Hello! We’re back at it again with a devlog for the new month. It’s November, and we’re making our way to the end of the year as best we can. It’s now starting to get dark here in Chicago at like 4 PM, so this is your reminder to not trust how you feel after that time. Your brain is tricking you with how dark it is. 

Winter woes aside, let’s talk some housekeeping! First off, there was a quick patch that went into effect during the month. The big part of that was Unity had come out with a security patch, so that had to come out ASAP. I did sneak in a couple other changes I did make though. I have been going back and forth between the demo and the rest of the game just to keep it good and updated. I’m learning more things as I’m moving forward, and I want that to reflect in the demo. I do think there will be a few more before the full release, and by then the demo will look way different than when I first released it. 

The game itself is moving along, we’re getting new animations and sound effects for the levels - there was a bug that was a bit of a pain inside of the second level, but it’s settled now thanks to the help of our composer! I’ve also started implementing cutscenes in one of the last levels. This has one of my favorite moments I’ve written, so I’m really excited to animate it all out and show off in the teasers! A lot of work has also been going into the bosses combat scripts. While not giving away anything, it’s been amazing bringing these creatures to life during their fights. The designs for them are incredible, and paired with the music of their fights, I think it’s going to make a statement! I honestly think my brother put it best when I explained the boss lineup to him: 

“So the first one is just some guy you beat up with nightmares after?!” 

Which the answer is, yes. But it’s going to be good!

I’ve also been focused on a lot of lighting adjustments in the levels, especially in the second level. A majority of it takes place underground in a cave, so there’s been an attempt of balancing a certain level of darkness to give it a more creepy-crawly feel, while still giving enough so the player can see where they’re going. I remember when I played older games, like Pokemon, where they dropped you in a cave with just a little light around your feet and said ‘good luck!’ if you didn’t have a Pokemon that knew Flash. While this game has elements of those old top down games, I can’t bring myself to just dump players into something that is tough to navigate. I am, however, not a lighting expert, so there’s been a bit of a learning curve with this aspect of design.  

So that’s been the game side of things. It has been a little lighter, due to preparing for the showcase I’ll be attending: MDev!

I’ve posted it a few times, but I’m so excited! By the time this comes out, there will only be a few more days to go. The past month has honestly been focusing on getting everything ready, and that’s what this devlog will focus on! While I’m mainly writing these out as a record of how the game itself is progressing, I wanted to illuminate what it’s like running a new indie studio and what comes as an addition to game development. If it can help one person and their decision on what to do, then it’s a success! Including my process for events like this I think helps be transparent on the work behind the scenes. So while I may do things one way, you can choose to be completely different! And that’s not a bad thing. There is no right way to do this.

Let’s talk about how I’ve been getting things together though! To start off, there was the intensity of getting in in the first place. There was the application (which I had to do last year as well), and waiting for the decision if the game would be accepted. It was! And I’m so thankful it was! The next bit was planning out the table. Last year, I had things REALLY simple. It was a tablecloth, my laptop, and business cards! Granted, it was my first one ever, and I was guessing a little bit, but it felt like a success! This year, I wanted to get fancier. Upgrading to a monitor was one of the biggest things I wanted to do - I saw a lot of people trying to peek over the player to see the screen and watch, so that had to be changed! I also added a banner this year for the game, as a little background to the tablet. There are a couple different symbols that I get to play around with from the game, so I wanted to bring that out as best I could. There are a couple different giveaways with stickers, and easier ways to actually follow the game this time with QR codes. And of course, updated business cards for me, haha. I am determined to also get a bit more ‘decoration’ there, but we will see once I have the actual table space and what I can squeeze in there. We have to have our little trinkets somewhere. 

I’ve also been contemplating outfits for the showcasing. It may sound a little silly, bringing it up here, but it comes with the realization that I’m not only marketing the game, but the studio and me as well. I am technically the face of it right now, and if I’m not approachable and cool, then people aren’t going to want to check out what we’re doing here! That’s not to say I pretend so much that I seem almost fake, but I want the studio, and me, to be authentic when doing these things. I have standards and I believe in things that I want to be obvious when people see the studio and how it operates. So I think that would include wearing cool earrings when the time comes for it. 

Another thing I’ve been tinkering with is the demo itself. The game got a huge update right after the last showcase, and I’ve released a few patches since then. While it does have the same structure, there is so much more added that I’ve been testing and making sure it’s all good to go. There are a few more bugs to take care of, but I’m hopeful that people will like it as much as they did last year! I also got really good feedback from the players last time, which has been implemented, and I know it’s going to be just as important to get as much as possible this next time around. I’ve tossed around the idea of having a way to give more official feedback at the table, but I haven’t fully committed to that yet. 

This is supposed to be way bigger than the year before, so I’m super excited not only to meet new people, but to catch up with others I met last time! Everyone there brings a really great vibe, and you can feel how much love for not only video games, but the people who are making them there is on the floor. I think it’s definitely a need to feel something like that, especially after the past couple years. Being able to be reminded ‘why’ you do something is a great help when it comes to the struggle of development and burnout. I know at least for me, staring at the game for days and seeing its imperfections can get me down. But bringing it in front of others and getting their feedback is a reminder how far it’s come from the little idea it began as, and how it’s connected to people. 

And on a completely different note, by the time MDev comes around, Artificium Games will also have a website up as well! Remember how I talked about how I’m straight buns at that and a great friend was gracious enough to put one together? Well, now we get to see his work! That is also something I was working on during the month of October. That was a lot of getting aspects of the studio and game together in one cohesive look, and I’m excited for it to go live. Now we really feel like we’re official and we know what we’re doing here.

Overall, I am incredibly excited and grateful for the opportunity to do this. The people who are doing this are all volunteering, and they do an amazing job. Being a part of it gives me an opportunity to be a “part” of the game industry again, even though I’m creating my own road at this moment. Seeing both developers and players again, like I mentioned earlier, is a great reminder as the ‘why’ for me, and I can’t wait to go! 

For next month, the devlog will be about how the showcase went, as well as the remaining month for the year and what will be in the works for ‘Oops!’. I’ve been considering the release date, and what that means for this project, so I’m ready to sit down and write out all my thoughts for it. 

See you next time!

Go ahead and check out the lovely people who are doing amazing work on the game!

The development team: 

Paige: https://pnthorsen17.wixsite.com/my-site

Pedro: https://pedrofigueiredo.artstation.com/albums/2133675

Guilherme Alexander: https://www.guigagliardo.com/

lemondrop: https://www.lemondropmusic.com/

Me: https://linktr.ee/katiea_athanatosdev

The Studio: 

Bluesky:  https://bsky.app/profile/artificiumgames.bsky.social

Twitter:  https://twitter.com/ArtificiumG

The Game: 

Itch:  https://athanatos-dev.itch.io/oops-youre-the-hero

Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3166160/Oops_Youre_the_Hero/?beta=0

Thank you so much for reading, and for tagging along on this adventure <3 

• Kit 

P.S. If we meet at the showcase, then you can see all the tattoos I kept mentioning that I was getting