First Post - Returning to Ten Thousand Coins
Hi there,
It's been quite a while since I last touched Ten Thousand Coins, which started as a 1 month project while still studying at Uni in Auckland, New Zealand back in 2013. Afterwards finishing the project, I stopped development completely, and continued on with school.
Check out my old Ten Thousand Coins blog to see my previous development: Click Here
(All the code for Ten Thousand Coins will be re-written as development goes on, so the old prototype is just a base/reference to work from.)
Now that I have graduated, worked for a while at a game company, why am I picking up this project again?
The reason I am returning to Ten Thousand Coins is simple: I want to make Ten Thousand Coins into a great game, more than just a hobby project. I'm also aiming for a commercial release at the end, regardless if it will be successful or not (of course I will do my best to make it successful). Life has put me at a position where I have time to revisit this game, so now is a better time than ever.
A lot of changes and improvements will be made to this game, so without further ado, let's get right into the development!
I returned to development in February 2016, first familiarizing with my old code again, as well as the updated Game Maker Studio engine. Did some game design, character ideas and concepts, and new narrative ideas.
Changes made so far to my last 2013 build:
Currently I am developing Ten Thousand Coins solo. I may look for additional help from anyone interested in the project once my playable demo is done.
Working solo will have its advantages and disadvantages of course, with the biggest advantage being full creative control over the project, able to make changes right away; while the biggest disadvantage I see is the difficulty in self-motivation, lacking team members who you can share your success and challenges with, being able to support and motivate each other. Having worked in many team projects for the past few years, I believe this solo journey will be a valuable experience.
It's been quite a while since I last touched Ten Thousand Coins, which started as a 1 month project while still studying at Uni in Auckland, New Zealand back in 2013. Afterwards finishing the project, I stopped development completely, and continued on with school.
Check out my old Ten Thousand Coins blog to see my previous development: Click Here
(All the code for Ten Thousand Coins will be re-written as development goes on, so the old prototype is just a base/reference to work from.)
Now that I have graduated, worked for a while at a game company, why am I picking up this project again?
The reason I am returning to Ten Thousand Coins is simple: I want to make Ten Thousand Coins into a great game, more than just a hobby project. I'm also aiming for a commercial release at the end, regardless if it will be successful or not (of course I will do my best to make it successful). Life has put me at a position where I have time to revisit this game, so now is a better time than ever.
A lot of changes and improvements will be made to this game, so without further ado, let's get right into the development!
I returned to development in February 2016, first familiarizing with my old code again, as well as the updated Game Maker Studio engine. Did some game design, character ideas and concepts, and new narrative ideas.
Changes made so far to my last 2013 build:
- Inventory system now supports drag and drop, allowing the player to reorganize the inventory. This was one of the big weaknesses of the 2013 build, as the inventory can get very messy, without an option to clean it.
- Designed and prototyped a new game mode called "Dungeon Mode" (placeholder name), which the player aim is to progress as far into the wilderness, arriving at small resting spots, build up their character, before ultimately starving to death. Will be a rather rogue-like type game mode, without the ability to create save files mid-game. This game mode will be a nice mix-up to the narrative and money-based Story Mode.
- Fixed a few game breaking bugs
Currently working on:
- New art style research and concept. The art for the 2013 project was very rushed to meet the due date, and the style was purely experimental (which I feel turned out less than I had imagined).
- Character concepts.
- Narrative writing, creating a new story, characters, and settings.
- Adjustments to code, including game resolution, dialog system, and some user interface.
- A vertical slice/playable demo of the final product
Currently I am developing Ten Thousand Coins solo. I may look for additional help from anyone interested in the project once my playable demo is done.
Working solo will have its advantages and disadvantages of course, with the biggest advantage being full creative control over the project, able to make changes right away; while the biggest disadvantage I see is the difficulty in self-motivation, lacking team members who you can share your success and challenges with, being able to support and motivate each other. Having worked in many team projects for the past few years, I believe this solo journey will be a valuable experience.
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| The second "New Game" button leads to Dungeon Mode. All assets are placeholder for now. |
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| Drag and drop inventory working |
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| Dungeon Mode, currently with same assets as story |
