Rendering Organic Monsters

Making monsters look more organic by killing polygons and updating procedural animations. Critter Crosser indie Devlog #5
Smart 3d guy that helped me: / @thesnidr

[@TheTrueFishbunjin]

Dog animation looks great. I don't even remember what the genre of this game is going to be, but I'm so invested in it's development

[@timothymclean]

I think its primary genre is "Excuse to use the weird gimmicky mechanic it's built around" (affectionate).

[@Etienne_H]

It's like Pokemon but you control a monster and not a human character who owns monsters. And I guess you can breed with ones you defeated.

[@asmallphd9648]

@@Etienne_H 😳😳😳😳😳

[@luci_datum]

I guess the same as whatever Wobbledogs did but with more options

[@Lightning_Lance]

I hope the genre is "Spore but more focused on the simulation aspect and less simplified interactions"

[@algernopkrieger7710]

That pixel art tho... "Not a lot to say about it"? Well let ME say something about it, which is, holy actual shit those portraits are GORGEOUS. They're realistic, expressive, so detailed, they're insane. I like your wobbly tubes funny man, but the pixel art, for how long it was on screen, blew me away.

[@KingMinish]

His coding is just as impressive and he's being just as humble about it

[@k_otey]

i mean technically there is not a lot to say about it, since the art speaks for itself. (if that makes any sense)

[@nicolaspablon1600]

Bright future for some other player save file portraits?? 🤨😳

[@magoobertron]

My mouth DROPPED when I saw it omg there’s so many of them and they’re all so good? Portraits are so hard and they look so amazing imcvdnnem

[@k_otey]

@@magoobertron i assume you also had a seizure :(((

[@stingyyyyy2250]

procedural animation like this really reminds me of rain world, literally every living thing in that game is procedurally animated and it looks really cool

[@DmmyV]

I kinda want to see the rainworld lizards made in this game

[@Grimmys]

i got that game i play it with friends

[@nsv8613]

Yeah, I think RW is going to create a wave of games with procedurally-animated creatures, considering how it is starting to gain popularity now

[@lazylonewolf]

I heard procedurally animating the Rain World creatures were already pretty hard (and will always have some quirky "bugs") but this seems much MUCH harder to do because of the 3d/isometric view. This project would be even more insane if they applied the "organic" AI of Rain World.

[@commonhousehuman]

@@Grimmys I see you like ot

[@kriomu123]

This is literally the kind of game I've been wanting since I was a wee lad. I've been smashing different looking Sims together since Sims 2 to see what comes out because I found genetics fascinating even then, and this looks like it could scratch every single one of my mad scientist cross breeding itches! You're doing amazing work, and I can't wait to get my hands on this!

[@roleat]

Play Creatures by Steve Grand

[@MissNevermore]

have you ever played dino island? it's a park sim game from 2002 and the park gameplay is really very simple but the dinosaur hybridisation mechanic is insane, especially for its era. it procedurally generates hybrid dinosaur models, and you can mess with their dominant and recessive genes with further crosses to bring out different features

[@TheSnidr]

Love to follow the development of this! It's looking absolutely legendary. The SDFs were indeed an excellent addition. Thanks for the shoutout!

[@jamesbaconreid]

:)

[@croc_moat2327]

HE'S BACK!!!!1!1!1!1!!1!1!!!!

[@TheSnidr]

@@croc_moat2327 yasss

[@starbble6280]

Very glad to see you back. It's fun to watch how you implement your ideas, and I think you explain them very well.

[@kiyasuihito]

Keep rewatching these. Can't wait for the next one.

[@Brando550]

it's been 9 months already T_T

[@Chironyx]

I'll be able to use this video as a prime example of what "invisible work" can look like in game development! You've actually entirely rehauled the way you use 3D, and the gains for that are incredible, but if you were to show someone the before vs after, he wouldn't realize he's looking at months of work. Incredible job again, you always blow me away, and IMO that wobble unlocks the option for Slime-based critters, something I would personally love, can't wait to see what you do next!

[@96Grayman]

I really liked the Jelly-effect too, and had an idea; What if when you a breed monster with another monster and you have the little screen with the 2 monsters morphing into 1, the 2 orignial monsters have the jelly-effect while the transition happens. I think that'd be fun! EDIT: also, I'd really love if the half-doggie that was there since the first video would remain in the game in some way. I always found it really cute and am a little saddened that it isn't there anymore in the newer vids.

[@notatrueroute]

the half dog that is supposed be like his player avatar? isn't that it at 4:19 ?

[@96Grayman]

@@notatrueroute exactly! Didn't even notice. I'm so happy it's still there.

[@matthewbadger8685]

That's cool, the meshes would merge together like liquid.

[@nicolaspablon1600]

Hard agree

[@LineOfThy]

@@matthewbadger8685 although that might be slightly disturbing

[@Vesdus]

This guy's work ethic is awesome. Not to mention the creativity and problem-solving skills. Keep up the great work! Can't wait to see what comes of this game.

[@TaylordPine]

One of the channels that truly makes the half a year to one year wait seem spectacular and worth it with every single video.

[@DouglasThomasRyddner]

Rewatching this again, hope your game is going well, excited for more updates!

[@amarakebe364]

OH MY GOD im having a heart attack you are alive!!!

[@MikhailKillsZombies]

😢

[@BTS-bg3kv]

ye fr

[@thomasrosebrough9062]

Another video that totally underplays how much work went into such an awesome result! Please feel free to show a little more of the nitty gritty so we can more fully appreciate what goes into this kind of thing. (Also Critter Crosser is a great name!)

[@t.o.mirite]

HOW does he talk about 3k subs, and 9 days later have 108k?????

[@FlydendeFred]

Keep this going - its so freaking great! Im really excited to Play this some day ❤🎉

[@VinTJ]

@@t.o.mirite youtube algorithms are amazing sometimes

[@organmann4821]

"I also did some pixel art" [most beautiful thing ive ever seen] "not much to say about that" ????

[@abbywoodhead2764]

i hope you come back bro these vids are amazing and this project is incredible.

[@lemonkerr3698]

There's a new video from 2 weeks ago

[@deimossigurd667]

Been super excited about all the work you've been doing mate, this project really does look like its shaping up to be something special. Hope development keeps going well and we see some more updates from you. As a side note did the switch from polygons to SDF give you any new ideas for creatures?

[@virusDETECTED]

Jellyfish!

[@martinbat1164]

Awesome

[@d1g1beastpr1me7]

Octopuss

[@brianmiller4614]

What about a vermitious cnid?

[@budingiesy0]

Beholder type enemy? Or Mantis? Octopus or jelly fish could be cool too.

[@Noone-of-your-Business]

It is incredile how much know-how and hard work goes into small details that most people do not even notice. But they _would_ notice if they were missing. Great job!

[@PoucoHabilidoso]

I love programming, oh you need to fix your dog walking animation? Nice, just work on it for a whole month, rewrite 3000 others things, and done.

[@fluent_styles6720]

1:41 The SDF fam is growing 🙌

[@mateypizzafria818]

I'm no stranger to game development so I can see the amount of work and research you had to do to come up with such a clean result. It is admirable.

[@JhoTerra]

This game looks like a fantastic mixture of cute, deep, freeform, and wacky. While the youtube algorithm clearly decided to bless you one day, your concept and presentation is what got you to the following you have today. We look forward to seeing where you take this! As long as we can keep the secret cheese gender haha.

[@ohok45624]

Hope this gets finished one day

[@bwaindead5539]

god i love the limited 3d graphics you used for this game. It’s so charming

[@Lord_Shmesh_The_Squishy]

! I'm so glad to finally see an update ♥

[@mechagundam4553]

No way they are still alive

[@shmalexhansen]

Tbh the tail wag at 3:26 was super cute

[@mmajdakova]

i just found your chanel,and holy shit i think have found my dream game concept idk if ur still working on it but if you arent this has the most **vibe** out of any game ever and just... its good stuff!

[@Freddu0]

his videos have large gaps, im pretty sure he's still working on it

[@theburgerbox9576]

Impressive increase in subs, but definitely not unexpected or undeserved! Can't wait to see more development progress

[@YourNeighbourJack]

This looks so sick! It’s crazy how awesome the game is turning out!

[@Skyrilla]

Bruh that Sim City 2000 song hit me hard and took me to a place I had long forgotten about.

[@triplezgames3882]

This is so well done... I can imagine how hard it must have been implementing SDFs to work with the pixelisation and the rest of the render pipeline...

[@beebzah]

The transparency is so cool!! I love the art style so much and the animation looks great. I’m surprised there is battling involved! Kinda reminds me of the Ooblets devs trying to implement battling and realizing they hated it, and going with dance battles instead, lol. Don’t be afraid to try something else if you find battling doesn’t inspire u!! There are tons of games that have breeding and raising the animals as the main mechanic, like wobbledogs. okay thanks ily

[@beginnerdrawingcourse]

BEYOND marvelous. This is like looking into childhood gaming with a 4D lens. Your succinct documentation doesn't do justice to all of the work you're putting in, but I just want to say that this dev process is fascinating. I wish you nothing but progress and prosperity on your project.

[@davidmende3409]

"then i wanted to make his shoulders bounce.." *dog fking throws it back*

[@Amy-qv3oq]

Can't wait to breed the longest snake I can.

[@hruaizela3217]

He returned

[@grahamcruickshank2888]

Dude these are sick, they feel like the next step in evolution for the "monster collecting" games, like Dragon Quest monsters and pokemon, digimon etc. I really like these devlogs, please don't stop making your game and posting devlogs, it's really impressive and inspires me with my own projects.

[@Incatnito-insane]

youtube recommendations really popped off this time

[@unutenteinnecesario2941]

Hope to see more Devlogs.

[@styxrakash4639]

This project/game is so cool, so unique, clearly chalk full of soul and hard work. As a gamer and a programmer I can’t help but keep my eye on your work! Keep it up!

[@bibCorp]

Wow very cool! I recognize that side mission you went on when all you wanted was to fix one "simple" little thing and ended up implementing an entirely new core system into your game. I've been there so many times but WELL DONE TO YOU for sticking with it for over a month! That's impressive :)

[@evanhuizenga8626]

"YOUR CODE DOESN'T WORK WHEN I CHANGE IT BRO" Somehow I feel like that's something coders hear way too often lol

[@OT-it2yd]

Dude. Just to make sure: you are still doping this, right? You are onto some gold here.

[@TJ_XD]

Ooooh yeah! You exist! Almost forgot…

[@hmph_]

sometimes I go back and watch your old videos just because the humor, excitement, explanations, and of course animations are so good. glad to see you post again, keep up the great work!

[@sharifalhumaid8537]

Beautiful graphics and awesome animations. Consider using motion capture to save you time on the tricky parts.

[@RikerHaddon]

Just 6 more months till the next update!!

[@zamaii_]

I really love your devlogs! This is such a fascinating game concept, its really interesting to see the process for a really creative game like this

[@jadestrider2660]

Sooo happy you’re back dude

[@comicmoniker]

Always nice when you don't remember subscribing to a channel, click on their new video, and go "OH RIGHT THIS GUY!!"

[@MinecraftMarket]

you should make a steam wishlist

[@EmiIce]

Every now and then I rewatch all of your videos in order. I enjoy hearing and watching you explain things as well as seeing how much your game progresses! ❤

[@hehe8138]

Using SDF's given the low performance costs for this style is genius. There's a lot of cool stuff to do with ray marching. I hope you add cloudy monsters or monsters made of fire.

[@thue263]

Love the transparent effect, should be a rare effect or something

[@JAD-cc2gl]

it is really genuinely entertaining to drop something technically very impressive and act like it's no big deal, then casually remark on the months it took you to create it's a refreshing new innovative way to incite nose exhalation

[@kmharnish]

I think its crazy how much stuff he is working on behind the scenes like the world, the toung on the frog, a cosmetic system (i think we saw some switching of hats) and a bunch of other stuff and the everything looks crazy cool. I love this game and can't wait to see it progress further, best of luck!!!!

[@KnightmarePhoenix_official]

This is absolutely awesome, man. You build and rebuild everything and even when it gets difficult, you don't give up. It's super inspiring! I'm so excited to see the next evolution of this game :D

[@kimtae858]

Using SDFs for your characters is such a neat idea.

[@heliusuniverse7460]

I love non-conventional rendering techniques. There's so much stuff that hasn't been explored yet

[@breadzo]

Yayyyy so glad you're still working on this! Watched it as soon as I saw the notification. It's very inspiring to watch dev logs of unique games like this.

[@jackthehacker05]

Can't wait to see you continue to grow! I've loved the concept of this game and have been following since your last upload, congratulations and keep up the amazing work.

[@Mireneye]

Holy shit.. I was here for your first 1000 subs. I'm so happy to see this starting to blow up. Well deserved! I look forward to this so much.

[@ChiliRellano]

Organic monsters sounds like a cool name lol

[@versusforward]

I'm so excited to play whatever game this ends up at the end of all your amazing work.

[@joffreehudgins6929]

When the slug went behind the building I almost died. This animation is very unique and ypu did an amazing job

[@zts99]

Really creative. I love the organic and varied animations with little time features such as randomly sticking tongue out every once in a while. Imagine dynamic animations with little random twitches and stuff like that for each model. Probably would take a long time but might be worth it for differentiation

[@argo6043]

Super happy to see you caught attention, the work you are doing is shaping up for something extremely exciting. I was here before 1k and I'll be here when the game launches!

[@savannahbugg]

My only issue last time was the way the mammal joints looked, and it was fixed! This looks so good and I can’t wait to play it someday :) Also, the jelly effect would look great on a ghostlike or gaseous creature. Maybe with some transparency too. Transparency would be cool for an octopus or other color changing creature, maybe as a state they switch into randomly?

[@FerdinandJosephFernandez]

Just a minor point but the low-hanging fruit here is probably something like a jellyfish creature that floats in the air, given the jelly effect and transparency already implemented.

[@jadedstonedmonkey]

I forgot about this, I love it tho, can't wait

[@wchorski]

plz keep going. Looks like a really fun cross between Pokemon and Chao garden

[@vuminhdang5724]

Not only are you an amazing dev but your humor is peak. Can't wait for your finished game , best of luck!

[@ruffiol3072]

can't wait for the full release! looks amazing

[@rodneygraham5532]

This was really entertaining and I enjoyed seeing how you troubleshooted and implemented solutions. Instant subscribe!

[@bwaindead5539]

you should add some sort of super powerful creature that has the jelly effect combined with some sort of iridescent glow. i feel like that would make for a great secret creature, or maybe a reward for 100% completion

[@roeyshapiro4878]

This shit's just inspiring. Love your presentation style and the innate respect you seem to have for what a good mix of art and math can do. Hope to see more!

[@kurgans]

one day this game will release and then i will finally know peace. is there a platypus yet

[@Brutzkrieg]

So glad that I stumbled upon this video! Wishlisted immediately. Can't wait til I start splicing and fighting with these bad boys!

[@calisipher8855]

That transparency could be fun for a cuttlefish/chameleon animal to blend into it's environment periodically. Like if it stops moving for a few seconds it fades to be transparent. Inheriting unique properties like that and jelly from a slime/jellyfish would be fun to roll for. Really enjoy your work

[@andrewevenson2657]

Really excited for this game, glad to see that you are taking your time to get all the little details right, that’s really what separates a good game from an amazing one!

[@shroomie8053]

so excited to see you releasing new content! i love seeing these updates :)

[@pineball43]

you gotta make a traditional rpg slime with that jiggle man

[@rootosono4758]

i love the silly sound effects you use so much, keep it up man!!!

[@TheAbeinG]

How can so much talent fit into one person? Really awesome stuff! 🎉

[@morrisdennison8039]

Checking in after 5 months, lol need a beta tester I adore the concept of this game

[@VinnyBox02]

Super happy to see you blow up! Watching the process behind these are always so fun for me. Jello mode sounds like a fun idea for an Easter egg

[@Marina-nt6my]

I can imagine a rich family of pure bred elephant people that have had that cool cane and hat as a family heirloom through many generations.

[@RyanLafford]

This project looks so cool, love the updates :)

[@Struikbeheerder]

I can't begin to explain how hyped I am for these update videos.

[@dano8139]

I like checking back in every once and a while to see what progress you have made!! It looks great so far and im super excited to see it again!!

[@CritikalJari]

Lets go this project has evolved so much since I first saw it,cant wait for the finished product

[@DouglasThomasRyddner]

I am very excited for your next video on the combat, this update was awesome! Also, a chubby dog that jiggles would be hilarious

[@Octopie18]

absolutely beautiful. I still cant get over how good the water looks :D

[@davidmikan7925]

This game definitely needs a unique, made up name just like Pokémon is, it deserves more than a random word mashup!

[@metaDeWeta]

Glad to see the return of your cool creations. You have a knack for explaining in an excited and cohesive manner. Keep up the good stuff!

[@kyaralt]

Love the update! I like critter crosser as a name but lowkey thought “Crossbeasts” had a bit more swag. Your progress videos give me life, can’t wait to see what more you have in store!

[@timothymclean]

It's great that you added some more invertebrates, but you need to add cephalopods, which are objectively the best animal, because I -subjectively- like octopi. Seriously, though. Cephalopods are cool, and adding some tentacles to the crossable critters seems like it could lead to some fun monstrosities. If it's something you can do with existing systems, it seems like something that could add a lot. EDIT: I was rewatching the other videos on this channel, and noticed a comment I made eight months ago which said much the same thing. I guess I have a one-track mind, lol. Anyways, some cephalopods (especially octopi) can look normal moving across land. If it works technically, it should be fine!

[@MosesX-Labs]

These videos are really good and your game looks awesome so far! I can’t wait to see more from you!

[@BreloomsGarden]

Your persistence on this project is super cool and inspiring. Thanks for sharing insight into your work!

[@Samiho]

For the fish monsters, you could have them swim really fast in water, but on land they just flop like Magikarp