CarrotsCritters
patreon
Build v.09! ENTER THE PLANT~!
🕑 Added 2020-02-27 21:32:23 +0000 UTCOK! Got some heckin' TASTY new updates for this build!
Most evident and off the top of my head:
- Plant Side quest and Sex Scene! (We do still have another surprise for this quest that isn't quite in the build yet.)
- Interact UI v3.0! Now interacting with the critters is a bit more intuitive! We've just set the foundations in, so it's not 100% hooked up with everything. Particularly, we had to remove the GOSSIP feature, as the gossip 2.0 isn't ready just yet.
- Dialogue UI v2.0! All portraits have been updated to now accommodate this new design. It's much more robust, allowing for individual tweaking of portraits, layering of assets (per portrait) - Triggered icon animations (We have a small taste with the current bounces) It's pretty dope! I still have a few adjustments to make with it, but the functionality is there.
- Bridge Quest now has proper counters/collecting of assets! We've gone ahead and hid the assets all around.
- Bunny handjob scene is back in - back where it was meant to be!
- Various polishes and fixes!
- New font! Smaller, more legible, and a bit more more modern than the previous! (Not all fonts have been updated)
- "New Tutorial" - Scarlett will run ya through it when ya start.
- A CONGRATS screen for when you've accomplished all the things you can in this build :)
And probably some other things I'm forgetting.
Go check it out!
HEADS UP - The windows build feels pretty stable, but we haven't done any rigorous testing on Linux/Mac build. So like last time, those builds are play at your own risk. We will get to trouble shooting those once all of Act 1 is in and done.
Huge thanks for everyone being so dang patient with us! I really appreciate it! Please enjoy that plant animation! It was SUPER fun and VERY DIFFICULT to do lmao. I bit off way more than I could chew with that one, but it came out very very well. I can't complain at all haha.
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Carrot Thoughts:
Personally, I've been a bit anxious with the releases as of late.
I was making promises earlier that were absolutely unrealistic. (I thought Act 1 could be done like, 5 months ago? HAH) Despite backtracking to revamp older systems (definitely for the better) - the amount of work that needed to be done was vastly underestimated.
Fortunately, you've all been amazing and haven't made a single complaint about delays - and for the most part, our financial support here on patreon hasn't taken any big hits (Which is HELLA, thank you <3)
BUT, my own expectations has been something I've been needing to learn how to manage better...
Up until now, I've been a solo content creator for the past 6 years. Everything was up to me, and if I needed to get something done, I could just go super hard with some energy drinks and do what I gotta do.
With this game, not only am I relying on Vixel, but we're also jumping headfirst in a vastly different medium, and a vastly different workflow. I've learned an absolute fuck ton over the past year, but this next lesson is gonna be a tough one. There will be parts in the production where I'm pretty powerless to help things move along, and it's just how it goes. To be 100% clear, Vixel has been kicking major ass. But it's my own lack of understanding and awareness of the process, as well as unrealistic expectations, that are causing my unease.
I tend to wanna just "past time" when there's nothing much I can do, so I'll jump into a game binge for a while and disappear off the internet haha. It's really not the best way to do stuff, but thanks to that, I did binge the shit out of Persona 5 and will probably be stealing a thing or two from that game to put into ours :>
The reality is, there's plenty of other things I can be doing. We have 4 WHOLE OTHER ACTS to prepare for obviously. Lots more in terms of sound designing, or music. Even looking out of the box for advertising or possible merchandising. Or really online presence at all. Not to mention the actual art I still owe people, or opening up for some commissions to prepare for taxes next month.
I need to be more OK with this entire process:
- Delays will absolutely happen.
- Promising deadlines is a HUGE liability.
- Expectations (for creators and audience) need to be managed realistically.
- Life will get in the way, for me and Vixel.
- Games are EVEN HARDER to make than I can possibly fathom. I shouldn't be surprised, or disappointed, when we're behind "schedule."
- All of these struggles are just part of the job, and that's A-OK.
Additionally, these all have positive counterparts to them.
- The delays happen because we want an even better product than we anticipated.
- Deadline promises lead to "crunch time" and liability, making us TRY to stick with a schedule.
- High expectations help pave the path to what it is we want to see. What will stand out, and what will be truly special.
- Life can deal us shitty cards, but we should also be living the cool cards when they present themselves.
- It's the difficult things that are worth doing. And we're constantly put to the test, learning, and improving all the more so by tackling such a huge project.
- If we can handle all the struggles, we'll be that much stronger afterward.
At the end of the day, these new obstacles are part of the ride. It's difficult, but it's what I wanted and it's such a solid step for my progress as an artist! Thank you all again for being a part of the journey =)
Comments
GFHCDK76
The action to be found within, brings to mind the saying, "Plant your ass here." ^.^
Jack_Wolfe
I loved the demo. i need more!!
Kalu
I'm trying to open the mac build but it says: the application "TheForestOfLove can't be opened.
Just so you know, the first time that you talk to Penny one of the dialogues you have a 1 instead of an !. Suuper hype to see more of this game coming together ^--^
Lapsio
Huge thanks for solving issues with Linux build :) I played it through twice and everything seems to work fine this time.
Carrot
yeah lmao, plank won't be in the final release haha. that's just for you guys! Courtesy of Vixel!
Carrot
Love the thought you are putting into it all :> The forest being too dark to explore is actually supposed to happen before you get that quest not after lmao - so I guess that is broken haha. We have a lot planned for a lot of what you mentioned. I’m sure you are gonna dig it <3
GFHCDK76
Do as you wish, and what feels better to you. But, the drop box icon works for me. ^.^
GFHCDK76
Oh, one last side note: I'm quite glad none of the wood to be collected was fully hidden. I have seen a few games where a developer will do things like that as a (to me, a messed up) way to add some difficulty to their game. But to me, all it does is make the game frustrating to figure out, and not fun to play. >.< Funny you added Plank as something to find. ^.^
GFHCDK76
Have finished ACT 1, and it was fun. ^.^ It has both less and more than your past demo builds. Seems odd you can go visit the plant once when asked to, but when you go to it otherwise without tasked to, you are told it's too dark to walk in the woods. Perhaps that might be a little less confusing, and a bit better story wise, if you are given a light source by the bunny Scarlett to borrow and return once your task for her is done, to help explain why the wood was not dark for you when asked to go in, but is too dark and spooky to go in before and after the task. Just a thought. Also, I think it would be funny if you had the "seeds" from the plant placed visually in your inventory slots until you deliver them to Scarlett. Second time playing this build, I had him walk around with it for as long as I could before delivering the seeds to Scarlett, just for shit's and giggles. ^.^ I found like Augustus in this build. Don't know why, but I do. I do feel a person in his situation would be better off not to wait on others to be interested in what he is, for that may never happen, likely not where he is living, but for him to possibly partake in the interest of others, might be a little less lonely for him that way. Perhaps that subject could be brought up in some way within the game, to maybe help Augustus out as a further plot build. Just a suggestion. The stones to the west of him I feel may turn into a conversation with Augustus, sometime later in the game. And perhaps talking to him might be a way of finding out how to fix the lower broken stone, and unlock something in the game as well. Just another suggestion and/or guess. ^.^ That also makes me wonder if magic will in anyway play a small roll in this game at any time. Though I don't see any real need for it to, but it could just the same.
NeoPata
You had me at Plant <3
Carrot
Yeah for sure! I realize now that our "little extra systems" - end up being a whole huge task to undertake. Stuff like the "swimming system" ended up being (and still needs to be) a ton of extra work to polish. And it's in such a small part of the game xD, I basically have to make more opportunities to swim at this point lmao. Games that are more repetitive and have primarily a single function, are more able to JUST have that one function and kinda repeat it or dress it up in more complex/fun ways. Like something like Binding of Isaac - definitely has a lot of complex systems in it. but at the end of the day, the main function just slightly transforms as the game goes on. Allowing for a lot more longevity in design. I thought our lil' systems would be "pretty simple" Lol - but even the simple things have a ton of work to get working right and polished!
GFHCDK76
"Games are EVEN HARDER to make than I can possibly fathom." Funny. ^.^ Yet, some are able to push them out fairly quick. O.o But those are usually made with a game maker, and with a lot of assets already made for them, so much of the game making is a lot of point and click building. I have made a few complete games myself with such tools. I have also seen a hand full of some very ambitious game projects, that years later, even with a small team working on them, they are still all a WIP. O.o So, what you discovered there, is not surprise to me. ^.^ Mostly considering you and Vixel are developing the code and assets yourself. Even with Unity as a base to build from, it still dose not make the games for you. Still building with Unity is a good place to work from for such a game I would think. ^.^
Riot Goes Woof
I love that you write such long and heartfelt updates. Really helps me as a contributor feel like part of the process. Keep doing what you're doing. Game/asset creation is HARD. You both have done amazing work and I have no doubt you will continue to. This is my most eagerly checked patreon account for a reason. xoxo, Riot
Christoph Brauer
This update is really funny. I'm already through act 1 and there I have to say - I love where this is going and I'm looking forward to future updates
Carrot
More carrot thoughts: Hmm, a big ole pixelized Dropbox icon kinda sucks. Maybe i'll create promos and just put a link to the dropbox on the next updates...
SPNovacaine
WOOOOHOOOOO Ive been waiting for this
