I tried adding 10 YouTube comments to my game

WISHLIST MY SOLO INDIE GAME! store.steampowered.com/app/23...
KZbin comments have a lot of ideas for my cave diving game. But are they any good? I guess we are going to find out.
Developed with the assistance of Screen Queensland.
Stock Media provided by Novamusic / Pond5
0:00 - Intro
0:37 - Silt
3:38 - Spin me right round
4:50 - Please stop the spinning
6:13 - The Squeeze
11:00 - Tears of the O2 Meter
12:30 - Extra Tanks
15:41 - Speed it up
16:51 - MULITPLAYER?!
17:36 - Make it Darker
18:28 - Montage
19:47 - What is it all for
#gamedev #development #devlog #indiegame #montage

[@UltimanteTheCool]

I love how he has google searches for whatever he is searching in the background

[@997gon]

jes

[@gatobinario8644]

Browser*

[@aeea3306]

​@@gatobinario8644unless it's Firefox it's the same rhing

[@ashduwitt9899]

I know it just shows his attention to detail in all things he does 😂

[@inkkles]

what even is silt

[@tristangarrett74]

The one thing that I feel like is missing from this sort of environment is some kind of vegetation or plant. Maybe a purpose for it can spawn in large amounts and almost act like a coral reef or something that's home to the enemies so they spawn way more there (Or even spawns certain type of enemies), but also spawns really good loot. It could almost work as pseudo dungeon

[@tristangarrett74]

Also, this just looks really cool and inventive, great job!

[@Littlehughman]

this is a cool idea i hope he adds it

[@NN-cr6gx]

Remember that in real diving, you can get stuck on vegetation, so maybe you can entangle yourself (it could add to a panic meter) and it should slow down your movement.

[@the_multus]

I'd say, that it would be cool to make it into a hiding spot for the diver. It seems to me, that the game lacks a bit of suspense, and the need to hide might solve that.

[@TanmaiKhanna]

Adding non enemy creatures: I've seen lots of ideas for enemy creatures but it could be nice to have some creatures that are just there. - Seen from the corner of your eye it could seem like an enemy, which would add tension to it. Especially as later you wouldn't know if it is a friendly or an unfriendly creature. - Really calmly swimming creatures that mind their own business adds a calm dynamism to the game and makes it less eerie. But since eeriness can be a plus, maybe the number of creatures could go down as depth increases. The sounds of these creatures swimming near the surface can be contrasted with the silence at lower and lower depths. - Some creatures can even just be friendly and follow you around for a bit while you do your thing. - Some may not be enemies but can inadvertently bite the ropes with which you're holding the elements which would cause mild annoyance and amusement haha. There's probably a lot more that can be done with these, which would help make the game a lot more alive.

[@komaeda_juice4983]

the following around idea sounds really cute

[@TotallyAccurateCodingSimulator]

totally agree with your suggestions, hope he'll see them and add it to the game.

[@art-eroflore]

Love the idea of little creatures that can cut ropes, maybe they could be like little crabs and snip them with claws. Calm little creatures on the surface would be really sweet to add to the chill vibes near the surface too!

[@tultrapfighter]

schools of fish that rush away as you get near

[@PROTOTYPE0]

Just like the panicking scientists in Jetpack Joyride

[@wirecyte5685]

What would make the game even more immersive is if the deeper you go, the less colors can reach down. in real life, some colors of light cannot reach certain depths which is why things that are a red color on the surface appear more green on the sea floor

[@SmolBloof]

Would love to see that. It's always the little details that deepen immersion.

[@the_multus]

It only works with the sunlight, since the flashlight doesn't have to penetrate through the water column.

[@Scurration]

For the turning mode, I think what makes it so nauseous is the fact that it turns REALLY FAST, it's smooth, but too fast. Maybe the camera should turn way slower, making it so that the camera is normal at the surface and when the player starts going down, the more underwater he is, the more the camera will have turned by itself. Kinda like IRL, divers know when they go down, but after a while it may be more complicated to know where is up and down

[@raininglaser5695]

I feel like it could be cool if there was some sort of soft/hard cap on how fast the turning goes that is dependent on either the depth that the diver is at, or the amount of light that is in the general vicinity. I feel like the more light there is, the harder it would be to be spun around, so if they make it so that it spins less when there is more light then it could make more sense.

[@lukemuscat]

Yeah I did spend a while trying different speed turns. When its slow it becomes difficult because your eye focuses on where you intend to head towards, and that slowly drifts around the screen, so it's almost like a different brand of nausea! I also previously had a version where the rotation would just "drift" out of whack if it was sufficiently dark on screen, but that still made me feel uneasy. Could just be that I fall into the sensitive category for motion sickness?

[@Scurration]

@@lukemuscat Huh, maybe you could try each of those camera-turning methods with the beta testers to see if they like any of them, or if each one is just blegh. Or perhaps change the camera rotation but not the direction of the player, but that solution would only work with some kind of "mouse/controller cursor", like the rounded cursor in Getting Over It to move the hammer around, or the one in Glowfish to give an example with this kind of underwater 2D gameplay, but since the game is keyboard based that wouldn't work very-well x)

[@JeromeMillion]

​@@Scurrationi've tried games where the camera would turn like this and get sick right away. A lot of people suffer from mild to severe motion sickness and this would be the perfect trigger. So it's definitely interesting but best left out of this game.

[@Scurration]

@@JeromeMillion Yah I see, I was thinking more like a rotation that the player wouldn't even "feel" (like moving very slightly over time), but perhaps it ain't a good idea in the end x) Also, rpz la france!!

[@itzcruel4857]

Some suggestions because why not at this point: - Silt is a really cool idea, but it being a simple fog overlay over a pitch black screen lacks dynamism in my opinion; instead, maybe dimming down the brightness of the screen and increasing the overlay's transparency could result in a more interesting gameplay (it also allows the player to see at least a little bit) - I feel like the guideline could be more curvy: if I understand correctly, it's meant to be a rope with which you can direct yourself to key areas, so it would be odd for it to be so janky and sharp-cornered rather than softly twisting - this could also reflect the calmness of the atmosphere and contrast the tension of the gameplay - Similarly, maybe guidelines could drift??? like they would move around slowly in the water so that if you leave them for long enough they could end up leading you in the wrong direction - Not really a feature but more like a gimmick, how about making the head torch flicker from time to time? (I think that if it was a full on feature, then there would be too much complication with having to periodically check or recharge the batteries, though that's honestly up to you to decide) - Finally perhaps adding some underwater life would, well, bring some life to the game ._. right now it kind of feels like a bare and empty cave, but there's quite a lot of small things that could be added, like general seaweed or similar aquatic plants, luminescent plants (would look amazing to be fair) and maybe even whole sections of the cave that would be filled with overgrown plants, which could either reduce your speed or field of vision, or both

[@trilobite3120]

It looks like there is already seaweed (which there shouldn't be because of how little sunlight there is) but more life is a good idea. I personally want something like one of those blind cave fish or maybe even my beloved olm to make it in.

[@MainGotDele]

danggg

[@iHaveNoLife226]

I like everything in this but a little opposed to the silt suggestions. Keeping it dark and allowing less light is what makes silt so scary, if it's brighter and more transparent then it's less intense. Overall, I like your suggestions

[@thedisappointment7323]

I think that the silt part he should add the shadow of the character and the walls you touch to navigate where you are, because it would be kinda annoying to trying to escape the silt and then got stuck with the fog in front of the screen

[@NN-cr6gx]

@@trilobite3120 Maybe sponges or algae that feeds of sulfur geysers

[@lukemuscat]

Update 4: All 500 playtest slots have now been released. I'll be releasing more playtests in the future when I have some new major features that need testing! Thanks :)

[@2wen98]

i'd be happy to help!

[@malcolmkoharian]

how do you get invites?

[@m0m3nt45]

​​@@malcolmkoharianon steam I'm pretty sure. There's a link in description

[@Wonone-Wontwo]

damn you got my hopes up for multiplayer... if you do add it maybe you can add a knockout mechanic, say your friend runs out of o2 and passes out deep in the cave then you have too go find and tow them back too the surface too revive them

[@tammyd3081]

After the games finished and released will the game be open to everyone and how much will it cost?

[@galdoug8918]

When you are on your last section of oxygen, the timer for it to run out could be slightly longer than the other sections, to increase that feeling of just making it in time.

[@hamsterfish2132]

I feel like different biomes with different challenges could help bring variety to exploration

[@oshiul4u]

That'd help memorizing where you are in the game. Kinda neat

[@squish_nerd]

YES

[@ThePhoenixSlayer]

Idea for the Squeeze mechanic and how to get any gold and stuff out, maybe the larger channel connected to the main cave is blocked by some kind of wreck, that can only be pushed open from the inside. Thus forcing the player to do the Squeeze to get to the loot, but to get out you can go through a normally sized channel.

[@gattos_]

Was going to suggest the same thing. That way not being able to drag big objects through the squeeze bbecomes a risk/reward mechanic: at the other side of the squeeze there is a lot of goodies, but you can't enter it if you're already dragging a lot of stuff, so you have to plan your path in a dive accordingly.

[@DBCSG]

​@@gattos_Or maybe the exit is a bubble Column that the player can only exit from the inside

[@sethrankada]

My suggestion is to enhance the immersion by incorporating 'Sound!' features such as echos, echolocation, directional audio, ambiance, and the ability to identify enemies through their noises. These additions may not be immediately noticeable, but they greatly contribute to the overall experience in other games I've tried. It would be impressive if, for instance, players could determine that a specific cave is a dead end by gauging the amount of reverb in the music coming from that direction. Another idea I found intriguing is to introduce beacons emitting steady pulses of sound at a specific frequency, enabling players to navigate based on how the pitch and frequency are affected by the terrain. It could be fascinating to have enemies that react to sound as well. Some may be attracted or repelled by the sound of the beacons or even the sound of your oxygen tank. Additionally, I thought of incorporating bubbles and currents into the gameplay. While implementing these features would pose significant challenges, they could have a profound impact on the game experience. Ultimately, it's up to you to decide whether they are feasible. I must say, I'm thoroughly impressed with your progress so far. You're doing an outstanding job!

[@drewpowell409]

I think the camera rotating with the player helps create the eerie lost atmosphere you get from real cave diving. In order to find your way up you could add a bubble effect from the diver that always goes up

[@kimyona9746]

I feel like just make it a game mode. Call it "Realisticish Mode" and you can add more "realistic" features for the memes.

[@spaceowl5957]

Maybe it would't be as nauseating if the camera turned very slowly in the direction you're swimming. So that the direction you're swimming always slowly becomes downwards on the screen. But it could take like 5 - 30 seconds for it to fully turn. And it would only turn if you're moving. Kinda like it works in 3d gta games.

[@evade_me]

I think in the tiny holes were you need to squeeze, there should be small very rare items that can fit through.

[@raininglaser5695]

Maybe have them lead to where the randomly generated pockets of air spawn? I feel like that could be a good enough reward in and of itself if it is deep enough.

[@lukemuscat]

Oh DANG having air pockets back there is a great solution.

Yeah like small rare coins and pots etc. booty stuff.

[@seanbrady9746]

Making the oxygen run out quicker through the tight areas to simulate panic? Making the full boost of air at the end a race to the finish

[@mikeferguson4084]

exactly what i was thinking

[@berrycade]

It could be interesting to add artifacts that when analyzed at the surface provide unique perks that can’t be obtained through the store. Ex: you can sense danger, when sea creatures get too close you get a warning. or Ex: you can see exactly how much O2 you have. Perhaps these artifacts could be a reward for exploring tight areas or underwater ruins.

[@ajaxdossd948]

DUES EX IT, TWO PERKS

[@DommoDommo]

I really really enjoy how you do your dev diaries. They're simple yet really engaging.

[@banditodog]

Maybe the sprint feature could be a torpedo-thing that pulls you BEHIND it!

[@plague7556]

You could possibly add a sort of enemy that latches onto you and drains oxygen until it's removed through some form, it would be found in way deeper regions of the caves. An enemy that rams into you and launches you while making your screen get blurred or go black would also be really funny but also disorienting I believe, could be a terrifying creature considering it could jump out of the dark at any moment. Maybe a sound could play as a warning for it detecting you?

[@lukemuscat]

Oh the leech style enemy is a great one. Could have some creative ways to remove it.

[@psgamer-il2pt]

​@@lukemuscatFor example, maybe silt could kill it, and it would be a sort of trade-off where you would get more oxygen, but you would lose a lot of vision

[@daskommt]

​@@lukemuscat I think being able to remove them by cramming through tight spaces and them sort of getting "rubbed off" could be fun.

[@TiagoTiagoT]

@@lukemuscat Maybe a playful octopus that pulls the air hose off your face and you gotta shake it off, with lots of bubbles coming off while it's disconnected?

[@trilobite3120]

​@@lukemuscatI think it would be cool if this were some kind of organic creature unlike the existing robotic enemy.

[@madmanmax120]

If you're going to do another video with taking viewer suggestions, I have a whole bunch! - The silt overlay should move/shift around/morph as you move around. It feels like somebody just left some dirt on the lense of whoever is watching this diver swim around. - Have some fish/other creature that you can find which will lead to you nearby treasure, kinda like the fairies from Terraria. Maybe you could even have an upgrade where you get your own personal 'Sparx' from Spyro who can point you towards treasure in a similar manner. Besides, everybody likes a cute, small thing to contrast with all the big scary stuff you're surrounded with! - To take some inspiration from Dome Keeper, you could have a timed aspect to the game, like "collect as much treasure as you can before the caves collapse" or something. That of course depends on what sort of game loop you were looking for. - If you're getting attacked/in a situation that would be deemed "panic worthy", your diver could use up more oxygen. - There isn't a minimap, but you still would have a vague idea of where the areas you've already explored would be. Perhaps similar to how maps get greyed out in RTS games when you don't have line of sight on a particular spot, you could have vague grey outlines of the caves you've explored already. For extra atmosphere, make them get blurry and fade away the longer you haven't been back there. Maybe spots that you retreat could also fade away slower as you "build up a stronger memory" of that area? - I think to counteract the people who "wanted to go faster", you could have a quick "dash/swim" ability which could use up more oxygen (and is totally not also copied from a hidden indie game that was mentioned this video). - And if things are supposed to get spooky, then you gotta get some Lovecraftian-hallucinations sprinkled in there. Funny tentacles and weird creatures at the edge of your vision that only appear briefly are a must!

[@itstom4049]

What a beautiful comment. You definitely have some good game sense

[@SharyK-_0]

Hope he sees it, great ideas

[@idioart1366]

When I saw how dark it gets I realized that I need this game it looks so cool!!! Also I think some more tension would be amazing like in a horror movie right before the jumpscare

[@theinsomniac7284]

In regards to the tight squeeze mechanic, I think that something similar to the fossil excavation or traditional lock-picking mechanic found in games like Skyrim could be interesting. Allowing the player to keep moving at their own pace while ensuring the tension of running out of oxygen, having to make slight careful movements in order to get through.

[@lukemuscat]

Yeah I think lock picking style mechanics are potentially a really good fit here!

[@stdm7964]

Love seeing the way you develop your ideas. Your open-minded approach to each idea allows for some really cool developments!

[@lukemuscat]

Thank you so much! Other than just wanting to entertain, I really am trying to (stealth) show people the design process. which I think can be misunderstood.

[@Cosmixthegoober_]

If you do another video like this maybe you can add underwater ruins/sunken ships? Also I got a lot of respect for you because game dev is hard. EDIT: maybe you could also add more customization for the diver, like being able to change the color of the suit of something

[@lukemuscat]

Currently re-writing the procedural generator to make it work with larger set pieces like ruins and sunken ships :)

[@Cosmixthegoober_]

@@lukemuscat thanks for replying!

[@Cosmixthegoober_]

@jas7256 yeah

[@friedrichhayek4862]

@@lukemuscat Maybe wave function collapse

[@berrycade]

@@lukemuscat If your already rewriting the procedural generator to allow for larger set pieces then your could make the “squeeze sections” be structures that blend with the natural terrain

[@ifreaku]

He took the phrase "We don't fix bugs, we make it a feature" too seriously!

[@lorderu1]

Try making the tight fit areas like a maze with "fog of war". Easy to move around, but stressfull if you get lost

[@GrumbulonCeleryYT]

Perhaps adding some form of endgame that involves/explains the presence of the enemies would be pretty neat. Also great job with the game so far, it looks really fun!

[@DecoyZ]

It's probably too much work, but something I love most of all in games is terrain variation Imagine that as you went down, the type of cave it is changes Maybe there's a set of biomes you can randomly get that changes how you play A cave biome with bioluminescant plants that's much more open but maybe has more enemies as life can thrive better Or maybe a very muddy cave with chunk of the terrain able to break off and cause temporary cave ins Or what about a crystal cave, it has lots of cool loot in the form of crystals. But no chests and if you touch the walls you get cut and maybe lose oxygen. A biome with currents? I remember hearing of an underwater cave near me that had a strange area that connected to a river so it had currents underground Imagine getting swept away in such murky and dark waters Definitely too much work, but it would be really cool

[@lukemuscat]

I can just roll out another montage and all that work will be done in like 60 seconds :D But seriously I love this and it's something I am aiming to do in at least some capacity!

[@DecoyZ]

@@lukemuscat that's awesome! I look forward to seeing any ideas you bring to life! And yeah, we all know all it takes to make a game is a catchy song, a headband and some older mentor figure who stands in the background nodding or shaking their head in the montage And boom, a whole game finished

[@trilobite3120]

I personally don't like the plant idea that much. Caves have very interesting and unique life, especially underwater caves, but you won't find plants there (because of the lack of sunlight). I feel like underwater cave creatures deserve more recognition and plants would kind of distract from that. But that's just my personal taste, and it isn't a 100% realistic game so it would be fine.

[@MaxMen11]

You should add some sort of physics to the Guide Line so you have to hook it onto something to keep it away from just falling in depths.

[@dimas7204]

I can really tell your a designer. I feel like your just so good at analysing problems and solutions and why they work or don't work. You have earned so much of my respect after your previous video and I think you really deserve all the praise. Keep it up ❤

[@kayag8]

You have quickly become one of my favorite youtubers, I can see all the effort you put into these videos. Keep up the good work.

[@raininglaser5695]

I feel like an enemy that spawns occasionally in the silt would be a cool idea. It could make it so that being near silt is dangerous, even if you aren't actively touching it. Especially if this enemy would disorient you.

[@piboiindahouse5169]

I like the idea of silt mole

[@arturmntr]

I really like that you actually tried to add the best fitting suggestions to the game but only kept what worked best. Can't wait to finally try it out. For one bit of feedback though, I feel like the silt covering the entire screen, including the diver, may be a little immersion breaking, and potentially might even soft lock the player for however long the silt-out lasts. Adding a black silhouette or an outline around the diver when entering the silt could be a really simple solution as players will still be disoriented by having their surroundings obscured by the silt, but will be aware of where the diver is facing in order to find an exit.

[@arturmntr]

Also, it would be nice to have different types of silt, to mimic real life scenarios. The first would be triggered by touch, which is already in the game. The second, by getting near it. And the third would be so volatile, that even if sediment wasn't directly stirred, it would trigger a few minutes after the diver passed it. Which means that players could journey deep into the cave without a hitch, but find their route silted out on their way back (kind of like what happened to Xisco Gràcia and his diving partner in Sa Piqueta).

[@TheOrangeCuber]

bro, sprint using oxygen literally makes the most sense ever, i’m not sure if it’s best from a gameplay standpoint, but it can definitely be tested. your body uses more oxygen when exerting more energy so depleting oxygen faster when the player wants to sprint makes sense.

[@JamesThompson-zu3bq]

if you do manage to make a squeeze tunnel that feels good to play a way that I think would be interesting to connect it to the rest of the cave is to have destructible walls. You could use a meteoidvania type of thing where there's a wall that you can only break from the inside of the room after you go through the tight squeeze and that way you can easily bring back all the treasure with you.

[@YaM8Kraken]

Truly a fantastic idea. Though painful as it sounds, I think you experimenting on certain things based on the feedbacks can give you the reputational lead in terms of both being a one man army and a very attentive and reliable game dev than those in some...big multimillionaire AAA title companies.😂 The work you've done so far has stacked up so well that I'm sold! Can't wait to see other content on your channel as well sir! THANK YOU!!!😁👍

[@Potatoboii2]

Watching this gave me the idea of exertion, I think that there should be a bigger element of "Trying to balance your actions" and while there is some of that, with the limited sprint and slowing down the more stuff you carry, I'm personally not a fan of extra bars to look at, and you should be able to at least try carrying 10 lumps of gold without slowing to a halt. My idea is that the more intensive the activity you're doing, the faster your oxygen meter goes down. For example: just floating in the same spot would make it go down pretty slowly, but carrying 12 things and sprinting to the surface will make you suffocate much faster. I feel like my idea accurately represents what it'd be like having to rely on an O2 tank, because doing more stuff will make you more exhausted, if that makes sense. Either way I love this game's concept and execution, I can't wait to see it once it releases!

[@profreshinal6418]

I’m probably a bit late but here’s some ideas. - Hidden Caves! Occasionally generate unreachable caves that hold a lot of valuables, and require people to unlock a way in, like explosives that you can find around the deep. This could tease the player by making them have an extra goal to constantly have in the back of their head. - Oxygen Tank Damage! When hit by the discombobulating enemies, they could perhaps damage your oxygen tank so that backup oxygen tanks won’t allow you to survive forever down in the deep. Damage should be healed when back at the top, and damage could also be done in other ways. - Floral Plethora! I think that adding a lot of different plants with different rarities could spice and color up the deep a bit. You could also pick up some of the flora and bring them back to the surface to make a fun collectible. - Tricky (Enemies?) Adding a few things to mess up and confuse the diver like occasionally moving guidelines when they’re off your screen, or shattering glowsticks and oxygen tanks. They could be put in as enemies or just as random events, making people think on their feet adds fear and excitement! - Pressure Vaults! Spawn small safes around the top of the deep, that need to be cracked open by going a certain depth and using the pressure, this would give extra incentive to go even deeper and face scarier parts of the deep. - Tethers! Add a new item to the shop which is a tether that can anchor to any physical surface and attaches a (certain length) rope to you which follows you as you venture through the deep. Once you wish, you can attach the end of the tether to a surface and then attach items to the tether which will be tethered back to the origin point of the Tether. You can also ride on the Tether, but be careful, as the Tether can break with every object and ride, and the chance increases the lower you get.

[@starrocks_]

you can add change in fov when player is sprinting. And you can put some tasks like among us like fixing something lost in ocean and using it, it will help in multiplayer too

[@lukemuscat]

Oh the FOV change on sprint is so easy and smart. I'm going to add that for sure.

[@goooat9352]

I've played a bit of the older version of the playtest, and it was great! I of course have a couple of suggestions. 1. The current way the map generates there are a lot of straight walls and corners, which makes it easier to tell which way is one of the cardinal directions, and I don't think that would be something you want to be easier to figure out. I know you're planning on revamping the map generation later, so just keep it in mind. 2. You could have the camera slowly spin when you're under the surface. It would be less nauseating than the camera being fixed to the direction the player is facing, while still making it easier to get lost the deeper you go. These probably have already been suggested, but i hope they still help!

[@pineapple4722]

You could also make the line (that helps you find your way out) have a limited length and as it hits the max length it’s starts dragging the line with it being able to get more lost for not paying attention.

[@Dqlz]

When you sprint oxygen should deplete faster. also if u get stuck in thight spaces there should be a wiggle mode or something like that I thought of Q and E but those are already in use maybe you can change it to drop with RMB and change color if you press TAB. also when stuck maybe add something that causes the diver to go into panic mode and the player must complete some sort of puzzle to make the diver calm again and not burn oxygen too fast. these were some ideas I had might as well share it :)

[@tcoder4610]

The game looks really good! I would suggest to make it scarier by adding something like sanity. So the more "scared" the player is from the enemies, the lower the sanity. When the sanity is lower, your vision is darkened and it's pulsating (maybe when it's really low) and the screen fades to red. I think it would be a nice mechanic to add even more tension. Another suggestion is zooming to the player more in certain situations. You can make the player feel claustrophobic by zooming the camera a lot when in a small passage. This way, you won't have to reinvent the wheel and no changes would be required to the world generation system (maybe). You can also make the camera come closer and closer to the player when running out of oxygen, improving the tension even further. That way, the player will panic more since they can see less from the world around them and it would be more stressful to navigate back to the surface.

[@acobaltstar4665]

Give this some likes its a really nice idea

[@acobaltstar4665]

I know this is going to be a success! Especially as a Mobile Game . But can u make it like a seperate goal in the game where there is a randomly spawned "Anchor" or "Ancient Trident" in a very deep part, so not only is it a game for finding things, but it also works as kind of like a maze

[@amirsaid]

Some suggestions : 1-Skill tree or character progression: a skill tree or character progression system that allows players to customize their playstyle. Let them unlock new abilities, passive bonuses, or specialized skills as they progress through the game. 2-Random events: random events that can either help or hinder players during their dives. For instance, a sudden storm could create treacherous currents or unveil a hidden treasure trove. 3- Varied Enemy Types:* Populate the underwater caves with different types of creatures and enemies. Some enemies can be aggressive, while others may have specific behaviors or weaknesses. This diversity keeps players on their toes and encourages strategic decision-making. 4-Dynamic Day/Night Cycle: Implement a day/night cycle that affects gameplay. Some creatures or treasures may only appear during specific times, and the player's visibility and navigation could be affected by the darkness of the night. 5-Underwater Volcanoes: Create underwater volcanic zones with erupting geysers, lava flows, and unique geological formations. These zones can offer both risks and rewards, with valuable resources found near the volcanic activity but also heightened danger and environmental hazards.

[@rickycky1332]

I think that for the narrow tunnels, you could make it so that once you've passed the tunnel, you can explode a breakable wall with TNT or dynamite to make it easier to explore, so that it opens up a new passage for a zone.

[@Tay10rd]

Cant wait for: Feed the Deep Together!

[@artourito]

I have a few ideas : first, a rope attached to a little floating platform that u can tie (with limited lenght ) to a surface underwater, and then put items on it so it gets pulled to the surface, like some sort of way to get inventory emptied faster to make the physical objects mechanic less of a penalty. It would be expensive to help more experienced divers ( that went deeper in the exploration) and that can afford it. Then, some biome variety with underground volcanos, kelp forests and ruins. Amongst those ruins could be a portal that gets you somewhere else on the map, way deeper or just to somewhere u can fight a mini boss. That leads to my 3rd idea, a fight progression system where the deeper u get, the closer you get to the big fish, final boss, going through multiple mini boss (or not ) that give you power ups to kill the boss. Killing the final boss wouldnt be the end, but would unlock something the player would really desire like a second shop for automated ressource gathering, or a teleportation ring ( would need serious nerf to not be game breaking) etc... This way, it isnt necessary to go for the monster hunting way, but a nice alternative to the "dive find buy" cycle for advanced players that know the game well. It would also make exploring deeper more challenging, and bring a whole another level of choice making. (I liked ur ui btw 😔)

[@W0terB0tle]

An idea for the smaller cave tunnels would be having them be quicker ways to lead to areas with big main tunnels. That way they can be used to quickly get somewhere at the start but still allowing for the player to take a bunch of items through main tunnel.

[@eboatwright_]

This looks amazing! I love the physical item approach

[@Elitempesta]

For the tight parts where you need to squeeze, to bring stuff through it you could make a shop upgrade that makes items you pick up attach one to another, so basically you get an item and it attaches to you, then you get a second one and instead of attaching to you it attaches to the first item, and then the third one to the second until you reach the limit and the next item you pick up gets attached to you again, this way they could fit it smaller tunnels being like a chain

[@Flamsleburger]

I feel like it would be cool to add a monster that acts similar to an angler fish. It's light on it's head can maybe look like something valuable like gold, or another item or currency. It could look blurry from far away, so you'd have to decide whether or not you really think it's gold or something else valuable. I feel like that would be something cool to add, which also makes there more variety between the monsters.

[@SurprisinglySalty]

He needs to see this, sounds like a cool idea!

[@Flamsleburger]

@@SurprisinglySalty Thanks!

[@exxe2454]

BUG! TODD SAYS "FEATURE!" AH MAKES PERFECT SENSE.

[@Chorutowo]

Idea: There should an enemy that exists in the world like a trap, where its nothing at first until the player interacts with it, or go over it. Something like a crab, or eel that hides but is barley visible. Hopefully It'll keep the player on the lookout at all times and feel like the world is more alive. Maybe when you alert it will drain your oxygen, or kick off your mask. I've dived before and having your mask be kicked off is really terrifying, maybe it will cloud most of your vision and you'll have to scramble to spot it or a light. One more thing, I dont see sound utilized that much! As you get deeper it gets less ambient, but all the sounds get individually louder. Maybe a mob that reverses your sound inputs could be another disorientating thing!

[@isacg799]

you should add more details on the map like other dead divers and random junk. adds more to the experience. The game looks great!

[@SeanStClair-cr9jl]

So awesome to see your process, it really feels like you're a real artist developing your craft, the way you're committing to this sketch and being both so cognizant and also almost "detached" from it. (As in, of course you are committed and interested in this project, but that hasn't prevented you from being very destructive and dynamic with it as well, which I'm sure in all your experience is crucial to actually turning whatever you've started with into something REALLY good, something that actually resonates with you and other players). When you mentioned Jetpack Joyride again (and oh, how can I forget Fruit Ninja? how can you forget it! haha.) I consider how... arbitrary? In a way, that game was. I mean, there's nothing inherently obvious about a jetpack or any of the mechanics you've implemented. And I'm saying this not to dis it, but to like, kind of shake myself into realizing - oh YEAH!! There was nothing "obvious" about these design choices, and yet they WERE so thoughtful, so considerate, that the result absolutely *felt* like it was. A game that had to be made, you know? Same as Fruit Ninja - there is nothing granted about that concept nor (really especially) it's gorgeously effective execution. And this, too. This diving game is shaping up to be such a thoughtful and considerate design that it's suddenly hitting that phase of just seeming... obvious? You know - "of course this game loop works!" kind of thing. Haha I don't know if I'm getting across, but. I'm very excited and inspired to see this development process. The vibes I'm getting from these videos are... you're someone who is so single-handedly capable at all of these different jobs you assign yourself, that there is some other work environment in which your creativity and experimentation could be even less inhibited by the fact that you also have to balance everything else. I mean, you're familiar with the marketing of these games, the font design of their title screens, you know how to make a multiplayer game, you know how to record and edit these really compelling videos... I see so much care in all of it, too, so I wouldn't suggest you don't enjoy it. Anyway, officially rambling for 3 paragraphs so I'll call it quits. But I can't wait for your next hit game! Haha. No pressure.

[@GunsAndAmmo3]

Idk maybe because he IS an artist??

[@SeanStClair-cr9jl]

@@GunsAndAmmo3 ? Yeah, agreed lol

[@Jari_FenixEXP]

Adding comment suggestions for my game as well for the first time currently so this video was great inspiration! Game looks awesome, keep up the good work!

[@ZackaryQuackary]

I have a suggestion or two. The deep you go the more expensive the materials get like you could find diamond, but the enemies will also get much stronger so it's like a risk going down there but, you'll be rewarded big for doing it.

[@HeisenbergFam]

Luke gives the vibe of an innocent side character of a show who ends up being master manipulator behind everything

[@florianneacosta987]

Hey man. 🗿

[@-HeisenbergFam]

why are you everywhere? tf?

[@tuanmemes]

​@@-HeisenbergFam because he's Heisenberg

[@-HeisenbergFam]

@@tuanmemes tru

[@_SparkHere]

Heisenberg is everywhere except my YT channel :(

[@lukeasarts9788]

If you do continue more with turning or maybe otherwise you could use the O2 tanks to orient yourself by leaking oxygen out making the tank useless but putting some bubbles that go up ?

[@bearony2082]

this reminds me alot of dome keeper with the way you drag different currencies to the top to buy upgrades!

[@average_potato_man]

Might be cool if you add an anglerfish that camouflage as an item that live in the deepest caves and start chasing the player if he get to close

[@dogbot55]

I think if you make the diver multiple pieces that pivot on each other, it would work great for narrow diving. And that way you'll naturally have to manipulate the character with the arrow keys so they don't get stuck instead of a quick time event

[@matthewbadger8685]

Good idea.

[@higercharte2509]

You could make a drawing system for the player to develop its own map, so it can better remember where things are

[@flamesinfinity]

yes but maybe make it a custom game mode

[@realbef]

bro this dude made my whole childhood

[@GermiesCoasterYard]

Excited to see where you take this. It's looking really cool so far! Can't wait to play!

[@codemassi]

I think you should implement a one use drilling item or bomb similar to what you suggested. It could let the player create their own paths and shortcuts, and also let you keep the narrow tunnels.

[@lukemuscat]

Yeah I am planning on experimenting with this! Right now the way the level is generated its insanely slow to destroy tiles (because of how the collisions and shadow casters work), but I am working on a bunch of stuff right now that will hopefully leave that open as an option in the future :)

[@jevilreformed]

Very cool.

[@jakedev7363]

Awesome video! Your videos and games are inspirational and motivate me to keep on working on my own game. Can’t wait for the next upload

[@charlescharliecharles1]

This channel is really underrated man, thanks alot. I want to be a game developer someday and this is really interesting, the game looks really cool too. Keep going!

[@Jakey4543]

you should add a sonar upgrade similar to subnauticas, this would be useful if your going through a really silty area.

[@leiffff]

Maybe like a sonar/light bomb, where it briefly lights up/lines/whatevers the paths around while in a dark or silty area… like how a lidar paints the walls maybe?

[@Jakey4543]

@@leiffff yeah thats a better idea than mine

[@ThatTrueCJ201]

For late game content, i think it could be really cool to have a submarine. Mabey it can be crafted from parts that are scattered throughout each the depth of the caves.

[@GaloonLoon]

Make the titan sub

[@jc-px8ox]

yes especially because the gamer already has the controller

[@necroseus]

This type of game is right up my alley. I will play this, absolutely!!! Really good work, I'm super happy to see this sort of community interaction from a seasoned designer! Great stuff, dude! Great stuff :)

[@VoidBaroness]

Multiplayer would be INSANE. looks like a ton of fun and I could see myself just messing about with friends on stream or something. Can't wait for it to come out, definitely adding to my wishlist

[@QUBIQUBED]

Suggestion: 1. Shop - Make a medium sized selection of normal items appear randomly in the shop every time you come back from a dive that is longer than 5 minutes 2. Chest - Daily/Weekly chests sell rare and special/exclusive items for a higher cost (this is a final game sort of thing) 3. Enemy - Add a Vampire Squid that adds a vignette to your screen, the more Vampire Squid Ink that is applied onto you, the more intense the vignette becomes, it also makes the game have a ugly yellow tint after too much ink. You get rid of this ink the higher you go, and it all washes off at the surface.

[@QUBIQUBED]

Shop Suggestion: make a sellable map of the cave in the weekly/daily shop that's really expensive but can map out locations (colorless) when you tug it along in locations, it's pretty heavy though

[@QUBIQUBED]

It'd be cool if the spinning feature was the same, but reeaaaallly slow. So that it's disorienting after a long time, but not a big problem at the beginning

[@AdamSingle]

Another great video Luke. Always enjoy your content.

[@Gort_theSerf]

You can keep the turning mode, to make it easier, you can add a compass that tells you where is north

[@galador8089]

That’s too easy in my opinion

[@rogacz935]

you can orientate yourself by the direction of the bubbles

[@robbyplummer9414]

I play behind ninja

[@MaxTheMiner1]

Absolutely fantastic video as always! So great to see you so close to hitting 100k subs so quick. I’m sure you’re going to explode sooner or later, so best of luck and don’t get disorientated and run out of oxygen as you said in the video.

[@AlexStrook]

I love hearing your design process! Great video once again!

[@tdog_]

When diving in real life, as the pressure gets higher you use o2 faster. i think you should implement that into this game

[@EpitomeTTV]

A question and a suggestion: 1) since it gets pitch black the deeper you go, what would the purpose of silt be down there? 2) WATER PRESSURE! To further differentiate surface and deep water, maybe try to add water pressure as an environmental effect that increases linearly as you go deeper. You can buy stronger suit material in the shop to increase the distance you can dive. Water pressure doesnt have to be a hard stop, but maybe you can only spend a certain amount of time at a certain depth before you have to swim up to safety.

[@lyven9872]

A suggestion i have for the squeeze is to add some sort of conveyor or tube-like building as a purchasable / rare find or artifact-like item. The player can drag the building, allowing them to essentially siphon out the gold by placing it on the input. This also works nicely for longer games where going up and down constantly can begin to feel like a chore. Lastly, for a more risk vs reward feature, the item’s way of being “powered” for a limited amount of time is via feeding it with oxygen. That way, the item isnt instantly just a free shortcut to getting stuff here and there, but more of a risk vs reward where you can potentially get rich quicker or risk death

[@jardinepatten]

To allow the player to squeeze a larger item through a tighter passage, you could have it so you attach more of your cables to the item and it makes it smaller. So if you attach one line to a chest, it doesn't change it; two lines will make it 5% smaller or something; more lines in all will make it smaller still. This way you have the ability to get those larger items through a tighter passage, but you sacrifice the ability to carry more items with you because the item is needing these to pull it. Could also be used to carry heavier items, so each item has a weight to it that needs more lines attached. This again allows it so you have to sacrifice space for value.

[@odacova3319]

You could add a drill you carry around and mine gold to detach it from the rock. The smaller the drill the slower it drills the rock and could be a consequence for being too greedy. The bigger drill could get the gold faster but it would make you slower overall. It could change what play style you choose instead of the upgrades which are usually the objectively good thing without drawbacks. This is of course a guess from what I’ve seen of the game and I don’t have the experience of playing it to see the upgrade system. Also great vid as always.

[@justaperson1023]

An idea that I would love is a gap/large cave where there is little amount of things but it is extremely dark to help set a mood of fear and an "endless" emptiness. But then after a while, the normal caves start again.

[@QuantumGeckoGuy]

when I saw the idea title "The Squeeze", I first thought it was referring to a phenomenon known as the squeeze that could occur with early diving suits that were connected to the surface for air supply. The squeeze would occur when surface pumps failed. Then, the diver would be sucked up through the tube connecting to the surface air supply, leaving just some bones and skin in the suit.

[@1-North-1]

This suggestion involves the sprint kinda. I think you should have a specific shop where you can buy upgrades for your gear and gadgets like fins which increase movement speed by 25% dive suits that let you go lower into the ground An exoskeleton that moved the rocks considering how a huge rock is moved by a small diver (or just make the diver insanely buff) or a drill to make it smaller then you can push it.

[@masterpiece1817]

Game Suggestions/Ideas/I think you should add/this would be cool What about a harmless little fish that will try to steal your gold? Or an angler fish creature with a lure that looks like the new purple currency!

[@47372]

For the silt, maybe changing the overlay to be quite transparent and blurred but leaving a very small area visible around your diver so you can still see and utilise guide lines, somewhat imitating the very closed in environment of only being able to see whats directly infront of you when silted out. - Provides both more purpose for the guide lines, aswell as fleshes the silt mechanic out even further. Loving this game idea! Can't wait for the potential release!

[@European.maps_]

for the tight spaces i would make like the items connect to the item that was picked up before and they would go the same exact path as the players path

[@mrOverYeff]

You can use tight tunnels to get the player be able to look at loot while not yet being able to take it oit. This will enforce there wish to explore other ways and overcome whatever chalanges are on the other way.

[@The_Rusty_Screwdriver]

Maybe add a disposable machine or underwater jet pack that would take you real low and then sink so you wouldn’t have to swim all that way

[@jeshucena]

Add treasure chests, shipwrecks, etc. Also add air pockets in some areas.

[@leiffff]

I think part of what makes physics type games so fun is the manual labor and critical thinking of “How am I going to get here” and those funny moments of messing up and missing a turn or not being able to do something in a “haha” way, especially with friends…

[@Baelfyr]

Subscribed, wish listed, liked, and commented! I found your videos after the Unity stuff that is going on, watched your video about the development of fruit ninja. I know of Half brick as well, it is one of the game companies that I am looking at applying to after I finish my Game Development bachelor next year. I have been enjoying the back log of your videos and look forward to more new content.

[@Itaru1342]

Man this seems so cool. Keep up the good work!

[@user-yw8he9ct8b]

Great game! About squeezing ( 10:37 ) through the gaps I think it would be great to have the arrows as a part of the background with some dust and as get near you clean them in some way to see where are you going. Or the dust could be burnt by the flashlight.

[@LordTharon]

Just a thought regarding the small caves, you could make that as a more difficult part of the game. Lets say for example, in the beginning of the game it's large caves, you get some gold here and there which allows for upgrades. Maybe one of the upgrades is a way to haul the gold to the surface, like a bag that's attached to the side of the character, or something that can be taken down to the small caves and you transfer the gold to. In addition to this idea, lets say there are wooden crates, or some form of obstacle, maybe you can obtain a melee/ranged weapon to break open/through said objects to obtain gold or possibly other things (Mystery items (Lore items, hidden upgrades, etc).

[@Xograch]

This devlog shows that you are a trusted developer who knows how to handle feedback and ideas. And the game looks really good and fun to play. I'm definitely going to buy it when it comes out. One note on the silk, this is a really cool feature. Yet it just feels a bit cheap with the fog overlay appearing and blocking the visibility. Someone else suggested dimming the brightness of the screen and increasing the overlay's transparency. How about you add a sort of an vignette foggy overlay that creeps in(grows bigger) the more you are in the silk. To obscure the outside. And then dim the light/brightness to keep a low amount of visibility inside the silk so you are not fully clueless on where to go. Or something in that direction.

[@zeptopiagaming7428]

Adding waste or scraps:Adding waste or scraps that we can either sell or use to make new items like glow sticks canisters Or some thing really makes the game feel more better in my opinion and we can use it to craft items that you cannot buy such as a rope or some sort of thing and a crafting menu would be cool. Mobile support:adding a mobile support so that people who don't have a pc can play