Towards to the playable demo

The short-term plan

So the year has changed, and that's that. The project is not yet near its completion, so the progress must keep ongoing. I think it is a good idea to start the year with a clear battle plan, and right now it is to get the playable demo out.

The original idea was to publish the demo on Itch.io, but I have given this a good thought, and Steam would be a better option. The game will be published on Steam in the end, so this playable demo would give a bit more visibility right away. Steam might have a bit more bureaucracy, but that is the only negative thing I can figure out. However, there is one thing that is concerning in my mind: Is Steam a good place to gather Alpha gameplay feedback?

And when is the demo out?

I have created a list of necessary tasks and fixes that need to be done before the demo can be released. And there is work, at least, for the month at least.

Some new weapons, like the wave gun (shown below!), will not be part of the demo. The reason is that drawing the sprites and finalizing them takes some time from me.

So, maybe during the next month? (Note: If I decided to go with Steam, this might add one extra month because of the bureaucracy.)

You mention a new gun?

Yes, I added a new weapon to the game. I call it a wave gun. It slows down enemies and does not stop on collision. Damage is not that great, but the hit area of its ammo is larger than usual.

Any other updates?

I got some feedback and added a hexagon background to the level. First, I was a bit skeptical about this and thought it could add an irritating motion blur effect when the player moves. But it worked out well, and now the player movement is a way easier to recognize.

Minor tweaks are also done to the UI/HUD:

• Player HP is now colored, and the color will change when the player gets hit. Full HP is obviously green, and low HP is red.
• Minimap icons are bit larger and the screen "hover-effect" is not so bright anymore.
• The button focus effect is now brighter, so with a gamepad, the focus is seen much clearer.

Sound effects have been lacking behind for a long time, so I'm going to focus on them too before the demo is out.

I'll be more active on social media too!

I'll try to be more active on the X platform during this year. So if you are interested in smaller updates of the project, feel free to check my profile there! This blog will, however, be the main channel where I post things, and once a month is still going to be the schedule.

I'll get back to work with the sound effects now. Let's keep in touch!

And have a nice year of 2025!

Teemu, TheAspen