Hello there! Today is April 1st, and wouldn’t it be funny if I just didn’t have an update for the first of this month? 

Haha jk….unless…?

No, I’m kidding. Though it was a bit close with this one. Things have been a little busy, and I’m really cutting the wire with this one. 

But! 

We prevail. We continue on. We keep to our word in getting a devlog out the first of every month! I don’t have too much to speak on, so this will be a bit shorter than the last one. 

So without further ado, let’s jump into this month’s shenanigans. 

The updates of the final demo are as so! I’ve been putting in new features that I outlined in the last devlog. Those have had their ups and their downs, truly the best of times [daydreaming of new mechanics] and the worst of times [implementing said mechanics]. And while I’m pleased to say I’ve been learning a lot, the head-banging against my desk has caused a dent in the wood, I’m pretty sure. 

But it’s going to be worth it! In a few weeks, the final demo version will be released [still slotted for the 28th of April], and then the game will continue on with being made!

Which brings me to the subject of what this devlog is supposed to be about. I wanted the focus of this one to be on the process I’ve been using to design ‘Oops’ itself. As I’ve been making the changes to the demo, I’ve also been working on the designs of the rest of the game. When I started the game way back when, I had an idea for a turn-based action economy. Once I switched and it became ‘not that’, I had the pleasure of redoing how I wanted the game to play and to feel in someone’s hands. Now, as I finish the foundation of how the game will play, it feels like it has its own balance that fits inside the world it’s made to be in. And I hope that if you play, you agree as well. 

The steps to that balance were interesting, to say the least. How do you create a group of coherent mechanics that will fit within a [at most] 2 hour game, while making it exciting and memorable? 

The answer may shock you. 

And the truth is, at least for me, is that you do what you want. 

You put in the mechanics you think are going to work. You play around and prototype and spend the time and the effort building what you think is the best route. Because at the end of the day, I know a lot of people are trying to tell a story, and every single thing that exists in a level becomes a vehicle for expressing the message they want to share. 

How did I do that in ‘Oops!’? 

Truth be told, I had to sit down and speak with the Thief. I had to get to know him and his motivations, his reasoning. I had to do a one-on-one interrogation and figure out who he was when I met him, and who he was going to be by the time those end credits rolled. And I’m pretty proud to say that I’ve got a solid idea on him. 

The Thief is supposed to be clever, fast, and always holding onto a way to get out of the situations he finds himself in. If I couldn’t give the correct environment to the player to do that, then I was denying the Thief the chance to be who he really is. The world he inhabits and the way he interacts with things was what dictated what could be done. Which probably sounds insane, and I’m sure many designers would disagree. And maybe I will too, in the future after all this is said and done. 

So, what comes next?

Great question. I’m so glad you asked. 

I talked about it briefly, but all I can think of for what comes after the final demo is how excited I am to continue to work on the game. I’ve loved putting together the new characters and soundtrack summaries, as well as planning out levels, and how to bring out the best in the player. Because at the end of the day, I’m making something that is close to me, and I want to share it out with whomever I can. There are very few things that match watching your plans come to life, and see people interact and enjoy what you’ve created. 

And trust, there’s been some burnout here and there. Something that’s unavoidable when you’re working in a creative environment, and have no way to recharge or step away from your work. I’m definitely guilty of continuously working on one thing til my thoughts hit a dead end, but I’ve found that taking moments to really step away from the work is what helps me best. Obviously, the burnout still comes, and everyone has their different methods of helping themselves or others through it. But we have to remember that we’re not machines. We can’t continuously churn out “content” [side note: I hate that word] and expect it to feel like creating something that we created ourselves that matters personally does. 

All of this to say, everything is coming along still! Which is nice to think about :) 

And I even kept this update shorter than the last one! See, I keep my word. 

Thank you once again for reading, and I will see you in a month for the next devlog!

As always, if you want to follow along the process, share your thoughts, or think you might want to work on it as well, there are ways I can be reached! 

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

If you want to tag along, thank you <3 

• Kit