Off-Island Trade + More! Indie Factory Game Devlog (Unity)

[@MashUpGames]

Keep the boat sprite, you have already reached perfection

[@BWDev]

If it ain't broke don't fix it 😎

[@noam5153]

Placeholder boat is a work of art

[@KRYMauL]

@@BWDev I think you should make a .001% or so chance for boat to be the place holder as a little easter egg

[@ThatNerdGuy0]

@@KRYMauL maybe a placeholder art mode for better preformance

[@noam5153]

@@KRYMauL lol this is funny I suggested the exact same thing in his discord server

[@scraphex]

You could add alerts (⚠️) above the carts when they cant find a path to the dock. That would be a useful notification to the player if he/she has a more complex rail way system later in the game. Great devlog btw, looking forward to the next one!

[@BWDev]

Good idea 👍

[@birduwu]

you can just use they instead of he/she btw, it's more inclusive and shorter.

[@devonpost6398]

I feel like it would be cool if the crates just fell in the water and floated away. I know that sounds weird but the automation of this I think that would be a clean and unique way of crate animation for unloading.

[@b42thomas]

i like the idea of crates just floating in the water since everything is wood, it all floats. i think it would be cool if a boat came along and towed the crates behind it.

[@noahcooper5969]

@@b42thomas oh yesss that'll be sooo cool

[@silentsammiee]

If we add reality, the wood will not be in good condition when handed over, thus affecting the quality. But, that adds humor to the game :)

[@silentsammiee]

@Edward Moriarty it is no longer wood. and also water will affect the logs and will look old. I mean is that the products are sold, not floated to rivers.

[@devonpost6398]

Dam you all are putting to much thought into it...this is a game....I mean the underground mechanic itself is somewhat un realistic so why can there be a cute little shipping animation

[@isto_inc]

Yoooo that 3D technique is freaking brilliant. Love it

[@bigboibob2568]

Didn't expect to see you here can't wait for atrio

[@isto_inc]

@@bigboibob2568 ohhhh heck ya I love me some lumber mill

[@bigboibob2568]

@@isto_inc who doesnt

[@kristupasT]

I love your devlogs! It's amazing to see the game take shape.

[@harrykitchener5597]

I’m rly impressed man. Don’t think theres another developer on youtube as consistent and committed as you are. As someone who spent a month cobbling together half a controllable sprite I cant believe how quickly your progressing with this. Cant wait to play :)

[@nichegames9590]

You've jammed a lot into this dev log. Looks good. Fun to watch.

[@dilirity]

Following a game devlog was something I didn't know I needed until I started watching yours. I really like how you think stuff through before moving forward with them. You invest time in placeholder stuff, to get a better idea of how something might work later - I love that! Keep up the good work friend

[@maxostlund9334]

I think the boat adds a lot of atmosphere, it shoulsnt fade away

[@MidasButSilver]

I dont know what it is thats different about your devlogs compared to others, but they are just so much more fun to watch and it's actually exciting to see a new one in my inbox Great channel, really!

[@logistic-bot458]

I'd be very interested in a video on your music creation process. I think the train looks a bit strange, with only two wheels, it looks as if it could easily fall over.

[@thedfisch8356]

I’ve been following your Devlog since about March of last year, when lockdown started. I think it’s so amazing how much you inspire me. I always get so inspired and motivated by you and your Devlogs and that just makes me so happy. You seem like an amazing person and I think you deserve so much more attention, because your quality is just great and the way you do things just is amazing to me! Good luck with this project and I’m super stoked to see it completed one day!

[@BWDev]

Awesome to hear, thanks for the comment!

[@TonsOfHunStudios]

Well done on the cart animations! The shallows depth is such a nice touch as well. And I'd totally be interested in hearing/seeing how you made the music! Great stuff!

[@kurtkuehnert]

Hi Ben, cool Devlog. I really like the balance between showing us the new features you have added and the process of implementation/creation of them. But the reason I have written this comment is your music. I really like those calm tunes :). Thank you for sharing it with us and keep on creating new songs please. Also a video about how you compose music for the game would be much appreciated. Best Regards Kurt

[@BWDev]

Thanks for watching / listening! 😄 Awesome to hear you like the music 👌

[@ronhobbydev8999]

Honestly I'm always impressed by your talent. That shallows stuff was so clever.

[@goldone01]

Finally a new devlog! Thanks very much for making these - keeps me motivated every time to work on my own game. The carts look amazing by the way, so smooth around the corners. Would love to see a video on music creation, too!

[@jordy15322]

Great video as always!! What would be really cool, is if you change the loading of carts so a cart needs to be there, A cart will be created via a building process same as any other item and be stored in a centeral place. Carts will be dispatch to places where they can be loaded and sent to the ship, When arriving to the ship the cart will be unloaded and will need a path back to the entrance of cart storage so it can be reused. This will add another mechanic where the ammount of carts owned needs to be balanced.

[@bitbraindev]

Wow! The re-adjustment of the route is so cool!

[@ThePixelExpedition]

This game is really coming along. I just love your little cart and how you drew and animated it. Very clever!

[@justingolden21]

These videos are so fun to watch too. Love seeing the progress.

[@ThePixelExpedition]

@@justingolden21 Absolutely!

[@joeyharrington1863]

Great devlog! I do think the two-wheeled carts look a bit strange. You could try having 4-wheeled carts where the back wheels stay fixed and the front wheels turn with the tracks, sort of like a car. Also, I would definitely love to see a devlog on how you're making the game's music!

[@TheAlfak]

This video changed my life Also, some thoughts about that user experience Obviously, to reward player it is good to do sound indications for different trading stages How I see it: 1. When cart starts it’s journey to the dock, it would be cool to hear a whistle (like old trains do when they depart from train station) 2. When cart is moving along the rail, play that metal sound (probably quietly then everything else or at normal volume but occasionally) 3. Boat leaving the dock should play some boat related sound. Maybe some seagulls or bow. I’ve visited some docks in my life and I can say that those sounds really add to that mood of industrial cargo docks Obviously, sound design will be a much later stage of development, but there are some ideas that may come in handy Absolutely love the game you are making, good luck!

[@TimersAndMore]

This game looks more awesome each time you upload a new devlog. "Item added to your wishlist!"

[@dreptschar5774]

I think it would be really cool if the different traders collect their crate's at different times of the day. This would add a bit more of a strategic layer. So you have to plan at what time you need to fulfill the trading.

[@aviv931]

its really fun to see your progress, it looks amazing man. As a game developer i can really relate to all of the bugs that you were talking about, it actually cheered me up hearing I'm not the only one facing annoying bugs :)

[@archieh-d1828]

4 wheeled carts can turn 90 corners if they have bogies

[@Dimmerr]

You guys ever seen a train?

[@archieh-d1828]

@@Dimmerr yes one central, 4 wheeled bogie

[@justingolden21]

Oh god this looks so complicated to implement for something so simple... But that's what makes you awesome, you pay attention to every detail, do everything right, and overcome every problem. Keep it up man : )

[@dneendcreeper3239]

Something that might be nice for the boat animation would be to start it when the cart starts entering the dock, instead of when it's at the end. That way the cart won't have to wait for the boat to arrive

[@craftedarrow6105]

Honestly, he is one of the best game dev youtubers on youtube

[@Skeffles]

Excellent progress! I really like the minecarts, they really remind me of rollercoaster tycoon and those shallows look great.

[@w4lroo]

Watching these videos is like Christmas morning. It’s exciting to see what you do next and I love this style of game. Keep up the good work!

[@xaraldobruxo]

I've been following this devlog a long time now and must say it's looking amazing. And please consider making that video showing your process of creating music. Cheers and keep up the fantastic work

[@HelperWesley]

I love how you did the water edge. Seems like a "screw it, I'll do it live" method I would come up with. lol.

[@hhfamily7528]

Well that's sad, I just binged your entire game dev series over my long weekend evenings in NZ. This game is looking great!

[@alephcake]

Hello again! Your dedication to this project is incredible. It's coming together rather nicely, as it is more and more finished :)

[@talkativeharpy4121]

As what the boat will look like? Well, where do you go when you reached the top?

[@rebeccarisk1772]

Fantastic update as always! I'm always impressed with how much work you put into details. Looking forward to the next update! I also checked out your music, it's great stuff! Thanks for sharing

[@flawful4266]

All I gotta say, I am actually really excited for this game

[@FishyNiden]

A thing that could be really interesting, if you dare deal with shallows again, is that some place around the island have long shallows, while others have short shallows. Where you have to make the dock in a place that actually reaches over shallows to deep water, so that the boat doesn't ground. Basically limiting where the player can place the docks to few place around the island, giving potentially the player another challenge to optimise layout.

[@SuperDutchrutter]

Excited for Lumbermill and enjoying the dev logs, keep it up 💯

[@JohnJohnMackaroni]

Thanks for another update!! I love your attention to detail and how the carts looks when they go around corners! Fantastic! I’m wondering if it’s too big a leap to get straight to transportation via rails. Maybe the path to the dock should initially be something more primitive/basic like by horse or tractor. And as you gain resources/technology/currency you could upgrade to rails for that extra speed and reliance. I don’t know what I’m looking forward to the most, the actual game or just following the updates as it gradually comes to life 🙂 Keep up the great work!

[@pallascat6767]

This looks like it's coming along just great! I've wishlist!

[@Lolboy30]

Nice devlog! Honestly about the way the bout should look like.. i think some rusty, tanker looking thing would really fit in i think :D

[@RealAdd97]

can't wait for this game to come out. Love your devlogs

[@rushmik]

Love keeping up with this project, and really enjoyed your music too.

[@Seb135-e1i]

Looking great! One thing I'm not sure if you've caught yet, but the cart doesn't layer properly. This is most obvious at 5:28 (and also occurs at 8:45) on the dock, where it spends 2-3 frames behind the dock tiles. Going frame-by-frame, it also seems it does this on the rails, but it's harder to spot. Still excited for the release of the game!

[@jobrown04]

This is awesome! I was thinking, it might be good to put your boat collection at specific times, rather then all the time. This means you could add port storage, where you can increase the storage capacity (warehouses) -> if carts can't be stored, then their contents could spoil. Then, ships collect this at specific times.

[@WS-xd4sd]

every time a new devlog comes out there's another surprise - i so love these and need to drop whatever I'm doing to watch. Seriously? with all this development you also write and record music. what do you do in your spare time?? I also listened to the music and it's as classy as your games development - I love it and have downloaded it and your earlier stuff on spotify. Go Ben - you're an inspirational machine. PS i bet you also did the artwork for your your EP?

[@geraudgreyling1864]

This game is coming along so well!

[@kindafakem1x3l62]

I really liked the devlog, the 2 wheeled carts seem fine to me!

[@kalendergulbudak7216]

It would be so interesting to see how you write music for the game. Please make some videos on that.

[@thecoolguy1233]

You should have the boats arrive every couple of minutes and have different sized boats depending on how much cargo is waiting.

[@that1wolf]

So ready for this game to come out! Great video as usual

[@justingolden21]

Love your song "The Light", also awesome album art

[@anonymouspenguin7118]

Keep up the great work! Really enjoying watching these de logs; super well made!

[@ReeceGeofroy]

Was listening to your newest music album when this popped up on my feed. Weird coincidence 😅

[@Magnogen]

Oh hello there, Reece.

[@BWDev]

Thanks for listening Reece! 😁

[@zippywings]

Every time I watch a new Lumbermill video, I keep thinking the conveyor belts should stop whenever the logs stop. Seeing one move without the other is disconcerting.

[@ManorLords]

Well done! These 3d haxes were quite clever

[@SamuelT18]

Have you thought about having different types of docks and boats for holding more rail cars and cargo, for example a stone dock with a switch point to allow two rows of rail cars and a large container ship.

[@loaafe]

You’ve gotta make a waterwheel-steamboat ferry-esque boat for the cargo. It’d be perfect man

[@begga9682]

love that you're using rider

[@KaidoLP]

The buffer stops are backwards. The diagonal piece should face away from the tracks

[@vitusconrad7073]

Mabe you could make the cart a bit slower if it reaches the doc

[@noahcooper5969]

mate I love your music my favs are underground and light house keep up the good work

[@kilagen0001]

Would love to see how you make the music for the game!

[@len0i0am]

I really liked the turning animation

[@DayZilya]

You are an inspiration! How all things go well on the future!

[@chewico3d133]

Aww Man, that looks amazing

[@delta927canadien-francais5]

So all along you wrote the background music of the videos?!? I LOVE IT

[@miatatude5362]

You could also use free software like Blender and export a 3d rotating cube in an extremely low resolution to match your style, this makes animating a lot easier and the end result possibly better!

[@connergreen3178]

Wow, this game looks amazing! I'm subscribing so I can keep updated! Best of luck with this game man, also you may want to make the people smaller, or somehow redesign them cause although the size is correct, something about them just feels off.

[@frankdev2988]

I can't wait for it to come out

[@bigboibob2568]

Said that about my dog

[@jdmozo]

Awesome man, I'd love to watch the audio video!

[@omers495]

its always hard to watch your devlog because i cant wait to play your amazing game!

[@nicozockHDxd]

You can make different islands more or less good with adding mountains where trees can't grow, or maybe only special trees can grow. AND it will make the whole look of the island more interesting

[@Tails2020]

You should look into sprite stacking. It seems like it would work perfect for creating convincing looking 3d carts

[@jfferfish2542]

I've been watching since the first or 6th devlog! keep going, man!

[@EER0000]

I’d build the trade house right next to the docks I think, to avoid having to build rails in addition to the conveyer belts, actually it would make sense to build the whole camp close to water irl as well, ease of transport accessibility :)

[@soyitiel]

Yes please definitely talk about the music in the game

[@Magnogen]

Oo nice! Those islands looks pretty!

[@GreenCinco12Official]

Hi. My comment may be a bit late, but at 8:45 the cart is 3 frames "under" the dock and in my opinion, the arrows on the conveyor belts look a bit weird when there is a corner piece (what you can see at 8:35. In games like factorio there are dedicated corner pieces where the arrows "turn". Those may be small things to point out, but I thought I would give my opinion on them. Besides that I really like these Devlogs.

[@mxdanger]

8:50 I would recommend speeding up the UI animation a bit so it doesn't feel so sluggish.

[@ForestCinema]

It might be more convenient and pretty funny/entertaining if each cart just drives off the end of the dock and splashes down into the water... then when it floats/settles back up to the surface, it’s sitting in a teeny boat. That saves having to generate a boat for each crate.

[@BWDev]

Cool idea!

[@littleshorts5976]

I love your pation to make this beautiful game

[@thedaranesianconfederation7221]

Hi Ben, I absolutely love this game already (I've been searching every day to know if a new devlog has been out seriously). I may have a small idea: maybe it might be a good idea to have some endgame stuff that players would look out for as a goal to complete. I also suggest skill levels for the lumberjacks as well as axe upgrades.

[@loaf778]

I just finished my first game in unity and it's so satisfying

[@gersomwastaken]

Please go on with this project, It looks so interesting!

[@MrWoofWoof03]

I cant wait to try it out if and when it's available

[@RugbugRedfern]

Looks awesome! I'll admit I'm a little confused on how the cart doesn't fall over with only two wheels lol

[@cookieBadger]

love the cart animation

[@grayheadedgamer]

Awesome progress! Cant wait to play!

[@falxie_]

Pretty impressed with how you did 3D in 2D

[@DanPos]

Looking great Ben!

[@sgtcuddlekins5171]

Hey man I love these videos! Would love to see your process for creating the music for your game as it’s something I’d love to do for my own project but I’ve never actually recorded my music before. Keep up the great work!

[@garrett-weil]

1:32 "I'm actually really pleased with how this TURNED out" I see whatcha did there.....

[@Steveplays28]

Very awesome as always, Ben!

[@Sluffin]

I think you should make a small building connected to the dock that the cart goes to, drops it off in like a "Storage area" outside the dock and then have NPC's walk from the building to the boat loading/unloading the crates. (A LOT more work for sure but I think would like way cooler haha)

[@szymonkauza6092]

pretty cool playlist, in good retro style

[@sritis.]

I hope this game becomes successful because this game is brilliant for a one man job.

[@awhahoo]

Yeah

[@patrickk2791]

Great progress! Very cool aesthetic

[@noam5153]

I just love the art style of the game so far