I Made A Game Prototype And Here It Is! (HARDBOILED Dev Log #1)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 พ.ย. 2017
- This is my first dev log on my gameplay prototype for HARDBOILED, a fantasy mystery game where you are free to explore the world and accuse suspects at any time.
Skip to @6:23 for the actual demo.
Donating any amount on Patreon will get you 1) an invite to the Discord server and 2) a download of the HARDBOILED prototype shown in this video:
/ thehappiecat
My second channel! / thehappiercat2
Follow me on Twitter: / thehappiecat - วิทยาศาสตร์และเทคโนโลยี
It's interesting seeing some of the reactions to this project :) I work full time in software engineering, so yes, this took 6 months of random free evenings and weekends. I spent most of the time working with Godot engine (2.0) and making a back-end that allows me to easily create dialogue systems and mysteries... SO most of the work is not visible.
Next time I would focus on walking through the code and design as a first dev log, then make a polished demo later on, since it's hard to appreciate a hard-coded, baked demo versus an extensible system if you can't see the source.
I need to refactor this and port it to Godot 3.0/C# to reasonably continue, and I'm a bit tired of fiddling with these systems, so I'd call this in hiatus but not dead (I'd still like to repurpose the story for something). The repo is now public if you'd like to take a look: github.com/anneomcl/GodotMysteryGame
My goal is that the next project I post here will focus entirely on polish, even if it's very short. Hopefully it will be here by the end of 2018 :)
Great job making these videos :)
I wouldn't play the game even if I was colour blind
Then you accidentally lose all your work and have to start over and you end up re-creating the entire thing in like, a week. And it's like, "Why did this take me 6 months the first time!?"
trying to do an engine from scratch is a lot of work. Nice work Happiecat. Only people that have not worked on such things would not understand.
from scratch ? lol, no, an engine was used. I'd be impressed if this was no engine and done in a few days, part time. But 6 months, and from a supposed s/w engineer.. yeah nah
I love network-y logic-y puzzle thing! That looks like a great set-up for a detective game. And like nothing I've seen before. Awesome. :D
AlfredAskew Exactly, I agree with you completely.
It has been done before in the Miles Edgeworth investigation games. I recommend you check them out, it's one of my favorite series.
cool build so far :D consider me for voice work if youre thinking about it, ill do it for free :D
Please do, this is guy is amazing, also i volunteer too, if you want some guy with sort of a Eastern European accent for some reason. :P
I would do it too if you dont mind working with amateurs ;)
As much of an amateur I am, if you're looking for someone with a french accent (or even someone speaking french or whatever) you can count on me :)
Jabrils not you
This is exactly the kind of mystery game I have always wanted to play.
The idea of giving the clues a value for your deductions is genius as well. It makes it less ambiguous and it feels more like a game.
It would be funny if this crime was the first one in the game and the characters A and B looked like the letters "A" and "B".
Amazing idea, I really like the concept. Good luck on finishing the project, as far as I understand, this was the fun part, but the later stages of development can be very tedious. Anyway, can't wait for the Log #2 :)
Great prototype. I love how you focused on the gameplay not graphics or anything else (something I cannot do myself :D). While watching the clue node screen, I thought it could be interesting to have them collide and push each other so they never overlap this way. Good luck with development, it's definitely interesting and up my alley :)
It doesn't matter how good it looks if it's a pile of shit.
You shouldn't work on art before you start a game, unless you already had some art before you started your game.
Wish everyone thought the same. Poop is poop even in a fancy package.
Congrats on your progress! Randomly found this and love the concept and motivation. I could totally see this evolving in to investigating cookie thieves in the intro and getting promoted to solve more complex societal issues/criminal activities. The fantasy theme of coexisting between previously warring factions really stimulates the imagination. Good luck, looking forward to see what you come up with next.
I saw this video in my feed. I have no idea who you are, but how excited you are about this game is really inspiring. I wish you all the best, good luck and Happy New Year!
Great work, such an inspiration to watch you take this from concept to a more fleshed out prototype. I can tell you are passionate about this work. Keep it up and I’m sure you’ll be successful.
very cool, gurl
I really understand the passion for making videogames, I think that right now I like making/studying/reading about videogames even more than actually playing. I like all the story not just ingame but also how they were made, and I love getting my hands dirty and messing with all the kinds of software, learning something every 10 minutes and spending all my free time on this x)
So yeah, its really nice to see you having fun with the development, because I feel the same!
I would buy your game.
Love the idea, love the setting, I would love to see what this game will turn out to be when you keep building/writing onto it. Keep up the great work you've done. You've proved a lot to yourself by managing all this.
I really love the concept about linking the different clue and solve mistery with it ! For now, I just want to see the next Dev Log to see more about your game
This is awesome! I love seeing people accomplish things like this! Good for you! I can't wait to see what else you make :D
Omg you did amazing! I love this game! This is a very first video of you I've ever seen and you are instantly earning my sub!
Woah this is AWESOME! The clue system is so cool! And a nice way to keep track of things said too. Really inspiring!
Congratulations - you're going places for sure! Grats on the subscriptions too, I tell people about your channel all the time at work.
Like the concept very much! I like the unique investigation mechanics in this game. I can imagine the awesome possibilities when more contents are added in. Keep up the good work :P
I'm so happy seeing you smiling and flourishing with this project of yours! :)
As an first impression the game concept really sounds interessting, so I'm exciting to see its development! ^^
Seems really interesting, I don't usually like mysteries too much, but I love puzzles and your logic game just turned the usual mystery gameplay into a puzzle, so you get the interesting mystery stories + interesting puzzle gameplay, seems like a combo I'd really enjoy! :D
Really cool ideas you got there, games are often favor visual puzzle more than wordy ones but this is simple yet engaging and it fits the theme as well. Good stories plus cool characters and HYPE!!
Congratulations!!
It´s really awesome to see the sparkle in your eyes cause you created this game on your own.
I am at the very start of my journey. From zero ...to a game creator. I will spend more than six months working on it. Maybe six Years :-D But I am already happy with the results.
Keep it up!
The most important thing about the game is the idea and you seem to have a very good one.
I wish you best of luck
Don't give up on your project and one day this game will be a bestseller :)
wow good job! the cutscene system and specially the clue system look really great! keep up the good work!
I see this more as a mini investigation quest/mission that spans out through a longer period of time inside a bigger game. Can really help drive the main narrative and introduce different characters. Well done!
You should make it so that the old clues don't get removed but instead you see the entire clue tree, if you for some reason forget what the investigation was about or how it got to the current state
Trolled Woods meybe it gets put in an efidence book/tree
Cool prototype! I really like the way you conceived the logical system to evaluate the clues.
I stumbled on this by accident (some GameDev videos in my history) but I really like the concept! It looks nice that I would even consider it playing with graphics close to the current ones (close, as it would be hard to recognize characters and such). I'm looking forward to see more of this game and try it out some time. :)
Keep up the good work and good luck! :-)
i love this concept! you are so inspiring! i hope to enter the make-your-own-game-from-scratch universe soon, and i don't know anything yet. literally. so yeah. ONLY 6 MONTHS!?!?!? OH MY GAWD THIS IS GOLD!!!!
I love that you did it all including story, it shows that you're into the artistic and "mechanical" sides of It! Keep it up:)
Great job!! You are so awesome! A real inspiration. So wonderful to see you enjoying your passions. Keep it up!
this is a nice work! i really like the clue relation mechanic !! i hope to see more update from this project!!
you should be proud of yourself! this is inspiring and great for 6 months of work! nicely done! keep it up!
The clue system is kind of like the one of the Miles Edgeworth investigation games, but instead of just matching observations you actually have to understand what you are trying to prove. Great!
Now the big problem I see is the results it gives: shouldn't combining 2 clues make a stronger asumption rather than one that's between the 2 other scores?
I know you didn't explain everything, but I think you should only be able to contradict a clue with a more convincing clue, and that would either give the fake one a negative score, or better yet: make a new clue summing up what you just proved.
I think you should only have 2 actions in the clue screen: a button to combine and a button to disproof. A+B=C is too much like A&B.
A good way to avoid the clutter would be making the "combined clues" display the number of clues they were made with: if you want to add a third clue in the mix, you have to click on one outside to select it, then on the "folder". Maybe make it so that you can only add a new clue if you can also tell what clue it corelates to in the folder?
Some cool elements later on would be "?" clues given by characters you don't know enough. Combining those with a clue saying if they did have a motive to lie would reveal the true value of it. Also, having the ability to separate the screen in 2 or 3 colomns with pre-made spots, each one representing a theory or a line of thought could help solve very complex puzzles.
Lulink +
Sherlock Holmes crimes & punishments also has a similar clue deduction system, you can also accuse any of the parties even if you are wrong.
EUREKA!
+Mitchell Couchman However the way that you join clues together could make for stronger or weaker scores i.e. if A supports B then the score could go up
I can feel the love you're putting on this game. I wish you the best, keep up the good work
deductive system you showed is very revelationary for, i never thought much about detective work before. The work of mind behind for finding such one and implementing it make me inspired on keeping on pregress o- my ideas. Im gratefull to you for showcasing that part of your labour.
I really like the concept! Good luck!
This is cute! I cant wait to be able to play the completed version!
aint gonna be that fast
I think you have the seeds of a really interesting and innovative game there. The investigations, the network logic puzzles, are really interesting. I even like the graphics - desks, offices, etc. Maybe if they were super realistic graphics, they could distract from the real game ? Anyway, great work. Keep exploring and tinkering. :)
Great video, cant wait for the next dev update log!
Looks really interesting, i'm genuinely happy for your progress. Keep it up!
The game mechanics look very nice. Keep up the good work!
Amazing! Loving it! Please do more of these!
loved the concept! i really enjoy being adventurous with creativity as well and have been dipping my feet in it lately with this channel! :D good luck! just sub'd
I see I'm not the only one up all night.
"It's all of my favourite things.. and I really enjoy the process..." exactly the same, including working everyday if only scraping 30mins + getting the gameplay in place before fleshing out with design + narrative. IMAO Gameplay > everything else. I can't wait to go full steam on graphics and animation for my own game, but agree gameplay has to be solid first. I think your concept and approach are outstanding. Your infectious enthusiastic delivery I am sure picks up many a jaded gamedev pushing through the small hours. Looking forward to the next Hardboiled devlog!
cool concept! good luck in your future endeavors
Thank you so much. I imagine I'm not alone in being subscribed to some of the big gaming channels on here (TotalBiscuit, Jim Sterling, Rhykker and so on) and in dire need of a break from the recent debacles surrounding the "AAA" industry.
It just warms my heart to see that even your prototype art and writing is so very endearing and even these early concepts so intriguing. I might be overreacting, but it's good to know that there's still genuine passion and creativity in this scene and I'm very much looking forward to any future updates.
If there ever is anything us plebs can help you with (maybe proofreading or something similar), please don't hesitate to let us help you along.
Pretty Neat :D I like the linking evidence system, makes me think of "papers please" where you had to link mistakes. Keep up the good work !
This sounds like a ton of fun, I'm really excited to see this completed.
Nice start. Good luck!
Really cool concept, I would love to play this! I am leaving this video feeling inspired!
That mechanic of piecing the clues together looks great. I'm looking forward to hearing more about your process.
The ideas you have where you push past is one of the best tools ever!
This is awesome! I think something that could be really cool would be to take your base case with A and B and find a way to generalize the scripting and logic so you can create a tool that lets you add gameplay scenarios quickly. Easier said than done, but you'd be able to add lots of depth by building up some kind of embedded database, which would work so well with a concept like this. I think the fully realized game would be really fun!
Love this idea for a game! Can't wait to see what you make of it :3
Good work explaining the process!
I have only played phoenix wright and danganronpa, but I haven't seen a logic mechanic like that in the genre. I really look forward to seeing it finish.
Brilliant concept! Worth developing further. Keep it up.
I'm glad to see you've made this. I designed/prototyped a very similar game a couple of years ago and I keep meaning to take it up again, so I'm keen to see _something_ like it released, as it's something I want to play.
My game was based more around the concept of a "logic puzzle" style of play where the player interrogates NPCs and the world to find out 'FACTS' and then has to mentally combined them to reach the answer. The main inspiration was "Everett Kaser's Sherlock meets Dwarf Fortress with the character-liking-interaction system of Crusader Kings 2". The major difference with my design to yours is that mine was automatically generated, rather than scripted, and that you actually got somewhere with yours :)
I guess I'll have to watch that video about being more productive!
That's actually some interesting stuff right there, doing good job !
this looks like a really cool concept for a game... please do continue :) If completed I would properly buy :)
This is such an amazing idea! Seeing that there aren't any more videos on this makes me a sad cat :(
Simple and great!
I always watch your tips about game development.
Hello from japan
From your description of the game I thought, "cool, but not my sort of game." Then I watched your demo and it awoke Monkey Island feelings in me, making me want to play.
I really like the idea, I'm totally looking forwards to see it take form with propert art / sound. :) But so far is just amazing even without art :D
Oh my god that looks amazing, really. I love the Phoenix Wright series and I get the feeling that your game will be awesome., I'm really excited to see how it turns out. I'll definitely record some gameplays to my channel :D
I can't say enough good things about how awesome this looks!
As for the graphics, I grew up on a 2600, so playing the character of a colored rectangle seemed perfectly normal to me :-)
Kudos and continued success to you!
Ah yes I remember 2600 when we played rectangle games in our spaceships.
I think the concept is original and interesting, well done and keep up the good work :)
This seems like a lot of fun, I'm really excited for this to evolve, I really want to play the final game. c:
Love your enthusiasm and intelligence. It is ultimately a puzzle game built around connecting text. You want small crime scenes with a few rooms, so the user isn't spammed with too many possibilities. Focus on the puzzle element, connecting, text and database... then a few rooms... then you can level people up and repeat the rooms with harder puzzles. If you keep the puzzles simple, then a mobile user can solve a crime and level in a few minutes while they are on the train. Your project will be easier to finish.... though I suspect you will have a lot of other pressures on your time... we all do. But it really looks like you had fun, and that was nice to share. A lot of it is about maths and databases, so these are areas you will want to build your skills.
I think how good this kind of game is will depend heavily on how good the art, music and storytelling are, it's not very gameplay-centric (as in, the fun doesn't really lie in learning how to play and how to do it well, like for example fighting games). So as it is now it's difficult to really see a draw to it, the logic with clues functionality is kind of cool but I'm afraid it'll quickly turn into a chore since it's pretty gimmicky, and I feel like it's bound to be frustrating at times because players will see things differently from you and there's a good chance they'll try combinations which they think should work but won't because you did not see things from that angle.
Overall I think the general design needs some work.
Wait what, players will need to think (THE FUCKING POINT OF CLUE BASED GAMES??? WOW WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT) instead of paying $3 for a key and feeling sense of accomplishment after uncrating some garbage? What a bad game design!
I'm not sure whether you're trolling or you want everything to be put on a silver plate for you...
Shadow Lurker completely besides my point, maybe you should also think before replying to a comment. Or you could go throw a tantrum about crates somewhere else, your move bud.
I LOVE your videos from the very first to the last
This concept seems fantastic! I would definitely play it.
I think its good to flesh out the idea in a conceptual because it allows you to really focus on the idea. which gives a good base for the flashy stuff.
Amazing idea, there needs to be more games in the same genre as Phoenix Wright, and I think yours has the potential to become something similar to that while still keeping an individual type of charm. Great work, I can't wait to see the project as it grows :)
This is really cool, good work!
I really like this idea :) I’m really hyped to see more of it
This is a really cool proof-of-concept. I love noir/detective games, and this mechanic could be a great addition to the genre.
You got a lot done in 6 months. Nice work!
this is awesome! love the clue system!
Great game! I love the idea of solving crimes like this. I don't have a lot of knowledge about how to build a game but I love to see people make games. If you ever need any help with the story, I would love to help for free.
Looking forward to further dev logs.
All the best!
Happie! This is awesome!!! Definitely inspiring seeing someone put in the effort to make their dreams come true.
Wow this is soo cool. Keep us updated :)
I like the idea, good job! I can see this getting complex
I like your work ethic. Keep it up!
The concept sounded really strange but the gameplay looks really cool!
And don't get me started on how beautifull the art is xD
Looking foward to it!
Nice idea. I'd probably play that. I really like the logic based problem solving with the clues. I can't help but wonder if you could break the game by dumping all clues onto a suspect, accusing him, then moving them to the next one till you found your culprit.
I really love the clue-accusation system! I think it's simple and clear enough so anyone could play your game (especially with a cookie tutorial) yet it isn't banal. It has a potential.
I've seen similar games that oversimplified this part of the gameplay and while they were playable, they didn't give the feeling that you were a doing "real" detective work. Even if your game is cartoonish by design, it should have some "real" detective work if it's going to be a detective game. And with real logical relationships (and, therefore, contradicts) that you have you're actually doing real connections.
This part of the game where you do the connections would look great if its interface was stylized like in the movies where you have a pinboard and you pin to it post-it notes, photos, scraps of papers and connect them with stings of wool of different colors or mark red herrings.
Another advantage is that you can scale the size of your puzzles. Writing the script will probably be tough as the puzzles increase in volume. But you can also have story intensive breathers with simpler puzzles between harder ones. This system really gives you many possibilities.
I don't know about the point system though. The idea is good (even though it needs some adjustments), but it can go out of control if not designed carefully. Maybe you should look into fuzzy logic? But hey, if you make it work then it's going to be great!
Also, a game like this would be playable on mobile devices.
If you want to have a penalty for incorrect or premature accusations, perhaps Abigail could have a "detective score" or something, where the more thorough your investigation is, the more points she gains when she makes the correct accusation. If the player makes their accusation too early, she could receive a penalty based on the amount of evidence she missed. Perhaps this score could then be used for like a promotion system where you unlock more challenging cases as you rise through the ranks of the squash squad.
or branching story lines... where accusing the wrong person could actually help you but makes innocent people get in trouble... but could also get you in trouble
I'd love to play this when it comes out, the idea is awesome
Kudos to you for sticking to a project for so long and coming out with a minimum viable product. Keep up the good work.
thats really awesome! good luck!
Hey happy cat you are doing great for real! Love how you made all the prototype first. By the way can you make a tutorial on how you made the little cutscene at the very beginning?
That is awesome! I love the ideas xD
Just found your channel due to this video. I enjoyed it a lot, hearing your thoughts and stuff about the game xD,
Anyway, regarding the trial part, I think that the 100% could have more effect than just penalty or not. I know little about Phoenix Wright, but I do know a little more about Danganronpa. Basically, there could be a minigame, and that minigame could be affected by that incrimination (?) percentage/value. It depends on what you're looking for in terms of feel for the gameplay (something action-ish or more witty, or whatever).
I liked a lot the idea of using logical relations, and making clues support each other and all that. Pretty interesting concept. Wish you luck!
Awesome! I can't wait to see this type of the game on the market
Oh wow looks cool so far! Keep it up!
awesome!
I like your videos :)
That sounds like an awesome idea for a game. I hope you finish it, I would love to play it.
the logical network thing is great! and I love how information / suspects have a variable rating for how likely they are to be true, much more interesting than a true/false binary. and wow the idea of keyword searching a library to get hints is brilliant! I would love to see this game made to completion.