Hi everyone! New year! New dev log! It has been about three months since the last one and there's quite a lot of new information to talk about.
Here is our monthly update with what's going on at whimindie. Please note that some of this information will be cross-posted to our Spellbearers project page on Kickstarter for project backers.
Spellbearers
We have some announcements regarding Spellbearers that I'd like to share. Please take a look.
New Spell Incoming! Prima's Discord
As of current plans, this will be the final spell added for the game. I could only show a small part of the screen due to avoiding spoilers. But with this, we have all of the spells done for Spellbearers!
New Spell Incoming! Prima's Discord
As of current plans, this will be the final spell added for the game. I could only show a small part of the screen due to avoiding spoilers. But with this, we have all of the spells done for Spellbearers!
Co-Op Gameplay Changes for Upcoming Release/Launch
We are going to be making a list of changes for the 2-player mode for Spellbearers for release. Originally in the demo version, a second player would be able to hop in and out of gameplay at any time throughout the level. Due to new balance changes we have implemented to make gameplay with 2 players scale, we are making the following changes to co-op gameplay for the retail release.
- A second player will be able to join at the character selection screen. If they join from the start, both players will start with the default amount of lives.
- Player 2 will no longer be able to join mid-game the middle of fighting in a room. In order for Player 2 to join mid-game, the room will need to be safely cleared of all enemies and be able to proceed to the next room. If Player 2 loses a life, they will be able to respawn in game as normal.
- If Player 1 has less than the default amount of lives when Player 2 joins mid-game, then Player 2 will start with that amount of lives. (ie: Player 1 has 3 lives at the point when player 2 joins, they will have 3 lives as well.)
- If Player 1 only has one life remaining, Player 2 will not be able to join mid-game.
- Player 2 will no longer be able to join mid-game during bosses or in the corridor hall just before the boss.
- If Player 2 joins mid-game, a Spellbearer will be randomly selected from one that Player 1 did not select.
- Player 2 will no longer be able to drop game once they've joined in. They can only drop by running out of lives.
Production of PlayStation 5 Version
I am happy to say that a PlayStation 5 port of Spellbearers will begin development in the next month! We're still working out details on how this will affect current backers and how/if they will be able to switch their pledge.
I hope to share some more details on this in a future update. Please be aware as of our current plans that Xbox and PlayStation 5 versions of Spellbearers will launch AFTER the PC/Steam release.
Production of Steam Deck Optimized Version
We will also be working on a Steam Deck compatible version of Spellbearers. We want to use this specific build as a basis for how other... similar piece of hardware *cough* might be able to handle the game. I hope to provide updates for this in the next few months as we get a clearer idea of how Steam Deck runs other similar games and we get our environment set up to be able to test the performance.
I am happy to say that a PlayStation 5 port of Spellbearers will begin development in the next month! We're still working out details on how this will affect current backers and how/if they will be able to switch their pledge.
I hope to share some more details on this in a future update. Please be aware as of our current plans that Xbox and PlayStation 5 versions of Spellbearers will launch AFTER the PC/Steam release.
Production of Steam Deck Optimized Version
We will also be working on a Steam Deck compatible version of Spellbearers. We want to use this specific build as a basis for how other... similar piece of hardware *cough* might be able to handle the game. I hope to provide updates for this in the next few months as we get a clearer idea of how Steam Deck runs other similar games and we get our environment set up to be able to test the performance.
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Selatria
We also have a lot of information to share regarding updates for Selatria. We're making a lot of progress towards linking up all of the completed cutscenes with all of the gameplay. While we do that, we are also working on various quality of life improvements.
Controller Layout/Changes
In the last development log, I mentioned that we were making the controls a bit easier to understand. A big issue we've noticed especially noticing internal and demo testers and players at conventions is that we overload the player with a LOT of information at one time, and it's something we definitely wanted to change before the release.
Jon, Deborah and I have made a lot of tweaks and changes to the layout of the game to make things a lot easier to understand on a quick look. Some of the actions we wanted to take and prioritize.
- Only showing the information the player needs to see. If the player is using a controller, we focus on showing only controller functions and operations. Same with the keyboard.
- Updating the diagrams and tutorial controls for various minigames and in-game events with necessary controls using easy to understand visual cues and icons.
- A toggleable battle help window that shows icons to help new players.
With these bullet points in mind, we were able to simplify something like this (original design)
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| The old/original controls diagram |
to this
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| The new controls diagram (Controller View) |
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| Battle Screen (Keyboard) |
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| Battle Screen (Controller) |
Do keep in mind if you prefer the old way without the controls visible on the screen, this can be turned off in the Options menu.
Production of Trailer for Selatria - Full Version
We are starting production on the trailer for the full version of Selatria. Our trailer is being worked on by Jessi who handled the ANTics and Selatria Part 1 trailer several years ago, and we're hoping to share something even greater. Please look forward to it!
Steam Deck Port being Researched
With the upcoming release of the Steam Deck this month, we have found out that we may be able to make Selatria compatible with the Deck. Our main concerns regarding porting Selatria is the amount of space the game takes up, MIDI not working on Steam Deck, how we can have something comparable in quality to the PC version.
Shadoe has converted a lot of the MIDI tracks over to an .ogg equivalent that is compatible with the Deck and the quality sounds very comparable. Jon is researching how we can have the Deck version play .ogg equivalent of files of .mid so we don't have to convert data for hundreds of maps. And Parker will be handling the testing on the Deck itself.
I can't absolutely promise as of this update if we're going to guaranteed have a Steam Deck-compatible version of Selatria, but we're going to make every effort to try!
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Rogue Jam 2022
Spellbearers has been nominated for an Audience Choice Awards at the Rogue Jam hosted by Rogue Games and IGN! If you haven't voted yet, the deadline is on Friday, February 4th!
Be sure to give Spellbearers a vote on the Rogue Jam Audience Choice Awards website!
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LVLUPEXPO 2022 Update
I wanted to also talk a bit about LVLUPEXPO.
Originally we planned on attending and showcasing some of these changes in this year's LVLUPEXPO 2022 scheduled for later this month. However, due to concerns about the COVID-19 Omicron variant, we have made the difficult decision to back out of this year's convention. We will not be showing our games at the convention this year.
I'm wishing the LVLUPEXPO convention the best and I hope we can be able to present at the convention in 2023.
I'm wishing the LVLUPEXPO convention the best and I hope we can be able to present at the convention in 2023.
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Regarding NFTs and Blockchain Games
The last point I want to make is regarding the rise of publishers and developers wanting to embrace NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) in their games, products, and services.
A lot of publishers and developers are interested in embracing NFTs, and there's quite a bit of pushback from indie game developers as well as players against them.
While I don't have any ill will for companies, publishers, or developers that wish to use NFTs or make blockchain games, it is not a direction we are taking the studio in. Our focus is to make enjoyable games that are, at its core, fun. Our hope is to keep it that way. Thank you for your support.
While I don't have any ill will for companies, publishers, or developers that wish to use NFTs or make blockchain games, it is not a direction we are taking the studio in. Our focus is to make enjoyable games that are, at its core, fun. Our hope is to keep it that way. Thank you for your support.
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That's all for this development log. If you haven't please vote in the Rogue Jam and give your vote for Spellbearers! We really appreciate your support.
Also, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Twitch, and join our Discord! Until next time!
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