Oh, I love those Devlogs so much. I know it's a marketing mechanic, but it really works. I feel deeply invested in that game and the philosophy that goes behind it. Thank you so much for speaking up about the "time management game", a phrase that describes farm games way better than "farm". I think a lot of these games are about the productivity systems - they force us to do as much as we can in the shortest amount possible/with the least resources we have provided in the game. They always start to stress me mid-games because there is just SO MUCH to keep in mind all the freaking time. And then I end up watching youtube videos about how to squeeze every possible cent out of every second so that I "don't waste time". I really don't think they fit under the "cozy" blanket anymore. As much as I got bored of Animal Crossing, the idea that there was only so much you can do in a day was absolutely freeing. Stardew really feels like I'm a project manager, and every time i want to do something different, I need to watch the clock, watch the resources, watch the time schedule. One mistake and you're DONE. It's exhausting.
This game and Eastshade is so inspiring for me as an indie dev - Such wonderful and high quality games made by "just" a few people! I've been working on my game for 2 years now and it's not anywhere near complete, yet I am not deterred because of stories like yours
Eastshade is one of my favourite games but I would be hard pressed to explain why so it's really interesting to hear you discusss some of the design reasons that contribute to this. More and more excited for Glimmerwick and still loving these vids. Have you had much fun or any interest at all with creating any Easter eggs in Glimmerwick?
I find the Ocean, waves and reflection beautiful and well thought out 😁 Would be cool to visit water folk underwater like in Harry Potter 😁 Could you please show us how you were able to solve this?
Thanks for a great devlog series. The Q&A section has definitely brought a nice style to these videos that I don't see elsewhere. Q: How do you know when to invent a new mechanic or system, and when to use an existing industry standard approach? It seems like it's really important to know how games work (best practices and design patterns), but studying other games tends to fill one's head with other people's ideas. Do you avoid studying other people's games for inspiration?
I was just thinking the other day when the next devlog would be available. And here it is! I like the day/night cycle existing and still having the day continue indefinitely at night. It makes me thinking of pulling an all-nighter in college. I wonder how many mysteries there will be in the game to uncover. Also, although there will be no combat, will there be any conflict? Perhaps relationships not going well, or two parties wanting different and opposing goals.
Haha what a coincidence! And of course! The world is filled with characters, stories, and conflict! We use conflict as a narrative building block like any storied media might.
Almost every uber successful game has a great game world feel. GTA V, Cyberpunk, skyrim, etc. Focusing on the world is a great choice imo. also about the combat statement at the end. Personally I think combat is an easy source of conflict and strife to give the player a feeling of success, but that could be done many ways.
Looks fantastic so far, I love the design philosophy that you and your team brings to game development. There's so many ways to engage a player other than combat, the out of the box thinking is sorely needed. We're an artistic medium we shouldn't constrain ourselves to just making games as if by formula so I look forward to this!
Time pressure is why I refunded every Stardew Valley clone type game. It punished exploration and being forced to do chores felt horrible. I didn't find them relaxing. What you have done is an interesting approach. Going to have to keep it in mind if I ever do a project with time management as a feature.
Rather than start/stop time. You could slow down and speed up time gradually. Upcoming event? Slow down time until they make it to the event. After the event speed back up gradually to game time
The idea of World First Design is central to our work, too, and that simple descriptor is something we'll be carrying forward as it perfectly surmises our approach. We're an indie tabletop roleplaying game studio preparing to launch our first project, and my approach as a designer -- including putting place before game-ified mechanics -- feels very similar to yours. Thanks for these devlogs, team. I really enjoy them :)
Thank you for the video c: So excited to play Songs of Glimmerwick! I'm so happy there are game studios focusing on non combat games! I actively look for games without it and its actually hard :/ Your game sounds like what I wished Hogwarts Legacy was.
I think we have the same idea in games, a place where you can just sit still and enjoy the surroundings. It is very calming and soothing. Specially in my country, it's a breathe of fresh air when I see games with this kind of astonishing world. Very excited for the release of this game. I am also an aspiring solo indie game dev but I am not good at anything haha I hope I could get some idea on what game I should build in the future.
I'm a world- and story-first kind of creator, too, and I love that you are too! As a total newbie to game dev, it's good to know this is less common than I had thought. 😊 Devlogs like this are so fascinating. Thanks for sharing it!
I think that's a very neat solution to the issue of time. I haven't seen any games with a similar system. It sounds like generally the world is informing the features of the game, but are there any other features you added that you changed the world to accommodate?
I love these Devlogs so much, especially because you answers a few questions at the end. Makes it feel like you care deeply about both your game and your growing community. I will absolutely be there for Day 1 of Songs of Glimmerwick 💜 Q: Echoing a few other similar questions in the comments, how do you avoid idea/design "contamination"? (contamination=straying away from your philosophy) What I mean by this is that your studio is walking a different, very specific path and you are approaching game design from a fresh perspective. This means that you are swimming against the current, so to speak. When approaching a game mechanic or design element, how do you decide between doing the same thing everyone does (if it ain't broken don't fix it approach) or when to take a big creative leap and pave your own way? Keep up the amazing work! 💜
This time mechanic isn't totally new, it's a varient of trigger base events. There is a lot of game where time of day id cosmetic, and things progress by event completion, even tough some behavior are tied to the cosmetic time of day, with npc and some world state taking their priority on the event state instead. Sometime it's mixed, where event will be accessible only in some cosmetic time range, or the trigger teleport you to the correct time range. Rarely game have event that expires, even event that expire mostly fo so after triggering the event state.
Why does Glimmerwick and Mirthwood look almost identical in art style? I almost thought this was MIrthwood. Nevertheless, I really love this art style. I'm kinda sick of pixel art or Playdoh -ey 3d games. Also I just wishlisted it :)
Thanks so much for the wishlist! I think the biggest similarity with mirthwood is the pop-up 3d rendering and cast shadows. To a certain extent the color palette. I think the big read outdoors can look similar if you squint. But the illustration style is completely different. The architecture, interiors, and characters are worlds apart.
Question: How are currently or planning to use AI (tools like chatgpt) support content production and development? e.g 1. Translations 2. Code, Dialog or art generation. 3. Brainstorming game ideas (story, quest, mechanics ) ... Super cool devlogs, wish you all the best!
We have found AI to be largely incapable of producing high quality anything, and when it does happen to produce something decent, we haven't been able to direct it enough to make it usable to us. So for the moment AI is just not helpful to us, whether it be art assets or text. And of course coding it's completely useless, since AI is not yet capable of understanding a codebase, or testing its own code, or really doing anything remotely useful in a production environment.
What a beautiful work of art in the form of a game. I've been lurking for a long time, and I'm always mesmerized by what your game has to offer. So, as a life simmer who plays a lot of farming games, the social aspects among the characters are hugely important to me in order for me to feel immersed in both the world and society. Now, I understand there is no romance system at this time, but regarding the platonic friendship system, I have a few questions, if you don't mind my asking. 1. Can the main character and whoever becomes their friend give hugs like people who are close do in real life? 2. Can they go on hangouts like dates in The Sims, except platonic? 3. Can they explore the world together like a cozy Batman and Robin duo? 4. Can they be inseparable buddies who prefer to do everything together like in real life? Thank you in advance! :)
Thank you for the kind words! And thank you for watching! As far as your questions: we have not systemized friendships in the game. The whole game is quest driven, like an RPG. There is no "friendship bar". So things you do with Npcs will be part of quest beats.
I love seeing the game come along! So excited for the eventual release! You've mentioned combat as a common foundational mechanic that you're not using. Are there other game mechanics that you've treated similarly? (Economy/budgeting is a common mechanic that comes to mind) Or some mechanics that you're including that haven't been used as much in other games? (Like the way you're approaching the day-cycle time crunch)
I'm someone working on my own game with a focus on replayability and dynamic progression, and I'm wondering if there is a strategic gameplay flowing aspect or game system of Glimmerwick planned for endless play? For example, Stardew Valley allows me to strategize time and activity for farm optimization, but I can endlessly play on my farm for as long as I want to. Simply put that I want to spend as much time in your world, and not feel compelled to put down the game after finishing the story.
Awesome video! Wow! Your game world looks so amazing. I really like the art work of your game they are just beautiful. Also it is very unique how you guys think about making games especially the idea around the game combat. It is very refreshing to see new ideas like this and them getting traction. Looking forward to your next devlog. Keep it up! :)
Your time management solution sounds refreshing! As a person who is always anxious about time pressure, I already feel relieved. Thank you so much! I already can’t wait to play the game❤️ P.S. I’ve have similar thoughts on “combat” for a long time. Happy to see that developers put a thought to it and try to go beyond the bounds of what’s considered as an unwritten rule in gamedev 🔥
Great devlog, I'm now even more hyped, because what you said resonates with my soul so perfectly, and, you're right, not every game can do or even try to do so ❤
Narcissistic is a strong word but navel gazing sure. But it's content marketing and it's effective. It has brought us thousands of new wishlists. It's effective because it's giving value and people like to hear about design philosophy and process. What an incredibly hurtful thing to say, especially considering in the same breath you admit being interested and learning a lot.
ok sorry my comment was crude. That was unnecessary. But I do think you misread what I'm actually trying to say. You don't need to say that you are so amazing because you're already showing it. I don't think spelling it out is part of what's adding value to your marketing. Your videos are effective anyway because it's undeniably really good what you're making lol. And substance-wise your thought process and the design you talk about in your videos is incredibly insightful and I hope you continue sharing it. It's just that tone with the reoccurring self-validation that frustrated me enough to pause & never finish this video. It seems like such an easy fix once you're aware of the way you may come across to some people. I hope that regardless of the crudeness you can turn it into something constructive. Either way, I'm buying your game because it looks incredible 🔥
Oh, I love those Devlogs so much.
I know it's a marketing mechanic, but it really works. I feel deeply invested in that game and the philosophy that goes behind it.
Thank you so much for speaking up about the "time management game", a phrase that describes farm games way better than "farm". I think a lot of these games are about the productivity systems - they force us to do as much as we can in the shortest amount possible/with the least resources we have provided in the game.
They always start to stress me mid-games because there is just SO MUCH to keep in mind all the freaking time. And then I end up watching youtube videos about how to squeeze every possible cent out of every second so that I "don't waste time".
I really don't think they fit under the "cozy" blanket anymore.
As much as I got bored of Animal Crossing, the idea that there was only so much you can do in a day was absolutely freeing. Stardew really feels like I'm a project manager, and every time i want to do something different, I need to watch the clock, watch the resources, watch the time schedule. One mistake and you're DONE. It's exhausting.
Hooray wonderful to hear you enjoy the devlogs! Thanks for watching and cheers!
Ahhh new upload yesss!! I can’t wait to cozy up and watch this when I get home 😆😄😁
I bloody adore this series !! 😍🥰
This game and Eastshade is so inspiring for me as an indie dev - Such wonderful and high quality games made by "just" a few people! I've been working on my game for 2 years now and it's not anywhere near complete, yet I am not deterred because of stories like yours
Thank you so much for the kind words! And best of luck on your own gamedev journey!
Eastshade is one of my favourite games but I would be hard pressed to explain why so it's really interesting to hear you discusss some of the design reasons that contribute to this. More and more excited for Glimmerwick and still loving these vids.
Have you had much fun or any interest at all with creating any Easter eggs in Glimmerwick?
Great job! It really seems you've solved a major issue in these type of games. I'm eagerly waiting for the release of Glimmerwick :)
I find the Ocean, waves and reflection beautiful and well thought out 😁 Would be cool to visit water folk underwater like in Harry Potter 😁 Could you please show us how you were able to solve this?
Hey that's a great topic for a devlog! Thanks for the comment!
Thanks for a great devlog series. The Q&A section has definitely brought a nice style to these videos that I don't see elsewhere.
Q: How do you know when to invent a new mechanic or system, and when to use an existing industry standard approach? It seems like it's really important to know how games work (best practices and design patterns), but studying other games tends to fill one's head with other people's ideas. Do you avoid studying other people's games for inspiration?
Thanks for watching! Glad to hear you like the format!
That's a fantastic question! Will definitely try to cover that if I can!
It’s great how much thought you put into your game!!
I was just thinking the other day when the next devlog would be available. And here it is!
I like the day/night cycle existing and still having the day continue indefinitely at night. It makes me thinking of pulling an all-nighter in college.
I wonder how many mysteries there will be in the game to uncover.
Also, although there will be no combat, will there be any conflict? Perhaps relationships not going well, or two parties wanting different and opposing goals.
Haha what a coincidence! And of course! The world is filled with characters, stories, and conflict! We use conflict as a narrative building block like any storied media might.
1:09 Hmm, that’s an interesting concept.. and that what makes your games awesome!
Almost every uber successful game has a great game world feel. GTA V, Cyberpunk, skyrim, etc. Focusing on the world is a great choice imo.
also about the combat statement at the end. Personally I think combat is an easy source of conflict and strife to give the player a feeling of success, but that could be done many ways.
i'm in love
First
Looks fantastic so far, I love the design philosophy that you and your team brings to game development. There's so many ways to engage a player other than combat, the out of the box thinking is sorely needed. We're an artistic medium we shouldn't constrain ourselves to just making games as if by formula so I look forward to this!
I am in awe of your game design solutions. I am learning slowly and hope to approach solutions with as much tact and grace as you all do eventually
You're too kind! Thank you for watching and for the kind words!
That sounds awesome. I’m always really stressed by Stardew Valley because I can’t fit everything into the day.
Time pressure is why I refunded every Stardew Valley clone type game. It punished exploration and being forced to do chores felt horrible. I didn't find them relaxing.
What you have done is an interesting approach. Going to have to keep it in mind if I ever do a project with time management as a feature.
im so excited for this game! seems like a breath of fresh air we have all needed for cozy games!
🎉 Let’s go EASTSHADE! So excited for this game… I just might play it on stream 😁😇
Rather than start/stop time. You could slow down and speed up time gradually.
Upcoming event? Slow down time until they make it to the event. After the event speed back up gradually to game time
Game has many cool idea. I really like how you design about time in game.
The idea of World First Design is central to our work, too, and that simple descriptor is something we'll be carrying forward as it perfectly surmises our approach. We're an indie tabletop roleplaying game studio preparing to launch our first project, and my approach as a designer -- including putting place before game-ified mechanics -- feels very similar to yours.
Thanks for these devlogs, team. I really enjoy them :)
this game looks so good! I really can't wait to play it ♥
Thank you for the video c: So excited to play Songs of Glimmerwick! I'm so happy there are game studios focusing on non combat games! I actively look for games without it and its actually hard :/ Your game sounds like what I wished Hogwarts Legacy was.
I think we have the same idea in games, a place where you can just sit still and enjoy the surroundings. It is very calming and soothing. Specially in my country, it's a breathe of fresh air when I see games with this kind of astonishing world. Very excited for the release of this game. I am also an aspiring solo indie game dev but I am not good at anything haha I hope I could get some idea on what game I should build in the future.
Admittedly, I do enjoy being a murderhobo but I'm also a big fan of whimsy and this game is top tier whimsical!
I'm a world- and story-first kind of creator, too, and I love that you are too!
As a total newbie to game dev, it's good to know this is less common than I had thought. 😊
Devlogs like this are so fascinating. Thanks for sharing it!
Hello, in your devlog #3 you showed your design docs, what should be included in a design doc for someone just starting? Thank you..
love your blogs, can you share which game engine you are using for making those games and your experience with game engines in the past 15 years.
I think that's a very neat solution to the issue of time. I haven't seen any games with a similar system.
It sounds like generally the world is informing the features of the game, but are there any other features you added that you changed the world to accommodate?
I love these Devlogs so much, especially because you answers a few questions at the end. Makes it feel like you care deeply about both your game and your growing community. I will absolutely be there for Day 1 of Songs of Glimmerwick 💜
Q: Echoing a few other similar questions in the comments, how do you avoid idea/design "contamination"? (contamination=straying away from your philosophy)
What I mean by this is that your studio is walking a different, very specific path and you are approaching game design from a fresh perspective. This means that you are swimming against the current, so to speak. When approaching a game mechanic or design element, how do you decide between doing the same thing everyone does (if it ain't broken don't fix it approach) or when to take a big creative leap and pave your own way?
Keep up the amazing work! 💜
Glad you're digging the format! And thank you so much for the great question! Will try to cover it in the next devlog!
i adore the artstyle!!
This time mechanic isn't totally new, it's a varient of trigger base events. There is a lot of game where time of day id cosmetic, and things progress by event completion, even tough some behavior are tied to the cosmetic time of day, with npc and some world state taking their priority on the event state instead. Sometime it's mixed, where event will be accessible only in some cosmetic time range, or the trigger teleport you to the correct time range. Rarely game have event that expires, even event that expire mostly fo so after triggering the event state.
I have a question with farming sims I do love a bit of romance. Is that something that’s gonna be in the game?
Why does Glimmerwick and Mirthwood look almost identical in art style? I almost thought this was MIrthwood. Nevertheless, I really love this art style. I'm kinda sick of pixel art or Playdoh -ey 3d games. Also I just wishlisted it :)
Thanks so much for the wishlist! I think the biggest similarity with mirthwood is the pop-up 3d rendering and cast shadows. To a certain extent the color palette. I think the big read outdoors can look similar if you squint. But the illustration style is completely different. The architecture, interiors, and characters are worlds apart.
Question: How are currently or planning to use AI (tools like chatgpt) support content production and development?
e.g
1. Translations
2. Code, Dialog or art generation.
3. Brainstorming game ideas (story, quest, mechanics )
...
Super cool devlogs, wish you all the best!
We have found AI to be largely incapable of producing high quality anything, and when it does happen to produce something decent, we haven't been able to direct it enough to make it usable to us.
So for the moment AI is just not helpful to us, whether it be art assets or text. And of course coding it's completely useless, since AI is not yet capable of understanding a codebase, or testing its own code, or really doing anything remotely useful in a production environment.
This game looks incredible 🙌
What a beautiful work of art in the form of a game. I've been lurking for a long time, and I'm always mesmerized by what your game has to offer.
So, as a life simmer who plays a lot of farming games, the social aspects among the characters are hugely important to me in order for me to feel immersed in both the world and society. Now, I understand there is no romance system at this time, but regarding the platonic friendship system, I have a few questions, if you don't mind my asking.
1. Can the main character and whoever becomes their friend give hugs like people who are close do in real life?
2. Can they go on hangouts like dates in The Sims, except platonic?
3. Can they explore the world together like a cozy Batman and Robin duo?
4. Can they be inseparable buddies who prefer to do everything together like in real life?
Thank you in advance! :)
Thank you for the kind words! And thank you for watching! As far as your questions: we have not systemized friendships in the game. The whole game is quest driven, like an RPG. There is no "friendship bar". So things you do with Npcs will be part of quest beats.
Can suggested any character or game mechanic
how did you deal with the theft and piracy?
It just looks so good oh my god......
Thank you so much!
port this to android
I love seeing the game come along! So excited for the eventual release!
You've mentioned combat as a common foundational mechanic that you're not using. Are there other game mechanics that you've treated similarly? (Economy/budgeting is a common mechanic that comes to mind) Or some mechanics that you're including that haven't been used as much in other games? (Like the way you're approaching the day-cycle time crunch)
I'm someone working on my own game with a focus on replayability and dynamic progression, and I'm wondering if there is a strategic gameplay flowing aspect or game system of Glimmerwick planned for endless play? For example, Stardew Valley allows me to strategize time and activity for farm optimization, but I can endlessly play on my farm for as long as I want to. Simply put that I want to spend as much time in your world, and not feel compelled to put down the game after finishing the story.
Awesome video! Wow! Your game world looks so amazing. I really like the art work of your game they are just beautiful. Also it is very unique how you guys think about making games especially the idea around the game combat. It is very refreshing to see new ideas like this and them getting traction. Looking forward to your next devlog. Keep it up! :)
I. Can't. Wait. ❤❤❤
Your time management solution sounds refreshing! As a person who is always anxious about time pressure, I already feel relieved. Thank you so much! I already can’t wait to play the game❤️
P.S. I’ve have similar thoughts on “combat” for a long time. Happy to see that developers put a thought to it and try to go beyond the bounds of what’s considered as an unwritten rule in gamedev 🔥
loved the art and vibe of the game! is it 3d with 2d sprites or fully 2d?
Thank you! Devlog #2 might be interesting to you! th-cam.com/video/N22YYcu5JE4/w-d-xo.html
watching it right now! 🥰
The music in these videos is so beautiful... Is it/will it be on spotify?
what software is used for art?
Photoshop. In some cases blender for 3d modeling.
Great devlog, I'm now even more hyped, because what you said resonates with my soul so perfectly, and, you're right, not every game can do or even try to do so ❤
Hooray that's amazing to hear! Thank you for the kind words and thanks for watching!
Waiting for eastshade 3 😅
edit: wrote insensitive comment criticizing self-absorbed way of speaking. thought i was funny. hurt feelings. deep regret :(
Narcissistic is a strong word but navel gazing sure. But it's content marketing and it's effective. It has brought us thousands of new wishlists. It's effective because it's giving value and people like to hear about design philosophy and process.
What an incredibly hurtful thing to say, especially considering in the same breath you admit being interested and learning a lot.
ok sorry my comment was crude. That was unnecessary. But I do think you misread what I'm actually trying to say. You don't need to say that you are so amazing because you're already showing it. I don't think spelling it out is part of what's adding value to your marketing. Your videos are effective anyway because it's undeniably really good what you're making lol. And substance-wise your thought process and the design you talk about in your videos is incredibly insightful and I hope you continue sharing it. It's just that tone with the reoccurring self-validation that frustrated me enough to pause & never finish this video. It seems like such an easy fix once you're aware of the way you may come across to some people. I hope that regardless of the crudeness you can turn it into something constructive. Either way, I'm buying your game because it looks incredible 🔥