(Cross-posted from my website)

Hey! I just made it in time for another monthly post. I don't really mean for them to be monthly, but I just haven't felt like writing until now. (^^;)

I've been well otherwise, though, and I've managed to stay busy with dev-work. This post will mostly be talking about more progress making the game's map, and the newly created fishing content!

But first...

Dividing

In terms of major development decisions, I've actually decided that I'll be breaking Scarred By Heaven into two standalone games. I'd been planning to release it two parts for a while, but the second part was always intended to be an update to the first game--however I've realized that it's probably much smarter and easier just to make these two parts standalone games.

The second game will still be a direct continuation of the first part's story, and will still carry over a lot of the same core gameplay and world layout, but it being an entirely separate game with it's own unique content will give me a lot more room to add new things and change aspects from the first game, without the risk of having to constantly mess around with making the Part 1 content fully adaptable to Part 2 and vice versa. It'll also hopefully make things feel much more manageable from a balancing and planning standpoint. :)

Ever since the game's inception, I've been very attached to the admittedly naïve idea of SBH being one very large game, as the potential for all of the interconnecting gameplay systems and side content was very appealing to me. It was to the point where I honestly never seriously considered separate standalone games as an option, despite that now seeming like an obviously much easier way to cut down my workload as a solo developer. I guess it's a lesson in not fixating so hard on goals set early in a project's lifespan, because they can blind you to simpler ways of doing things.

Regardless, I'm sure Gamemaker is relieved that I won't be suffocating it with the full load of all the game's assets in one project file--I might already be pushing the version I use to it's limits with Part 1 alone. Sometimes I swear I can hear it creaking when I boot it up...

Shopping and Housing

The bulk of the work I've been doing over the past month has been plucking away at making overworld interior locations, and have managed to finish most of the stores around the map. The graphics are still a little unfinished, but they're all fully functional gameplay wise.

I've also made the interior of Lana's house--where Saki stays during the game. Her bedroom is where you can save the game, upgrade abilities and enter training mode.

It's kind of barren compared to Gale's apartment. Lana doesn't have very many hobbies...

I'd like to have a little mechanic where you can decorate Saki's bedroom a little by placing things on the shelf and walls.

Fishing

Maybe the most exciting news for me is that I've finally had the chance to make SBH's fishing minigame--something I've had in mind since the beginning of development. (Which is now almost six years ago!?)

Given that it's probably going to be most substantial side-games in terms of content, I've wanted to do something more unique and action-y than the typical QTEs seen in most fishing minigames, and place some focus on the individual species themselves. I ended up settling on an abstract "shoot"-em-up concept, in which every fish has a unique bullet attack pattern, and catching them requires you to navigate your lure through their assault and wear down their HP!

...It's kind of ridiculous, but I do really enjoy how it's turned out. You damage the target fish with the circular aura you get while in the slow "focus" mode, and its damage increases based on how close you are to the enemy. I think it creates an interesting 'push' and 'pull' to the way you have to navigate the waves of bullets--that could probably be interpreted as analogous to struggling against a fish hooked on a line, somehow.

There's planned to be a few different fishing spots with their own fish to catch. Progression is tracked by the amount of unique species you've caught, and there'll be a small sidestory that provides rewards for hitting certain milestones (EG. 5 species caught, 10 caught without taking damage, etc.), with the ultimate goal being to catch them all--probably about 30 species in total. I'd also like to include a small aquarium area where you can view all the species you've caught in-person and relax.

Fishing minigames have become kind of a jokey trope for indie games in the past few years, and while I can't deny the silliness was a motivating factor in wanting to add one in the first place, I do actually have a lot of serious passion for it here! I've been very fond of marine life for a long time, so it's a fun opportunity for me to be able to engage with that artistically, as well as a good excuse to learn more about it. It's a little strange to say out of context, but I also think the fishing plays an important role in SBH's general theming.

Hopefully you'll enjoy learning about sea life alongside Saki...