Pickledtezcat Game Devblog

I did some work on particle systems earlier this month, and today I tried out coding some 2D GLSL filters. The effect I wanted was a kind of localized distortion. Initially I wanted it for spell effects, but the required set up is too cumbersome and would require multiple layers of filters for different spell effects. In the end I decided it would make a good effect for representing monsters with magical radiation. In the game world, magic is pretty dangerous stuff. You can get irradiated by using it, and it drains your focus, dropping you in to a coma or even death if you receive a lethal dose. There are some monsters though who are suffused with magic. These will be dangerous opponents as they are effectively radioactive. I think it's a fun game mechanic for making bosses more interesting. I can think of a number of ways it can be used to make things interesting tactically. And it could also be used as a kind of environmental hazard. It could be good for dynamic p...

I was reading Conn Iggulden's Genghis Khan series this month and had decided to include animal skin cloaks for the Barbarian character archetype. I had forgotten all about it when I saw the trailer for the new Hercules movie with "The Rock" sporting a rather nice lion skin. I decided I needed to make a set right away before I forgot again. Lucky for me I already have a bunch of beastmen so it was a piece of cake to cut down a beastman mesh and re-rig it as a cloak. They are so primitive, and feral. It really gives a lot of character to a model right away. Animal skins may well give a morale bonus or a partial immunity to fear. There's a great bit in the book where Genghis' eldest son fights a tiger and afterwards has the skin made in to a saddle blanket: The two generals rode together down the slope to the valley, comfortable in each other’s presence.     “I have been giving thought to a name for my tuman,” Jochi said.     Jebe looked at him, rai...

Sometimes part of game development is comparing your game with others in the same genre. Today I tried out a newly released roguelike, "The Ground Gives Way" . Level 1 I like this game. It's quite fun and the procedural parts fit together well to create a game which feels scripted, like there's a kind of evolving narrative. That's an important part of effective procedural generation, that it doesn't seem totally random. For example I got to level 4 and there were 4 exits to the next level, but all but one of them was an empty room with no access to the rest of level 5. I also found a grill, so I could cook some food if I had some meat (I didn't have any). Level 4 and my death. It's a pretty difficult game, but there isn't quite the steep learning curve you get with many roguelikes. It starts difficult and stays difficult. That's because advancement isn't handled through XP and levels, but through getting better equipment. Th...