All posts by Faenrir

Game developer / Game Designer / Writer extraordinaire.
devlog, DreadStar, Level editor

Sept 14th. dev update

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Hi !
It’s time for another dev update as i finally finished the 4th level boss. Some gameplay from the boss turned out to be more complicated to program than anticipated and i had to change a few things in the core game engine.

As everything is now complete on that boss, i can start working on changes to the level editor and start the level design (the fun part!).
I need to make those changes because this level’s design is particular. We are using a lot of background elements that need pixel perfect placement, something the current level editor can’t do well except on fixed locations (useful for enemies, but not so much for background elements). It will also be useful for the 5th level (and if/when we release the level editor as well).

I’m hoping i can make those changes and have a good first rough of the level by the end of the week.
I’ll then start working on the 5th level’s enemies and bosses, along with the core mechanics of the level.

Stay tuned!

devlog, DreadStar

Time for another dev update!

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Hi everyone!
Here is another dev update…

The Betelgeuse sector enemies are done (including mid-boss) and the boss is mostly done. I have also been working on game design as we are working with ClemenC on the Mazinger sector’s general design, enemy design and the overall feel we want to give to that level. ClemenC has finished the background and it is a really interesting one.
The level will be quite different from other levels as you will have the opportunity to speed up or down the movement in that level using booster platforms. Your score will also depend on how much time it took you to beat the level…and there might be a surprise on the final boss as well 🙂 but i’ll keep that a secret for now.

As a side note, we have begun thinking about game conventions and events where we could show the game to more people. We need to get more people to know about the game as we feel it is generally well received so far.
The alpha demo is still out so if you haven’t tried it yet, hop on to GameJolt, Itch.io or Indiexpo and give it a try!

devlog, DreadStar, Pixel Art, Website

August 30th dev update

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We have a new logo!

augmented irreality logo
Augmented Irreality (or nightmare?)

ClemenC has been working on this site (the old one was something i quickly threw together a long time ago and forgot a bit about) and has created us this beautiful new logo which will also be used in a new splash intro to replace the old (ugly) one.

As for myself, I have been working on finalizing the enemies for the Betelgeuse sector (the infested planet one) and ran into some trouble with a simple bezier curve (mainly because i had forgotten how to use the function which is, in fact, fully functional). But the enemies are coming along nicely and should be done shortly.
Next up will be the boss which i know will be a fun one. We want to keep the surprise for the full game but believe me when i say you’ll have fun fighting it !

Things have quieted down a bit after the alpha demo launch but thanks to Gamejolt which put us on the front page, we have had a lot of exposure and, as a result, videos of the demo and the first previews of the game on softpedia, indieretronews and other websites have surfaced. The feedback is very positive and we are glad to see people like the game. We have a lot of areas to improve, obviously, but this means we are not working in vain and our efforts will pay in the end. Can’t wait to finish the game and see people play it on a full release.

With that said, removing new undiscovered bugs (there were only a few, thankfully), launching the demo and marketing it and communicating a lot around the game has taken me more time than i wish and as a result, i am lagging a bit behind schedule. I hope to turn this around by working more this week than usual (i’m probably going to end up working all weekend).

That’s it for now…

devlog, DreadStar

Dev update ! August 24th

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I said we were going to post more often about the development of the game so here goes nothing !
We had a bug that allowed the laser to destroy enemies behind another enemy on very particular occasions (it only did it on the Claws boss from the faraway sector…the laser was able to destroy the homing bullet when hitting the boss).
debug
With all this solved, i am back to enemy and boss design, notably new enemies (new type of enemies that are on the ground and don’t collide with the player ship but still get hit by bullets and fire bullets as well) and some boss logic for the Cylon sector.
I am hoping to have the boss finished and the enemies well on their way by this time next week.

We will be updating the alpha demo with the solved bugs (Claws bugs…the laser thing and the fact that he was both too easy and not invulnerable when arriving) shortly! Probably tomorrow or Friday.

Stay tuned…

devlog, DreadStar, Pixel Art

The alpha demo is out !

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Hi everyone. I haven’t posted here for a while but we have been very busy working on the game, posting on facebook, twitter, google+, indieDB, steam greenlight and it has been pretty exhausting.
The good news is that the alpha demo is now out and you can grab it on Itch.io

or GameJolt

DreadStar demo
DreadStar’s demo is now out !

I have recently removed a lot of small bugs and added a bit more feedback to several areas. There is still a lot of work to be done, we need to make new sounds (there are a lot of sounds missing right now) and i am now working on the level 2 boss fight.

DreadStar level 2 boss
Cold and deadly artificial intelligence!

The next part will be enemies and the bosses from the 4th level.

We are going to post more regularly here and try to keep this devlog alive so that you can read all about the work we’re doing !
Stay tuned!

devlog, DreadStar, video

Greenlight campaign for Dreadstar !

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The greenlight campaign for DreadStar: The Quest for Revenge is up !
You can vote for the game here:
Steam Greenlight

There is also a new trailer video that you can watch:

It has been quite a busy month and i have to admit i haven’t updated the website enough (tried some twitter plugin to autopost but it didn’t end well xD), but it is a struggle to manage facebook, twitter, google+, indieDB, steam and all those together. I will try to post more as development goes on.
Right now, we are working on finalizing the alpha demo that will include the first level (complete first level!).
Stay tuned for more news on that in the next few days and weeks.

devlog, DreadStar, Pixel Art

New cockpit !

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Hi all !
Here is a look at the new cockpit screen (with a redesigned UI).
That’s where you will select your destination (level or shop), assign level points, change your ship’s equipment, or just chill out watching some holos while listening to some high-tech audio tapes !

newcockpit

More news soon as we continue to work hard on the upcoming demo…

devlog, DreadStar, Level Design, Level editor, Movement editor

Keeping it up there, in the galaxy!

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Hi !
Here are some news and fresh images from the game and new tools:

The Tyrian elements are slowly being eradicated and replaced by their newer forms !

New graphic elements for Galaxy Hunter

So far the work is progressing steadily and everything goes well. We are working on the last elements to finish the demo version that will be posted on specialist forums to get feedback on the gameplay, ui, etc.

I made a new tool for the game to help design movement for the enemies/bosses:

Galaxy Hunter Movement Editor

And finally, here is a picture of the way i can design levels with the new level editor:

Galaxy Hunter Level Design