Dear Drifters,
I know I've been pretty quiet lately, but there's been a lot going on behind the scenes. I'll catch you up, and then I'd like to tell you about the next Pixeljam game, Dino Run 2, which I was a big part of way back before Nova Drift!
If you're not already aware, Nova Drift was built in GameMaker. This often surprises people. I think this is partially because of how far we've pushed its capabilities, but also because people don't realize how far GameMaker has come since its early days when it was known as more of a hobbyist's tool. It's powerful now! Still, as we work on porting for mobile and consoles, we're starting to see its limitations, and as my next project approaches, I'm thinking it's time for a change. I continue to believe it is the best tool for rapid prototyping, and perhaps the easiest engine to pick up, especially for people with a more creative than technical background, and so it will always hold a special place in my heart. Unfortunately, unless they improve its compatibility, UI support, and the porting experience, I feel like it's something that most serious game developers will eventually "grow out of".
So, I've weighed all of my options carefully, and Unity eventually came out on top for building my future games. I can already hear people groaning. Listen, it's like this: All game engines are bad; The question is, which one is the right kind of bad for you...
It's been a crazy adjustment for me as I've been practicing with it, since I'm learning not just a new environment, but also a new programming language, AND at the same time brushing up on my 3D art and vfx. It definitely feels like a power tool compared to GM, but also feels complex and bloated compared to Gamemaker's light-weight simplicity. Anyway, I'm certain that once I'm comfortable with it, I'm going to love having the wealth of tools, support, and visual tech that it offers.
In other news, the mobile port for Nova Drift is nearing its final phases, and after that we'll start right on console ports. Also, I'm still considering creating DLC for Nova Drift, likely involving Gear Mutations, and offering it on all of the platforms we'll be supporting.
I'm very excited to say that I may have finally found an "official" development partner?? We've been carefully reviewing options for the next game to build, selected one, and have begun prototyping it. This game must remain a secret for now, since we aren't sure if it'll be something we'll commit to yet, but I wanted you to know that things are happening.
In the meantime, while he's laying down the architecture for that game, I've been working on a cute little app in order to accelerate my learning C# and Unity. I can best describe the side-project as a Virtual Pet crossed with a light-weight fitness app. It's something that I've wanted to make for myself for a long time, but the full pedometer/GPS integration I wanted for it looked like it just wasn't going to happen with Gamemaker. It's been fun, and I'll show the Discord when it's further along. Who knows, might finish it.
Once I'm comfortable with the new tools, I'll join him on the prototype and we'll see whether it's worth pursuing or if we need to revisit our other top choices. Once we have any confidence on what we'll move forward with, I can reveal some teasers.
For a little background on the connection between Nova Drift and Dino Run, Nova Drift was published by Pixeljam which was co-founded by my friends, Miles Tilmann and Rich Grillotti. Miles Tilmann is also Nova Drift's musician! I don't think many Nova Drift players know this, but I actually got my start in indie Games by being a fan of the flash game Dino Run, a 2008 hit browser game created by Pixeljam. I loved it so much that I sent them some fanart, and surprisingly, this led to me working for them as a pixel art contractor, and eventually allowed me to quit my corporate games job! Over the years, we worked on many retro games together, and this eventually led to the creation of Nova Drift with Pixeljam acting as its publisher. Along this journey, I'd laid down Dino Run 2's early concept art, animations, environments, and mechanical design, but eventually got pulled away as Nova Drift became my full-time job. Dino Run 2 chugged on from then until today, and it is finally ready for the last PUSH, via a Kickstarter campaign, into Early Access.
Here's some of my early artwork on the game from many moons ago:
And here's what it's looking like today:
I'm very excited to finally get to play the sequel to the game I imagined when I was but a small Jeff. It's changed in some radical ways since I worked on it, and now includes a super robust Multiplayer Sandbox mode that lets you build while you hang with friends. Actually insane.
Please check out the Kickstarter, below, if for no other reason than to witness the adorable animations and the brilliantly creative work the team has been cooking. Or just drop it a wishlist!
Wishlist the game: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2590330/Dino_Run_2/
Join the Dino Run 2 Discord: https://discord.com/invite/pixeljam
Back the Campaign: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/pixeljam/the-dino-run-2-early-access-campaign?ref=b7d2o9
Thanks for reading,
Jeffrey/Chimeric