Why Is It Bad That My Game Looks Good?

[@Deynum]

Get 60% off an annual Incogni plan: incogni.com/deynum

[@SusDoctor]

Nah I'm aight

[@Deynum]

@@SusDoctor Thanks fine, it's completely optional!

[@乇尺卂-f4o]

game needs randomness, and a lot of it. unpredictability makes fun

[@KaydenTucker-cn5sd]

How the heck was this comment posted 12 hours ago and the video 11?

[@qwertyuiop.lkjhgfdsa]

@@KaydenTucker-cn5sd it was unlisted and/or the time ticked over to 12 after you loaded the video but before you loaded the comments

[@LazyTeaStudios]

Deynum: I focused on art too much Also Deynum: Lets overhaul the art

[@Deynum]

I am aware of how ironic it is...

[@LazyTeaStudios]

@@Deynum this is why we love you tho Deynum ♥️

[@vindi167]

167 likes!?!? the number of the

[@bigfin20]

💀

[@avacado4706]

WOAHH GAMEDEV CROSSOVER

[@MechanicalDuck]

Anothother thing you could add to make the walls more interesting are posters that say things like “Get back to work!” or something like that.

[@Deynum]

The game actually used to have these! Maybe I should bring them back

[@gingyman99]

@@Deynum Maybe even add poster saying employ of the month or smt

[@FoxworthyGames]

For the last Pirate Software jam, my team did something similar with the little kitchen the game was based in, but all of them were dumb jokes, like the poster that said “We’re not paying you to slack off” having the “to slack off” torn off of it, or one that said “Remember, we have safety standards!”, but somebody vandalized it by writing “No” after “have”. They were so great lol.

[@gaymerjerry]

@@Deynum You could also do employee of the month walls. Maybe in an executive floor you can put portraits of them on the wall maybe foreshadowing bosses. Bulletin boards. Passive aggressive notes between coworkers.

[@thaias9654]

Maybe the posters can also be collected as crafting materials as well!

[@DemonGlacier]

Rather than picking up desks as materials, why not destroy them to pick up wood? Then the broken table stays there and it still acts as an obstruction, but still gives materials. You could also make the paper-desk-gun projectiles act as boulders, pushing enemies in its path backwards until it breaks. If this becomes overpowered you can always make the projectile burst into paper immediately upon hitting a stronger enemy, but deal its leftover lifetime damage immediately. Looking forward to seeing where this project ends up :)

[@sakabits_132]

GET THIS ON TOP BOYS

[@MeloniestNeon]

You could even add randomized or differing drops depending on the variant of the object. For example, breaking desks might drop a drawer, or a PC, keyboard, or pen holder that was on it, and a printer could shoot out a stack of paper or an ink cartridge.

[@musicrocks0138]

I was going to comment the same thing.

[@bonbonzilla]

TO THE TOP

[@SuperEmmetMan]

​@@MeloniestNeon And then the paper can be used as ammo for the gun

[@KiaAzad]

Newton's laws of game dev: Big bullets need big kick-back. Maybe a couple of steps.

[@SuperiorPosterior]

I would also record the sound of a stack of papers being dropped, alongside the _thwump-issk_ of an air compressor (like some potato cannons use), and then add printer sounds for a reload.

[@LilyTheSmol]

Exactly what I was thinking, the paper desk gun needs some recoil

[@jc_art_]

Then that creates the need for a jetpack-joyride style recoil focused weapon that propells you when you fire it.

[@obsidianflight8065]

I was thinking the same thing! You should get sent back a step or two when shooting that monstrosity.

[@carshowprince2]

And big SFX

[@RandomGuy03]

The #1 thing that makes things satisfying in video games is sound design. Adding huge thwumps and swooshes makes it 100% more engaging.

[@hashtagrex]

i wouldnt say that. sound is what completes a design, but visuals are more important because no matter how good the sound is, if something looks visually bad then it's not going to be satisfying

[@YEs69th420]

@@hashtagrex Sound design is incredibly important though and absolutely can make the difference between something that works and something that doesn't.

[@619tmFALCON]

@@hashtagrex I would say that they are both the same amount of effective but art is absolutely needed while sound is just a really important layer on top of it.

[@doicaretho6851]

So can the visuals. It isn't one or the other, they both have to be good. ​@YEs69th420

[@ultimaxkom8728]

Art is not _"absolutely needed"_ nor required. Examples are minimalist and idle games, then MUDs and Roguelike itself, and finally text-only games.

[@Moldychip95]

I’m happy that you’re being transparent I don’t think people realize how long it takes to make a game let alone make it fun

[@xXMr.SealXx]

If you have made anything, you know motivation is a problem. Especially if you like to bounce around like me 👍

[@Moldychip95]

@@xXMr.SealXx I haven’t made anything yet but I am planning on taking a class next year to learn game development

[@xXMr.SealXx]

@@Moldychip95 I’m too lazy to learn “Real” coding, but I have made so many things I’m proud of. Mostly visual scripting on programs like construct, game maker, Roblox etc

[@Moldychip95]

@@xXMr.SealXx still more then what I could make

[@xXMr.SealXx]

@@Moldychip95 try making a game on google slides ;) if you make a card game you can print it off in real life and play it.

[@stray1239]

I refuse to believe that it's been 2 YEARS

[@Deynum]

I KNOW! It's crazy!

[@loleczkowo]

wait IT HAS BEEN 2 YEARS?!

[@parsydev]

Post corona time is crazy

[@Shitty_edits123]

@@parsydevfr these last couple years have all felt the same

[@derekng7803]

Oh my😅

[@lunaeclipse4304]

i honestly think some of your old weapons would still work, and be fun, with unique mechanics for them. the stapler could temporarily stun enemies by stapling them to objects or the floor, as an example. or the multi color pen thing (idk what they're called) could have different bullet effects for each color. also, sound effects will make each weapon feel cooler, and maybe some recoil as well? the desk printer gun especially looks like it should have recoil, since you're firing a whole desk at high speeds (edit) but your ideas for crafting weapons is incredibly cool, and it fits the office theme well! if you do wind up bringing the old weapons back, maybe they could be like a starting kit?

[@martinsanchez2395]

A new video revisiting those weapons would be great!

[@cora-sol]

Totally agree! On top of their special powers, adding some stats could differentiate them, like one could shoot really fast, other one has a slow reload time, another one makes you slower, one is more effective depending on the range like a shotgun or a sniper

[@Jexplatoon]

Random suggestion : I've always felt that the player character looks a bit flat, I feel like it may feel broken up a bit more if you give him a little belt. Love the videos :)

[@Deynum]

I actually agree. The problem is the lack of space, he's only like 6x20 pixels, so a belt would seem insanely large lol

[@lavabiscuits]

​@Deynum, is there a reason he doesn't have arms? Or at least has his ball hands in the walking animation and idle animation. Just including the hands might make it more natural to imagine, with the special way the arms and hands move when running.

[@eliadonato2625]

​@@Deynuman item that gives him a comically large belt, it boosts damage but reduces firing speed

[@alexandrejeankonghpps582]

*knees*

[@i_draw_whatever18]

@@Deynumwe need facial expressions too! Like eyes that go from this : to this >: or this X during shooting

[@JeremiahNickerson-p6v]

Add a mystery element, like being able to read cryptic documents. That would breed intrigue and cause the player to want to keep going. Great work, never give up👍👌

[@Deynum]

You might be closer to the plan I have for this game than you realize lol

[@Sunlight.C]

@@Deynum Looore

[@snailwitnoname]

like slime rancher??

[@Lewbugsyeetgang6098]

I agree with this, like you're able to read cryptic documents hidden in various places that hold secrets that would land the corrupt owners of the company YEARS in prison and their entire career being ruined

[@bepisenjoyer]

I will be the player who will not read any of them 😅

[@DotterSwotter]

4:56 Ah the AAA game mindset, glad you got yourself out of that line of thinking. Can't wait to see where you go with this!

[@mickeyouse6808]

- Spend the first half of the video saying that too much time is spent on art. - Proceed to animate paper for a gun he's not sure how much fun it can be The lesson is unfortunately not learnt.

[@bullshitdepartment]

this

[@hashtagrex]

it is you who didnt learn the lesson. the lesson wasnt "too much time spent on art." The lesson was "too much time spent on making the game *look* good." They're not the same thing

[@Omnii-lb8uf]

​@@hashtagrex Even still, the focus the entire second half of the video was making art, suggesting a weapon crafting concept, making more art but for a gun. Not that it's usable because the gameplay mechanic hasn't be made. Along with that there has been no prototype to see if the crafting will be fun, and most of all. Creating the gun followed nearly the exact same process as the list of guns prior to this that weren't fun. While he does state that shooting the gun 'felt fun', what about in combat? When crafting them? Balance? Gameplay? There was nothing that he mentioned wanting to improve on actually included. Hopefully the game testers will help with that, but this entire video just has unfinished ideas, none of which actively impact the game loop. There was a discussion on the elevator being broken. That was ignored. The walking animation is bad. That was ignored. The gameplay feels bad. The enemies and gameplay loop had a suggested fix. Nothing has been done, except making a single gun redoing the art... again.

[@cloverlovania]

@@Omnii-lb8uf "the walking animation was bad, that was ignored" no it fucking wasnt lmfao. did you see the video?? he TRIED to fix the walking animation, and didnt know how, so he requested that people give him advice on how to do it. it wasnt fixed, but it wasnt IGNORED

[@ThrarmAnimation]

@@Omnii-lb8uf “the walking animation is bad: that was ignored” no it fuckin wasnt, he spent like a minute explaining that he cant seem to get it good and asked for suggestions, i’d hardly call that “ignored” seems pretty adressed to me

[@SamFromSpaceOfficial]

Honestly, you are one of my biggest gamedev inspirations, and I am going to closely follow along this project forevermore!

[@Selrisitai]

Talk about a prophecy of doom disguised as a compliment!

[@CrissyMoss]

Why wouldn't your office themed weapons be fun? Ink pen could be spreading slippery puddles. Stapler could stun an enemy. Add the ability to switch between items quickly and you can make it x then together for debuff against the enemies as well as attacks.

[@Deynum]

Oh, they absolutely COULD be fun. It's just that the way I made them: they weren't fun. The ideas aren't bad, I just didn't execute them well

[@uselesslyuseless2125]

@@Deynum the staple could staple people to each other or walls , that;d be fun , they get a slowing debuff if to eachother or stunned for a bit if to a wall

[@GirusBetterThanVirus]

@@Deynum The paper desk gun's paper trail can slow down enemys for acouple seconds!

[@accrdn5]

The colored pen could do different amount of damage and add different debuffs on a couple of seconds depending on which color you shoot!

[@vibevizier6512]

​@@Deynumi think they have potential, personally! If that printer gun were rapidfire and had a fuckload of kickback i could see it bein fun as hell to use

[@rayisweird]

16:25 it would be cool if the gun had some recoil!

[@rayisweird]

just a suggestion

[@epicturtle57]

3:24 I completely agree with the motivation = obsession thing, I hope I can get over it eventually. (I’ve had a project almost done for like two months but I just haven’t wanted to finish it.)

[@oliverer3]

Got ADHD by any chance?

[@epicturtle57]

Oh god I just got a notification because of the amount of likes this got, I like REALLY should finish in now.

[@oliverer3]

@@epicturtle57 A tip that often works for me, tell a friend about it, explain why you're doing it and why you think it's fun! Often rekindles the motivation to keep going. I'd be happy to hear about your project if you feel up to telling the world about it. :)

[@halfsine]

i have learned after 4 different failed games to NEVER prioritize looks over gameplay until you KNOW that actually have fun gameplay

[@halfsine]

also i definitely think that the large weapons need some recoil

[@SandwichGamesHeavy]

One important lesson I have learned from game dev is that you need to add gameplay first, then you polish it, and only THEN you are starting to worry about visuals. You know - the only reason you need good visuals is just to advertise the game, funny enough is that modern gamers (at least the ones that have braincells) don't care about graphics. They only care about THREE things: 1. Optimizations 2. Gameplay. 3. Polish. Everything else is literally optional

[@hashtagrex]

ah but graphics still enhance gameplay. as an example from my obsession, you can take hollow knight. It would be a much worse game without the visuals being as good as they are. Despite it being one of my favourite games ever, I would never want to play it if it didn't look good. With game dev, you need placeholders that get an idea across. Visual appeal is very necessary, because eyesight is the main sense that people use, it's the most important one. But you can employ a bit of a psychological trick by letting players "fill in" the visual gaps as long as they have the right idea. Ultimately, if a game looks bad, that's going to be hurting your most important sense the entire time you're playing it. That includes you while you're developing it.

[@SandwichGamesHeavy]

@@hashtagrex it's a 2d game, I am currently talking about AAA fps slop

[@Faroshkas]

That dwarf game that only used ascii art:

[@SandwichGamesHeavy]

@@Faroshkas as I said - gameplay first.

[@Faroshkas]

@@SandwichGamesHeavy truly. I heard they made a new version with newer graphics, but the dedicated players still use the old one haha

[@kadincool]

9:30 you should make it so you can pick up one object above your head and throw it. Throwing it at an enemy will damage them and throwing it at another object will mix them and craft a gun. This makes the game more spatially bound and logical

[@Tizio-caio]

Nice idea! 💡

[@Terrahex1]

"Focusing on the art is the reason I lost motivation" then "So I did more art." Just because you lampshaded it, doesn't mean it's not still a problem. There is a reason that art is one of the last things done in a project, because it makes things so much easier to change when you're not worried about the art AND THEN YOU CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON ART with the walking animation. You haven't learned anything... have you? ... why have you continued to focus on art with the desk? You haven't playtested this? You don't know if it's fun. And then all of these hours could be wasted

[@Orange_Swirl]

Your anger is both as hilarious as it is understandable.

[@hashtagrex]

yes art should be the last thing, but you still need something to work with. Art is a fundamentally important part of a game because it makes the gameplay look better. You need to spend a little bit of time at the beginning on placeholders that get the right idea across - it's super important. There's no formula for how long you should spend on this, but making decent art so that you can focus on satisfying gameplay is needed. Take a look at the gun. Simply adding the screen shake made it go from incredibly boring to use, to super satisfying. It's a fine line to walk

[@YEs69th420]

It's fine to do a bit of art when the game dev juices aren't flowing. Better to do something than nothing. Especially if it's to hone in on game feel. Good for maintaining motivation.

[@joe_mama__]

@@YEs69th420 that's called concept art

[@YEs69th420]

@@joe_mama__ It's called pacing yourself.

[@Adam-oy6nc]

"To know thyself is the beginning of wisdom." -Socrates 370BC (when asked for his #1 tip for game dev)

[@eliptyshadow]

hey, thank you for the transparency about this! i've been really enjoying your videos, and i really appreciate the step back about what you've been doing and what you need to do. excited to see where this project goes in the future! :D

[@VeryRGOTI]

I believe the issue with the walking is that the character doesn't lean forward to run/walk. It's alright to perhaps try a running as the default instead of walking, since it'll go hand to hand with the dodging you'd often do. For the Paper-Scatter gun you could also add sfx, or a blast-flash from the muzzle to make it feel more big, if that makes sense. Can't wait to see this game heading in a new direction!

[@The_shady_puffer]

Take your time and don't rush this project. Mistakes are inevidable but you used them to make some amazing progress. Keep it up

[@SnotjeXIV]

The tiles work so well that 50% of the time they don't show up on youtube xD

[@Deynum]

That's actually exactly what I was going for lol

[@Private.Portal]

@@Deynum "It's not a bug, it's a feature."

[@Deynum]

Okay, wait, I'm rewatching the video again, and wow, the compression on the tiles is crazy! Maybe I should do something for the next video...

[@nobbyfirefly57]

Moral of the story: never assume that the problem will fix itself.

[@Walleyedwosaik]

8:37 this is so goofy I love it

[@Kaenguruu]

I have the *exact* same issue with working on long-time projects like you so I can absolutely understand you. Great vid ;)

[@VG7T]

Hey dude, I now you will probably never see this but you are a huge insparation for me, you are the reason why I’ve gotten into game dev. I currently saving up for a laptop, and once I get it (I probably won’t be able to afford it ever) I’m going to make a vr game. I just wanted to say Thankyou for making these videos, you are a massive insparation.

[@VG7T]

I FINALLY GOT A LAPTOP YAYAYAYYA

[@dagance]

"Motivation for me comes from obsession" - Very relatable! I've been kinda noticing that thing in myself, but haven't been quite able to understand it. Now you explained it really well, and I see it's exactly that thing...

[@IronVigilante451]

Idea:Sound design can also give characyeristics to weapons. Also, can we call the paper desk gun "Paper Jammer?"

[@Rougelike_enjoyer]

The gun can now have a percent chance to clog and not shoot but after unjamming it shoots a huge paper wad just to fit with paper "jammer" better just spit ballin

[@ydrib6086]

12:20 you should 100% make the printer furniture weapon, an ultimate type ability, where your character goes "F it, im done with yall" before shooting a massive piercing line of ink and throwing the printer itself, creating an explosion of ink

[@ReeceNother-Nunn]

I have a cool idea for a boss fight: The Receptionist Gameplay: Phase 1:She sits at a desk and doesn't move and only attacks when attacked, she throws coffee and paper at you but mainly types a bunch of words at you. Phase 2: Her head is taken over by her computer and images appear and turns into an enemy e.g. a rat acts like a cursor, a cat just sits there, a turtle spins around the room bouncing off walls like in mario Appearance: Red dress with coffee spills on it and a blue tie, when attacked gets a massive mouth filled with massive sharp teeth, during Phase 2 she stands up and has wire tentacle legs and the computer consumes her heard and an image appears each time a new enemy shall appear I hope you see this and add it to your game (you don't have to I won't mind but LOVE IT if you do)

[@malimakes]

This is one of the best videos in youtube gamedev. Really appreciate you being so transparent with the game vs video struggle. Also the paper desk bullet animation is sick

[@ViniSocramSaint]

That is pure evidence of a problem I head the solution of at one of those GDC videos: Mess around first, create stuff for the heck of it, on impulse, even. Make the mechanics and stick to one that feels fun, add few of the other meh mechanics... you can put a pretty packaging on it later.

[@darkdemongamer_1685]

I get it, as a game dev myself working on a game and getting motivation is REALLY hard, so I usuallu just try to PUSH myself weather i like it or not to make it good and fun. Usually I actually make a check list saying things I need to add or do, and everytime i complete something its so satisfying! and especially having others play my game is fun! Thats how i motivate myself

[@harmlesstherobot7181]

Suggestion: Specific objects add specific traits to the weapon. Like desks make projectiles larger, pens make projectiles faster, coffee machines could add splash damage, that sort of thing.

[@smallFrie43]

The screen shake was perfect! Sound design is also 100% the thing that gives that satisfaction, and also big guns should have big step back!!

[@oatie751]

I think knowing what you need to do to improve is probably the most important thing, if you don't know what needs doing you can't make progress

[@Culpride]

Deynum: "So let's animate the paper trail animation on this weapon that we get from the crafting, that we get from the feedback, that we get from the testers, that we get once there is a halfway playable alpha, that we get after prototyping the gameplay loop, that we get from the basic concept, that we get once we get motivation."

[@kallanshrynen3650]

Aye! Glad to hear you’re still working on it, excited for the future man.

[@dee_sgusting]

7:10 youtubes compression hates this trick

[@rampantbuckler818]

what's the trick?

[@PokeyIsTaken]

@@rampantbuckler818zooming in

[@demolisherman1763]

I do think the desk-printer gun needs some sound design added for it to feel really satisfying. Maybe an initial deep “Fwoomf, followed by a whooshing with lighter fluttering as the desk flies forward dropping paper.

[@axolotofideas]

maybe with the inventory system, it can be sorta space based? like larger objects take up more space so it encourages strategic organization!

[@Deynum]

This. Literally this is my idea

[@Culpride]

@@Deynum "Let's animate the paper trail animation on this weapon that we get from the crafting, that we get from the feedback, that we get from the testers, that we get once there is a halfway playable alpha, that we get after prototyping the gameplay loop, that we get from the basic concept, that we get once we get motivation. I got an idea! Space based inventory system!" Don't. I believe you have the competence to make an awesome game, but not with this level of feature creep and out of order plan. You didn't start over building your dream house. You just moved the decor and accent pieces you crafted to a new empty plot of land and continue crafting.

[@steamfunk742]

I have been loving your office rogue like videos for ages, but this video felt different. the final part when you said that you finally had fun made me feel very happy, and I am glad that you are stepping up to try and rectify your past mistakes. I'm excited to see what you add next :]

[@LazyTeaStudios]

Love the new gun! Its so juicy with the screenshake and everything! I also like the direction with crafting different guns with objects you find! How many guns is this gonna end up being 🤯

[@Deynum]

I have no idea lol, I might be in over my head

[@thejakery]

@@Deynum You should think about making it modular. Like, Printer + (any other object) shoots a white prefab of that object, that might make your life easier, AND provide a huge amount of creative freedom for your players

[@XplosivDS]

​@@Deynum I'm sure you're already doing it but I _really_ recommend looking into all of the knowledge there is on game design, it will make things more fun AND easy to make if you choose smartly what you do. All the good luck!

[@mattteo2245]

(Talking about his safety and security) Him: casually shows all of his info

[@NithinTHEHELL]

some ideas keyboard gun - it shoots letters water bottle gun - it shoots water & hold to release heavy attack camera gun - uses flash to immobilize enemy's sticky notes - sticks enemy's on place after pre-placed by player

[@continental_consumer]

I think the office themed weapons have a lot of potential for different playstyles. Heres ideas of how they can work and be unique: Stapler: Rapidly shoots staples that stun the enemy. The damage is low but its mainly for defensive reasons. Coffee: You throw a mug of coffee. The speed between throws is slow, but drains enemy's health for a few seconds after they are hit, and can hit several enemies with the splash. Pen: You swing a pen, and it creates an ink puddle that lingers for a while, damaging enemies that walk in. Tape: You swing a piece of tape dealing next to no damage, but it tapes enemies eyes when hit rendering them unable to attack for 5 seconds. Book: You hold a book open and can charge it up, and then slam it shut, longer its charged higher the damage. Plant: You swing a plant, and it flings around leaves that slightly home in on enemies. Damage is lower but you dont have to aim as hard. Desk: You carry a desk that you bash things with. It halts all your speed when used but deals extreme damage and has a bit of range. Shredder: You hold a shredder in front of you which automatically stunlocks and hurts enemies that come in contact and deals some decent damage. Holding it slows the player a small bit.

[@gmlegende3282]

Hey i'm a student in game design and I just wanted to give you two pieces of advices First always start with gameplay, you did say that you learned that the hard way in this video but somehow you kept not taking your own advice, for exemple when you had that "paper desk" idea, having a first reference drawing is fine if it helps you but don't bother making animation or such, just make a sloppy code, some basic asset, hell it could be just a bunch of grey shapes and then test it straight away. Like you're loosing a huge amount of time directly making the animation and it just means you won't give yourself enough time to actually find good ideas, which just means you'll be in a endless loop, I mean just look at your video, half of it is telling us "I focus too much on art" the other is making ONE bullet, ONE gameplay mechanic, not a very original nor well devlopped one either. Do more brainstorming too for theses and not just about the art part. Second your game is a original on the paper, but you have nothing that actually makes it special, let alone interresting. When making a new game we generally have like 3 steps before even coding or doing art that I feel like you skipped. First we just get a basic ,short description, well more like a vision, of the game which means some core mechanic and a general breakdown of the universe but more importantly we try to find the "aesthetic" of the game, which means "what feeling your game will convey to your player". Next we devlop the universe, make it more interresting, make rechearch, characters, places and so on. Finally we devlop the core mechanic and introduces some new ones, define it all, and then we can enter into pre-prod. You have basicly no universe, it's just "an office" and your mechanic so far are basicly a classic top down shooter, hell i'd even say it's one of the most basic one i've seen, and that despite the original setting. And finally i can't see where you're going, like i can't see it at all, what is the intend of that game ? What do you want to convey to your player ? What feeling ? You might think that doing all that worldbuilding and thinking about the 'feeling' of your game is useless since you just want to make a small game, but thrust me you're just making your life insanely harder by not doing it, and for way less result. Sorry if I sound harsh here, obviously it's not my intend to be mean, but I hope you'll understand and take account of theses.

[@dragontear1638]

Am glad you're keeping at this, and happy to hear that last bit - 'finally feeling *fun'* . Alright, here's an idea for the desk gun - when the paper desk disintergrates fully, you could have a shower of paper keeping the projectile's momentum. Either that can do a little damage per paper flying forwards, or harmlessly bounce off characters and environment.

[@dr.albitros4242]

I have a weapon idea: Red tape grenade - anyone who dears to touch it will get their vision limited and will become slower for as long as they are standing on it.

[@jacobkane4747]

I have an idea, not sure if you will even read this but I think it could be pretty cool. You could make the game a lot more interesting by adding more enemy variety. But not humans, I’m thinking more along the lines of things you would find in an office. A flying printer that shoots papers at you, a coffee machine that rolls around and spews hot coffee everywhere, a water cooler that makes the floor slippery with puddles, there’s so much potential here. Maybe an office plant grows vines and becomes hostile, or there are misleading exit signs, or even viruses coming out of some computers. I seriously can think of so many more, and I think they would make the game feel so much more alive!

[@craz2580]

Imagine if this guy went to the petscop direction

[@sohji9412]

Opening this video with a breakdown of the issues you’d had developing with complete transparency is something I appreciate very much!

[@Mr_Coconut862]

WELCOME BACK.

[@Malory-Malicious]

Adding sounds could also help with the fun because it could make it more satisfying (cuz sounds are always a big part of those “satisfying” videos along with immersion and just in general often very important for games)

[@Lava_guy]

10:45 are you doxing yourself, William Brown?

[@vaushfan9200]

Filing cabinets and their little silver keys should be the treasure chests to allow for puzzles. And office keycards to enter rooms/floors. The keys could be hidden inside the desks, trash bins, clocks, office plants, picture frames etc that you have to loot for stuff to make weapons from. The keycards could be on lanyards certain enemies drop

[@Agentt271]

I think your problem is that your game is not "juicy". It looks like the pixel art is nice, but the gameplay is not very fun. For example, when the character shoots, camera vibrations according to the weapon, bullet speed, even random intensification of weapon animations can be added. I think this is the main reason why games don't look fun. For example, when the enemies in 5:10 jump on the player, it feels like something is missing. I had this kind of enemy in my game and I solved the problem by vibrating the camera when the enemy jumps. You can also use PixelOver if you want to progress more through pixel art (I don't know if you've heard of it before, but animations can be made very simply).

[@buzz798]

Mad respect for admitting your faults. If it were any other game dev, they would have just continued not telling everyone that their game wasn't fun and released it in that state. Keep up the good work man!

[@PeacockLover127]

I always kinda thought this game didnt really have a hook or anything super duper unique. but the crafting- now that's an amazing idea! :D

[@졸지마]

Your game looks so much better than before and actually makes me wanna play it! My suggestion here. Everytime you get a new gun, the gun is highlighted (with effects like shines and close up). I believe it will make player feel achieved without hurting the gameplay itself.

[@x8c8r]

This is a valuable lesson on game development and design. Gameplay is the most important part, after that comes the juice - the stuff that makes the gameplay satisfying. And everything else pretty much comes after that - The art, the sounds (good sound design as arguably as important as things like screen shake or particles), and other types of polish.

[@nknight5072]

I just found your channel and this is awesome, absolutely loved this video, I’m subbed and will definitely be telling friends about this channel

[@TheShelfman]

Love this! Happy to see the direction the game is taking. Nice job on the new gun too😁

[@JakCC]

This new direction is looking sick! Keep it up 👍

[@KittyKazi]

The classic devlog sinkhole, creating for the camera. TBH as a dev myself I go through devlogs assuming this is what's happening behind the scenes because healthy development cycles look nothing like what devlogs normally are. It's nice to see confirmation of my cynicism, and the integrity on your part to come out with it. Best of luck pulling your game together!

[@SpammingY]

I think the walls and desks should start with the dirty grungy sprites but get cleaner and nicer as you progress. As you said, the dirty versions wouldn't work for the higher up floors, but they certainly would for the lower ones full of people they don't care about. Of course, don't focus on that just yet. Focus on fun! :)

[@kermitblyat4138]

The Placement was so interesting to watch with the way you edited it. Also beatiful animations and Art

[@eoln_]

About fun on videogames, there are some quotes from myiamoto, telling that "if moving around with a character was fun, the game was going to be good". Something in these lines.

[@Soleman3139]

Cool to see the juxtaposition of devlog and game. The transparency is admirable! Sometimes an element might not be completely satisfying simply because the sound design doesn't match or isn't present. The visuals look good, and some of those weapons you disposed of looked goofy and neat! I hope you can trust your process and that your newest obsession will be making a complete experience by the end of it all ^-^

[@poof3910]

Something else that could be interesting with objects is being able to maybe kick them, either into enemies to do damage, or to create obstacles enemies have to get around, say you're being bombarded by enemies you could run behind a desk, kick it and have it slide across the floor crushing some of the enemies as it slams against the wall.

[@Ndrici]

First time seeing this project and it looks fun! Cant wait to see what you add next!

[@ntPingu]

He is bacc! I was visiting your channel so often just to see if you're still alive. So glad to see new updates from u

[@nochs_brother_2]

I haven’t seen this channel before this video but I’m so hyped to see where this game goes in the future!

[@giga-ratsey1420]

2:18 I know it doesn’t matter but I feel like some gimmicks could’ve been things like the staple trapping enemies to the closest object behind them or the Pen doing splash damage by coloring all enemies nearby with ink slowing them down, stuff like that.

[@woodoowooda_yt1713]

This has made me realise why i never finish a project I start. The obsession = motivation bit. Additionnaly, I never have a complete gameplay loop to send to my friend so they can give me their opinio on how the game feels or if its any "fun". Thanks! That made me think a bit and hope your as well can improve your game like your want it !

[@kerricklogan3801]

That paper shooting gun could do papercuts, applying a bleed damage over time. Combine a shot of the paper with a shot from the stapler and it could post a note on the target, saying "kick me", attracting aggro for a short duration.

[@YesTheBambooStick]

Its awesome to see another Office Roguelike video! Just a suggestion but what if weapons had different properties depending on the size of the objects you combined. For example the Desk Printer you made would do massive damage, but would only be single shot, while combining something like a stapler and a pen would only do small damage but last a really long time. Finally combining a small and large item could give you a medium weapon that does medium damage, and has medium health / ammo. Maybe they take up different inventory space as well, so you can carry 100 coffee-pen guns but only 2 printer-table guns. Stuff like this would add alot more strategy to the game, and make it alot more interesting to play, as you really have to think about what you want to combine. (Also please add kickback to the printer table, that as well as the screenshake would really show the power behind that paper)

[@hungryporpoise5940]

my best tip for fun is to focus on the little things. Its all about the impact of what the player does, so screen shake, particles, and other effects dramatically make the game more fun despite not changing the gameplay.

[@NicolasMarti-me1xp]

Suggestion: I think it would be cool if a few pieces of paper flew out the back of the desk printer gun as you shoot. Like one or two pieces. I think that will make it more fun while not being too over the top .

[@mz_eth]

Great devlog! Man some of those KZbin video self reflections I can feel in my bones lmao

[@immortalsun]

I’ve been following these dev logs for a while. Love ’em! Keep them coming!

[@zyad48]

A thing I got in my head about the weapon you made here would be making the projectile explode forward in a puff of paper at the end of its travel maybe that's a bit much for a normal weapon but it feels like that would be a more satisfying end of the projectile's life than it is now. It's also a fairly large projectile which might be why I feel it could use that kind of weight.

[@user-es8dp4xf2e]

As someone who saw the first video when it came out, and loosely followed your progression I must say you have my full respect for admitting all these points in this video.

[@fgvcosmic6752]

I respect this a _lot_ I also respect a lot of the responses to comments you've written. Its a self awareness a lot of developers fail to capture, alongside a very realistic approach to improvement

[@jaywalmoose9623]

Fair play for being so honest about the decisions you made in the past. I can only imagine it was tough to expose a weakness in the videos you focused on so much

[@logken734]

Great episode! I had a lot of FUN watching it

[@trinitdm2677]

I'm new to your channel since this video just got recommended to me, but even I can tell you've been stuck in this vicious cycle for a long time, and I'm proud of you for finally starting to break it.

if you wanted to, you could consider making the camera look ahead of the player depending on what direction you're aiming, could help with longer range weapons so you can see where you're shooting. Good luck on the devlogs, you got a subscription from me!

[@Tsea200]

Dunno what to say but im really happy to see that death inc is moving in a good direction! Best of luck for what you work on next! cant wait for the next devlog but do take ur time! dont get burnt out!!!!

[@Metrocysh]

Hey!!! Best of luck with the game's development :3 I can definitely see the walk cycle being fixed with a more leaned over running animation - never be afraid of *exaggerating* the action! Legs swaying back and forth is always good running! Also making him bounce, of course!

[@stinkyseastar3560]

the way this was filmed, especially the ending, dude you're a cinematic genius

[@hydriasensus]

I totally get you. Making devlogs does interfere with the production procress, one wants to polish things or even solve the graphic side before they should just to please the viewers. And making content is a lot of work, sometimes it takes more time than making the game and the development start to slow down. I'm glad you changed perspectives and find a way back to keep working in the game better than before!

[@rewrose2838]

Transparency just got you a new subscriber mate, keep it up!

[@Hezman20]

very excited for more focus on making the gameplay fun!

[@h2o848]

8:50 he got the swagger for real tho, i'm sure some other people in your situation would disappear from their channel or keep faking things; good on you for making the change

[@anonimo-cw4ut]

By the way, i thought You were death! , im so glad you're still with this project and it's commendable that you're been honest with your audience , keep it up!

[@DanielVids610]

You should add sound to make the guns more satisfying to shoot