your bow pre-challenge to give a nice blast to any enemies in your face along with perhaps giving the player a super jump from that shockwave would make it feel that much better. Could tie that into your fragment system as well.

[@mr3sepz]

Nice to see you back again 👍 Now that you have these floating bubbles and gravity outside, you could also think about if the general gravity should always come from the bottom, or change. This could make the movement more fun, but also make the level design harder and more limiting

[@abceyz9241]

Enemies ideas: 1. Only-air enemy, like a bird 2. Similar to the most basic one, but can jump out of the water and switch between different pools/water circles 3. Fast enemy with a shield but with very slow rotation speed 4. An enemy that moves only in a specific area 5. Enemy who creates a area in which all other enemies get a buff 6. Weak but deadly enemy who can't move but only teleport 7. Strong enemy with high damage and hp but can't move in any way Other ideas: 1. Moving platform/water pool which you can use as a normal platform/water pool 2. Doors and buttons to open them 3. Spikes 4. Thing like bushes, trees etc. which you or your enemies can use to hide behind them

[@flappypenguin1712]

this game looks awesome and I can't wait see it finished! I think it would be cool to also have fragments that gave a change that was not a clear boost but that could make a new playstyle like a fragment that made you fast with less heath/quick charge low damage arrows or the opposite where you move slowly with more heath/longer charge time for a powerful shot. it would also add complexity with synergizing those fragments with normal ones.

[@MrBotdotnet]

Maybe adding some sort of highlight or particle to enemies spawned by the obelisk to let you distinguish between ordinary enemies and required enemies since you might loose an obelisk enemy and get stuck. Also more complex designs for upgraded fragments and a limited number of upgrades. Maybe a fusing system with interlock able fragment designs so you can have the fragments sprites on their own or connected half-half style to have half they functionality of each but more versatility? I'm loving seeing this game develop and the devlogs!

[@jordongates3531]

This is the first I've seen of this game but I already love the idea around it. Two of my favorite video game genres are roguelikes and very fast-paced high movement games. So I always get really excited when I've found another game that implements both of those things.

[@NoahTheRobinson]

I really like the movement combos where you use the bow knockback to get an extra boost. Maybe there could be some wacky stuff with this like an arrow that acts as a grappling hook or has greater knockback?

[@timberdev]

Yea that's a pretty good idea!

[@danvideos3882]

Some enemys that need to be killed while mantaining a certain combo

[@permahope]

Your design skills are just 10/10, I JUST LOVE the aesthetic

[@danielkelsosmith]

Keep pursuing your dream, your creativity seems to be limitless. Never stop

[@someonewithsomename]

I love to see how you iterate your design over time! Love the changes

[@eranyakar9237]

Dude this is turning out to be a legit incredible game, I’m 100 present buyimg it when it comes out, honestly there are some really bad game dev logs on KZbin your series is by far one of the best I’ve seen. Keep it up man

[@woqu99]

You honestly have so much potential I love the idea of the equipment system

[@MythicLegionDev]

I think that shift in perspective from top down to side view and how that changed what ideas you could use was pretty neat. I like the changes that you made with the new perspective too. Keep up the great work!

[@timberdev]

Thank you very much :D

[@sensi1082]

Wow, really great changes to your game! You're on track to make something really special so don't stop now 😀

[@oo-nc6xg]

With the fragment system you could make merging fragments and super fragments that give bigger buffs. Also I really hope you are able to continue working on this game, because it's great!

[@dudeinaboxeatingsometomato2323]

Okay, what if there was a momentum/momentum storage mechanic, for example: when you're inside water you would have a limited cap of your maximum speed, but when you're outside you could store tons of speed, so that you could go crazy fast (at a point you can understand the chaotic speed), and instead of boucing of a wall you could do a wall boost (it would give a high temporarily boost in one direction but decrease your momentum a little bit as a way to get you in a certain direction faster or sending you back to water, and it would make moving around easier when outside of water, and could help you get some good space to get some speed). you could also add a double jump when outside (it would cut your speed by half but it could help change directions or going more higher to reach further places or bodies of water).

[@Muhammed_English314]

Inspired by _The Aquatic Adventure of the last human_, you can add a giant angler fish which will look like a small light in the background that will slowly come closer to the foreground as you approach it and snatch your character if you didn't pay attention

[@TaleshicMatera]

What if its lure looked like a fragment

[@comm_gt]

@@TaleshicMatera but it had a slightly different shape and was white instead of other colors

[@aarepelaa1142]

@@comm_gt any colour of the fragments already in but maybe just make it so you have a few seconds to avoid it.

[@SpikeStudio]

Such a unique way to change the gameplay up, making it feel fresh and fun. Glad you are back to working on it, cant wait to see where it goes!

[@ShootForTheStars-dj6jb]

I find this video really great! Your art style is amazing and the video quality is astounding, especially for a smaller channel. Suggestion: Maybe an enemy that would experience a lot of air gravity and reverse gravity in water. It would also slowly make its way towards you and once it does it blows up and does area damage even to enemies. it could probably do the same thing on death too.

[@eboatwright_]

Whoa, this is great! Can't wait to see where the perspective shift goes.

[@absolutewisp]

I really love the art style here, it's so simple but just works. The UI also reminds of Material Design, which is one of my favourite design systems ever.

[@HeroDestrin]

I love the art style so much! It's so satisfying to look at. Idea, if you're accepting them: maybe an enemy that has a shield? It turns slowly though, so you have to use your swiftness to get around it? Otherwise your arrow will bounce off and possibly hit you in the face.

[@MrBotdotnet]

The bouncing back the arrows from the front sounds like a really cool idea

[@CriticalBattle]

The UI and overall look of your game is incredibly clean and great to look at. Keep it up.

[@mawbit.381]

I love this idea! I feel the movement shooter-esque mechanics are a really strong element that can make this game extremely satisfying to play. I'd continue to play into that aspect, increasing bow recoil and giving the player a lot more bounce when they dash/recoil themselves into terrain. I really look forward to seeing this system progress!

[@gustav256]

I'm so glad that you're back! What about an enemy that can only stay in the water, doesn't shoot, but instead attacks the player by jumping from one pool of water into the next when the player is in between the two pools with the enemy?

[@frozen2762]

Woah, changing from top-down to side-scroller is really cool! Some suggestions, if you don't mind. -I would love to see more advanced fragment types, say, editing the players basic skills and the effects of arrows. I had a lot, so I'll split them into categories. Status Fragments: 1. Flame Fragment: When input into either arrow slot, converts arrows into Flame Arrows, letting them inflict a burn DoT. 2. Frost Fragment: When input into either arrow slot, converts arrows into Frost Arrows, letting them inflict a chilled effect, which could slow enemies movement or even slow down the rate their attacks come out. 3. Sharpness Fragment: When input into either arrow slot, converts arrows into Sharp Arrows, letting them pierce more enemies and inflict a bleed effect, making enemies take increased damage. 4. Venom Fragment: When input into either arrow slot, converts arrows into Venomous Arrows, letting them inflict a venom DoT. (You could also make new enemies or bosses that apply these effects, and then make the player effect for these fragments let you be immune to them) Synergy Fragments: 1. Combustion Fragment: Burned enemies explode on death, dealing heavy damage around itself and spreading burn to others caught in the explosion. This can also happen to the player, so be careful! 2. Shatter Fragment: Frost Arrows shatter on hit, becoming sharp ice shards that, after a second, launch themselves towards enemies to inflict Chill and do some extra damage. 3. Blood Drinker Fragment: Slowly recover HP for each bleeding enemy on-screen. 4. Acid Fragment: Enemies afflicted with Venom leave behind acid pools as they move, which deal damage to anything standing in them and inflict Venom. Player-Skill Fragments: 1. Bull Fragment: Turns the dash into an invincible charge that lets you run through enemies to deal damage. Increases the power cost. 2. Whirlwind Fragment: Turns the melee attack into a spin attack that draws enemies in before activating. These are a lot of ideas, and of course it's your choice to add them. However, I think one of the greatest parts of Roguelikes are build-variety, and the great deal of interesting playstyles you can use. It makes each replay very interesting, and really enhances gameplay imo. You could also edit these effects, or add more, this is really just ideas. I think the most interesting parts are the Synergy Fragments, as they really bring out more versatility in each playstyle. You could also add some extra fragment slots for more Misc. Fragments. -You could add more maps, that open up after you beat a boss. Since most enemies are aquatic and the game revolves around water, you could go deeper and deeper into the ocean. Maybe add some more colors. (Coral?) Maybe different maps have different qualities, like an Abyss biome, that limits your vision? Or eventually, near the end, you could have a lava map, where your standard dipping in and out of water doesn't work due to their only being harmful lava. Each map should probably have it's own boss. You could also have side-maps, like in RoR2. -Along with the Shield-Fish boss you currently have, you could make an alternative boss or 2 that might spawn instead. Since you already have a defensive boss, you could make a hyper-aggressive melee shark boss that rapidly dashes at you, or a slower, more projectile heavy boss. -More on bosses, this is obvious, but you should add different, harder, and more advanced bosses to each map, or even bosses that have their own set arenas, such as a lava kraken. -Elite Enemies, or mini-bosses, that could be enhanced variants of standard-enemies. The best route to go with this I think is to give them properties of different fragments, and then maybe dropping the fragments on death. You could have these guys spawn in at each Beacon, along with the current crowd of enemies. This is a lot to add, and you don't have to add it all at once, or at all, but I think they could really enhance the game. Out of all of these, I'd say the stuff that I think should be added most are the mini-bosses and more fragments to increase synergy with. Sorry for the huge wall of text, and if you made it all the way through, thanks for reading.

[@hbflis6034]

Have just gotten your channel recommended for the first time, I am really excited to follow along with any future devlogs! The game took a sharp turn towards something I could potentially enjoy a lot, keep it up man!

[@baronofderp719]

Hi there, I stumbled onto this video and i think the game looks really interesting and fun! I help spitball ideas for a dev friend of mine and this instantly sparked ideas in my head, so imma spitball a couple if you are interested. A way to possibly differ water and air could be a shift in the UI or there could be a darkening color in the water that represents a "breath meter" which you could balance based on the ratio of air to water in a level.( there could also be one for air, to encourage swapping a frequent alternation between the two?) Also since you have a "bow and arrow" gravity affecting the arrow while in the air could be another way to make the player distinguish/think about what environment you're in. I really look forward to the games further development.

[@dualbasilisk]

I think this is a really good change for the direction of the game! I'm super excited to see this project advance in the future! I think it would be a good idea to have the first level be mostly or completely underwater to get the player used to the gameplay, then the second level would add in above water terrain

[@kn1ighttt]

Good movement is an essential element of any great game. It not only makes the game more immersive, but also more enjoyable to play. When movement feels fluid and responsive, it allows players to feel more in control and engaged with the game world. It also allows for more dynamic and exciting gameplay, as players can move around more freely and creatively. Additionally, good movement can add an extra layer of challenge and skill to the game, as players learn to master the movements and use them in more advanced ways. Whether it's running, jumping, or flying, good movement is what makes games fun and keeps players coming back for more.

[@Genericis3614]

Loving the direction that this game is going in. One small thing I thought of after noticing that you can block a projectile by shooting it is the idea that crit shots could not only break the enemy bullet but would persist and continue moving. (But it would probably only work for one bullet pass-through) It would create this cool scenario of an enemy shooting at you only to have the player's arrow split through it and hit the enemy. Maybe it'd even be an achievement for killing an enemy that way.

[@ChaosCobra]

Hi, this is the 1st vid I've seen on your channel. I think the video is really well done and I like a lot of your clever design ideas for the game showed in this video, keep it up, I'm excited where this will go. You also seem to have a great taste in video games :) Here's also one idea for an enemy type which I think could be interesting: This one could have quite high hp and only moves around on a fixed path on the waters surface and only damages the player when they come into contact. The player could then decide if he tries to take them out or live with a more challenging way in and out of the water areas. Greetings from Germany

[@radiantprism1334]

Love the game idea. When opening the inventory you could have the player stand out from the background to better show that the middle slots are for the player. Could be done by darkening everything but the player, and maybe even expand the player a little. The player could also follow the cursor around while in the inventory, which could make the inventory feel more alive. I don't know if I explained this good enough, but I hope you like the idea.

[@timberdev]

I would love to do that but I think this will be really difficult to actually implement. It's not my priority right now but I will try to do it. Thanks :D

[@buggyspeaks7349]

These movement mechanics look really satisfying! My only suggestion would be to add white pixels of foam around the outside of the water because it’s sort of hard to see the water against the dark background

[@JaredWyns]

This looks like a really cool project, I love your colour palette; I'd buy it for that alone lol. The water movement part is similar to an old project I worked on that had me learning quaternions for the aiming/player movement bit.. the physics based movement is indeed super fun :D A few ideas for potential additions: - When the player hits the water, there should be some sort of splash/particle effect indicating entry, possibly a sploosh-like sound effect (just not annoying or overly loud for your own sanity) - The bushes/grass on the land areas seem pretty cool, perhaps there could be a moss-like similar one for underwater or a pickup of sorts? For some reason glowing moss comes to mind - When the player bounces off a wall or hard object, if possible it might be neat to give it a tiny bit of squash & stretch to give the character more personality. I see the body as the white portion and the black as an eye, but it's a bit rigid. Likewise, if there's like a boss enemy or something for the first time you might have an animation that shows a shiver racing through the player (like an audio waveform, if that makes sense) and similar types of character-oriented movement. The more you add, the more people can connect with the player which can push it past just being a roguelike. - Please have it run on SteamDeck, as I feel this would be really, really fun on the go - If you add a 3-layer parallax background, it will give the game a *lot* more depth, especially if the setting was like a cave. As reference, Insanely Twisted Shadow Planet has some good examples for something in a similar visual style to your game. Some people in comments seem to have mentioned wanting the colours to stand out more, although I think the palette itself is rather great. Perhaps add a couple of mechanics to address this: -- 1. A lighting system. Dynamic lighting where the player illuminates the surroundings could add a lot of gameplay elements to this, especially if you had lanterns or something similar in various areas, maybe something organic for underwater? Not sure, but an idea. I'm envisioning the player emitting their own light/glow and having to move around to make sure nothing spooky is lurking around the corner. Might be a bit harder for the above-water levels I suppose. There are a few games out there that employ a similar system but I've not personally seen it on this type before -- 2. If lighting is added, then it might make sense to add some specular highlights to the edges of the level bounds. I want to say some of the variations in colour in something like Hyper Light Drifter could be referenced, but I may be overthinking this part. With a parallax background of a slightly lighter colour it wouldn't matter as the movement would clearly define the bounds to the player. - Environmental effects/items and stuff unrelated to gameplay but adding to atmosphere could be fun as well. e.g. little bugs, tiny blade-like grass, small rocks falling when entering this or that area, destructible obstacles between certain zones that need to be broken to get past. A game that employs a lot of this type of stuff would be PixelJunk Eden, different art style/mechanics, but may be useful reference. If you want to get fancy, maybe add a setting to make it optional for players who prefer a pure minimalist experience Overall, fantastic progress on this. I know burnout's a thing so don't over-do it, but I'm looking forward to seeing more of this in the future! :D

[@jayd777]

I'm loving this devlog, it's great to see your thought process! Please keep it up, and thanks for sharing!

[@jobobminer8843]

That game looks awesome. I love the intentional work that goes into your game design. Since you asked, here are few suggestions for enemies An enemy that takes extra knockback but can be moved by other enemies. Hitting it can make it go flying and crash into other enemies (dealing damage) while enemies might knock it back at you. This could also just be a movable terrain piece. I'm also thinking that it might explode at dramatic moments like taking a bunch of damage or flying a long distance before hitting an enemies. This would add an additional skill ceiling in effectively using the enemies to boost your damage output (To help the player notice the enemies exploding when knocked a long distance, you could make them change color as they fly through the air so you can see it getting ready to explode when it travels a long way.) Another idea I have is an enemy that recontextualizes the terrain. Perhaps it leaves a temporary trail of water/physical objects meaning that the terrain itself changes while you fight it and it might have utility beyond simply killing it. Final idea: an enemy that encourages you to use the fast and aggressive movement you showed in the video. Having a fun movement based game is only good if the game rewards effectively using the movement. An example of an enemy that encourages this is an enemy with dangerous charge-up attacks that can be cancelled with damage. This will encourage players to rush down these foes which will require them to move quickly and accurately. Hope this give you some ideas and I look forward to the next video

[@ДенисМалышок]

I need to say that i admire what you did. This is amazing. The thoughts I came up with are: I would limit the amount of double jumps and dashes in a time I would add some passive unique perks each run, which will add/change some basic mechanics (like availability to breath under water, or reduce your damage under water, or vice-versa), and their synergy/combinations

[@ДенисМалышок]

If you need any help with anything just let me know. I am a frontend developer, but I would like to learn game dev things.

[@lenunderbrink]

Well done, this really is a good change! Opens up a whole different layer of movement while also keeping the old one. And man your inventory system does not only look amazing and simplistic, it also seems to be very functional. I love the idea if having to weaken oneself in order to be able to be rewarded!

[@runrajrun]

The UI looks really clean! I'd love to see an enemy type which has critical points that you need to hit which detatch that part of it - I'd imagine that being quite satisfying!

[@thepizzaman6310]

Idea for an enemy, an enemy with a shield on the front that blocks arrows, but turns slowly, meaning you can use your movement abilities to get behind it and shoot it. I have no idea what I just stumbled into, but this looks awesome! Can't wait to see where the game goes next.

[@elitefusion750]

Ahhh, I'm so happy to see your see devlog. It's understandable that you couldn't work on your game for a while but the break you took helped out in someway.

[@nocapsbb]

such a great video! can't wait to go back and watch the previous devlogs

[@halfbakedc00kie]

This is a massive improvement. Your game now looks fun and unique. The negative buff fragments also strike me as a great idea. Accept a handicap to redeem it for a reward later. I like it.

[@pladselsker8340]

I also have this problem where I start a project, but even though I want it to work, I have no motivation to work on it. For me, it feels like the efforts that I have to put in are not worth the results, which can lead to a couple of months break, after which I start feeling like workng on it again. I wish I could just "be motivated", but that's not how it works. I wish I had more control over my motivation. Anyways, just wanted to show some appreciation for such a cool project. Devlogs like these are super cool and you're so cool lol. I'm glad for you that you're back working on it 👍

[@theeddieshow1339]

I just discovered your channel through this video. Love the overall style of the game! Can’t wait to see how it continues to develop.

[@Giviniti]

Glad to see that you're back! I do hope you feel better working on your project again since that's a very common feeling with all of us that work with creative related things and eventually the burnout gets the best out of us. The lack on motivation that we don't know exactly from where it comes from sometimes. I've been watching you since the beginning of this project and it has been a inspiring journey. It's very fun to see you work and your decision process as you also allow us to give ideas and feedback that affect the game directly. Seeing your work has been such a inspiration to me. Every time I watch your content, I feel inspired to work on my projects again. It's like working on them with a friend! I felt pretty lonely while working on my projects since game developing isn't attractive where I am and the market isn't as big here (I'm from Brazil). I don't feel as lonely anymore now that I managed to get a job in the industry and they have been so welcoming and inspiring as well. I've always been someone who feels best around people who are working together to achieve the same goal, so for me it was always nice to see people that think alike working on their own projects, like you! So, thanks! Hope this message inspire you to keep going! I really appreciate you and your work! And also now that I know, I'll join the discord server 🦀

[@MrMeszaros]

I like this environment more - also the movement makes it really interesting. I have three* enemy ideas: 1. A crab -- it can only move on rocks and shoot towards You. 2. sort of a jumping spider -- (also restricted to rocks) they launch themselves towards You and can hit You with their spiky shell. 3. a spike glider -- (air only) has a minimum turning radius, but is faster than You (or maybe has a dash?) * There can be variations on these - like a trapping spider that hangs from the bottom of rocks and tries to shoot rope/web to incapacitate you then draw in to meelee damage. BUT You can break free from the web and it has a cooldown.

[@membrane.1017]

You should make a crocodile/alligator type enemy that only walks on land, but it also has a dash attack

[@randomdude1671]

yo I just discovered this game and it looks sick I love the art style and the fragment system sounds super cool

[@jeremiestern]

Suggestion : the same way obelisks cast a white light which creates really interesting shadows behind walls, it would be interesting and make sense that the player would cast a constant light green shadow, creating the same shadow effet. You could even make the light brighter when some special action is executed. Keep it going, I love these episodes

[@RoundishCircle]

A simple change you could make is to change the amount of flames the character is shooting out depending on the damage taken

[@ze_darku_magician5504]

This looks really cool! I feel like the grappling hook idea could definitly work now and it'd probably be a lot of fun.

[@splinct]

I dont know why youtube recommended this but it was the right choice, just subbed, and the game looks amazing and sounds reallyfun to play with the artifacts and stuff, if you continue developing this I would definitely want either play or playtest it

[@baksoBoy]

Holy shit this game's artstyle looks absolutely amazing! I LOVE the geometric, solid color style incredibly much!

[@joelbarr1163]

Grappling hooks are always fun. I was imagining the character swinging around some of the objects to get from one pool to another

[@guilhermeborges7165]

i just found this game and the artwork+gameplay got me excited to play it, such a cool concept

[@evandrofilipe1526]

0:13 ah yes extremely relaxing.

[@viseph2476]

As a first-time viewer, this looks fun as hell ngl. You might've already thought of it, but a "tank" type enemy that holds out a shield so you have to either hit them a few times to break the shield, or maneuver and try to hit them from behind could be a fun addition to the enemy types.

[@Zurenza]

First, I love the overall design. Having been trying to get started on my own game as well this is a great insight. Second, an interesting enemy would be one that can Burrow through terrain and acts like a sort of Guided Missile once it spots the player. It moves faster than other enemies but can only attack you by ramming itself into you. You could also have these enemies spawn from a "Hive" where multiple spawn at once and the player has to attack the hive and destroy it so they don't keep spawning.

[@travisc8406]

This is so awesome! Good Movement in games is a must for me. I don't know if this is the game's focus, but a grapple and a low-damage knockback ability would be great for setting up combos with your bow. Using this knockback ability, you could also allow debuffs to be placed on the enemy, such as armor piercing/vulnerability. This game and its art style are very unique and extraordinary!

[@puffyhowler615]

I think an interesting mechanic to add would be some sort of overcharge system with the stamina/energy. Basic idea is if you pick up energy while already at full, you get some sort of small speed boost or shorter dash cooldown/infinite dashes for a very short time. I think this could encourage players to not just hover near 0 energy the whole game, and reward players who use energy specifically when needed. I also think it pairs well "thematically" with the timing-based crit window for the arrow. However, if it doesn't fit well as an inbuilt game mechanic, it could also work well as a fragment. Not sure what the arrow part of the fragment would do, but I think something about cooldowns or rewarding careful gameplay would fit.

[@jinnans_gd]

In most games, the "bow and arrow" concept always gets eventually replaced with just the "arrow". I think it'd be very cool if you could apply fragments to either the player, the arrow OR the bow itself. Allow me to put swiftness as an example: *On player:* Makes you move faster *On arrow:* Makes the proyectile travel faster *On bow:* Makes the time to fully charge an arrow shorter I think it's a cool idea that truly emphasizes what "bow and arrow" truly means, all while adding depth to the decision making. and the game looks awesome so far!!!!! keep it up, im loving the series :)

[@tigerath4789]

This is the first I'm seeing of your game, and it looks really cool! Maybe you could have an enemy with a shield that rotates slowly? This would force you to use the movement mechanics to get behind the enemy and shoot it quickly before it turns to face you again. It might also protect enemies behind it in certain situations

[@Josh-99]

The game is looking good! Also, don't feel bad about taking a break. My very best D&D long-form adventure benefited GREATLY from a 6-month hiatus from D&D altogether when the pandemic hit. Not only did it let me clear my mind of stale TTRPG tropes, it let me experience some great computer RPGs that I didn't have time to play with all the D&D DM'ing I was doing; those experiences showed me places where my adventure could be improved, and helped me push to finish Act 4 and get it into playtesting with my regular group. Breaks can be very powerful and beneficial to creative endeavors.

[@ChristopherCricketWallace]

THANK YOU for talking about your motivation. It's nice to hear that you can do good work; but still lose motivation for a while.

[@derpykarpyalt]

Hey TimBer! I've finished watching your playlist rn and I had some ideas: -an enemy or boss that could throw other enemies at you. -a water enemy that pulls you down into deep waters and starts dealing great damage -a fragment that increases crit damage/reliability -a fragment that increases dash power That's all for now, I'll see if I can come up with more stuff. Thanks!

[@cesar3rocks783]

It reminds me of the world 2 in lover in a dangerous spacetime, you could add an enemy that places mines that stick around but only on water. This makes so that the area were you have more control is more dangerous forcing you out of your confort zone

[@LanceBerylDev]

Very entertaining mechanical concept so far, subscribed! Seeing as you're asking for enemy ideas: I think a fun enemy type could be something similar to the jellyfish in action ..but not immediately hostile to the player, and spawning in small groups. If one of them is shot by the player, the others within a small range will begin to swim toward / shoot missles at the player. Players for this reason may simply avoid interaction with the enemy if spawned only in that context, but consider how these enemies could affect the gameplay if they spawned near or in the path of standard hostile enemies; ..now the player is put in a position where must decide whether to make careful shots, maybe approaching from another angle to avoid striking the neutral enemies, or expending an explosive (finite) to clear the cluster to avoid a potentially harrowing situation.

[@Skeffles]

Great to see you come back to this project!

[@beckhamjenkins4798]

I love the debuff for later reward idea, reminds me of pelts from inscription which are really fun

[@Tiloy_]

Loving the game so far! one small feature i would add to give an extra level of movement is a teleport major just the ability to teleport to your last shot arrow while it is traveling would add a lot of fun

[@cbofinah]

Great video! You could make the water wavy as if it’s been held there by another gravity source. You could also make a splashing effect when the character enters the water.

[@boydhamilton6023]

Game looks really dope. Love the look and you’ve done a great job with game feel! Amazing job

[@ground7287]

Wow this is actually really cool foundation. Im sure with developed level design and interesting set of bosses, this is something i would play!

[@leonzen2958]

Something that I always find fun in a video-game is a parry mechanic. And since I saw TimBer comment about not wanting a generic grappling hook for an ability. What if, during a successful parry, the character does a counter attack that causes it to flash to the enemy. Which makes the player decide whether they want to counter attack and close the distance for a good payoff, or play defensively and keep shooting from a distance.

[@andromidous]

I think it would be nice to see a summary of all the player's stats. Being able to look at the tooltips is nice, but I think being able to also see the total stats of all your fragments would help convey the effects fragments have on the player overall.

[@t3mp118]

I think a great idea for an enemy would be one that teleports sorta close to you, gives you some time to react, and charges at you at speed that makes it hard to dodge. It rewards quick thinking, reaction time, and caution

[@RomanQrr]

This is really cool. I can definitely see myself playing this like Vampire Survivor already. The new level design might be better for gameplay, but it's not clear from just looking at the game that it's a sideways perspective. You might've explained what the goal of the game is in other vlogs, but it wasn't clear in this one. But really, this is huge. I know from experience that it takes a ton of coding to make this. It's really impressive!

[@battlecraftsteve8574]

I am about to take my first step in game design. This video is very inspiring to me. Also enemy ideas. The spider when it see the player. It will create a grid of temporary destructible island around itself that hinder the player for it to shoot at you. the player can shoot the temporary island or bump into it to destroy it. (affect by gravity but doesn't affect by gravity after it do it web/grid thing until its web doesn't exist.) The Angler fish, it will shoot a projectile that can may or may not damages you (I have no idea if it will be Op to play against.) the projectile will teleport the fish to the projectile to attack and pressure you until you out of a certain range. Then it will shoot the projectile again. The player can kill it by shooting the projectile also.

[@vrage98]

Awesome work here. Thinking about the graphic style, could be interesting if the shape of each enemy is what gave them their individual unique movement. An arrowhead sprints forward, the flat head jellyfish move smoothly and quick left and right, etc giving each shape more purpose.

[@omaryasser2727]

yo it looks amazing from the first site. you can add a special kind of terrain which needs a power up to behave with, something like making it be pulled by gravity to damage a group of enemies or make it draggable like a mace (with a chain) keep up the great work!

[@g-han5565]

Dude... That game look absolutely beautiful! Please, keep on doing what you are doing. I've started to make my own indie rouge-like game and our games look so similar. But your artwork looks definetely better. The enemies, environment, UI all looks so clean and the colors of them fits so well. Just subscribed to your channel and will wishlist your game when it's announced. Ah... I really want to praise your game for pages. But there's no place that can hold this much words. I don't know if this words will motivate you but please keep going...

[@Aburner1109]

Edit: whoops! Hadn't seen any of the previous devlogs, so I'm suggesting a mechanic already in the game. having arrows that pierce through and hit multiple enemies could encourage the player to engage with the movement system a little more, as they'll have to focus on their positioning. Also, hitting three enemies with one shot always feels sick.

[@Bluedinoaur]

Just found your channel a few minutes ago and I already love it! For the new exploding enemy, maybe it could be based off of a pufferfish? It could throw spikes to make it another projectile to avoid, I also think it would be really cool if the push could be timed just right and used as an offensive sheild! I also love the almost origami look to the game, it's very original and pleasing

[@soupisgudd]

That's awesome! I thought of another cool way to make some combat and movement more engaging, is to make some sort of melee ability. Or have a way to deflect incoming projectiles back the the sender. Just a thought, and you could even have the bow function as the melee.

[@wazaDev]

Enemy idea, electric eel that deals damage to you when in water. Also the fragment rework is cool, not sure how this will fit into your overall plans but a durability system in fragments where each time you swap them they lose some durability on them

[@CanaDan]

i like the risk vs reward fragments idea. lots of games employ this kinda idea, simply because it works

[@kulep3135]

Ideas (First time seeing this channel, no idea what u actually have) : Maybe an Angler Fish but its light is a power source for a shield around its body, can takes 1-2 hits before it depletes. Swordfish- Dashing/Charing Shark - Same thing as Swordfish but with 3 remora(those small fish that follow it) Since the enviornment has changed to patches of water bubbles, maybe an enemy that electricutes the whole bubble. Massive Enemy that sucks all the water nearby and creates a patch of water centered around it. Turtle?, Periodically shields itself by pointing its back at you, any arrows that hit the shell are fired back. Flying Fish, idk Maybe an underwater mine Bat enemy? A directional flow of water, you could fling yourself out of it with high momentum Kraken-esque mob. Love the whole aesthetic of the game, good luck trying to maintain motivation.

[@slBrelaz]

Looks absolutely great! Love the change in perspective and new gameplay mechanics! If I may throw an idea your way, I'd like to see a large air enemy that's quite tanky but if you manage to manoeuvre it into water (e.g with your arrow knockback) it becomes very slow and takes bonus damage.

[@ivanmoren3643]

Wow the idea of mixed inventory and equipment is great, makes for great mission/sidequest ideas. Switching things around mid play might enable really boring play optimizations, I'd suggest exploring keeping the game running while rearranging (requiring finding a safe space or quickness to do so) and maybe some other layer that enables switching some fragments with each other by holding the L/R (index fingers on a game controller) buttons). Something like the egg throw in ye olde Yoshis Island. That could enable players to make their own dual state playstyles, and give you another item in tge game to find/buy couple with drawbacks.

[@YIIP9]

one note on communication around fragments, Saying health or another stat is cool but it requires you telling us/the player the context of what each one applies too. A UI that uses an arrow or player icon for both options maybe a nice way of passively explaining the mechanic. Super awesome updates love the new 2D perspective

[@YIIP9]

One more suggestion: Make the water still have gravity but make it very slow.. This way you can move freely but there is a subtle force sinking you (just like water lol)

[@Saroniss]

This is looking really good. The only thing I would add is to maybe make it a little more obvious when an enemy has noticed/targetting you? There's no warning other than the bullets being fired, it'd be cool if they started glowing a different color or a screen indicator appeared.

[@finlaymcmahon1016]

I had a thought for the movement, it might be nice to build up speed and momentum while darting around the level, you could also use this with a grappling hook(I saw another comment mention one) and swing around objects. But this looks great, the determination you have to carry on working on it is very very admirable and the art & design is beautiful:)