I love the dog idea for the playdate! But I do have to say that I don't have one, I don't know anyone who does, and I barely see content talking about it. I don't know if it's just super niche or if it hasn't reached the Brazilian market yet - which is where I live. Just thought this is important to consider. Are there a lot of users for this console in Europe?
But in general I think the approach of getting an MVP out quickly to get feedback is the safest process, be it for games or other products! Good luck with whatever the second project will be! If you need it in the future, I would love to collaborate on the art part or anything that requires a storyboard.
Last I heard, and if I remember correctly is that there are about 200 000 Playdate owners. Which isn't a lot. That's also what makes me hesitate with going all-in on this project. I've been treating it like something to sooth my eagerness to get programming on something. Most owners are probably in the US and here in Europe.
I'll keep you in mind if I need any help on art or storyboards, thank you Haruh!
Nice! Crafts like that pouch and holder are so quaint.
One thing I loved about "10 Years With Hayao Miyazaki" is in the first epsiode, he does not take the ideation process (the time between projects) lightly.
"Be true to your craft, without pretensions." He also doesn't hold closely to any particular idea
I never make myself the time to watch that documentary! I need to change that. It seems like there's a lot to learn from it.
I feel like I haven't gotten completely serious (or dramatic) about this in-between period yet. But when I think about the fact I need to figure something out I get pretty excited.
Cool pouch! I need something like that for my GameBoy Micro.
Your reflections on Surmount and how you see your path forward are interesting. Lessons can come in all sorts of forms and ways.
Personally, when I feel like playing a little something and I don't know what, "the daily mountain" in Surmount has become something of a go-to for me. I did this yesterday and decided to also check if the "Big Hand" glitch had been fixed on the Switch version. It was fixed, so now I've got myself a nice new costume B)
There's something cool about your recent approach and of potentially testing new ideas on Indie Notebook.
I've never tried a Playdate, but it looks fun. Regarding your idea, there are some fun and cool conceptual aspects to it, for sure. I imagine that it could be quite satisfying to be stuck somewhere and then finding an apple that is juuust within reach and then have the dog grow longer and able to reach another apple... and another... and another.
Also, conceptually, using a dachshund (also known as a "wiener dog") is pretty unique and the "crap score" is a fun concept as well :)
What you're showing is obviously a very rough test. I don't know how a final version like that could look on a Playdate or what kind of audience there would be for it on that console (like I said, it's not a world I am a part of). Could the idea of it being a wiener dog be properly represented visually as it stretches out? I imagine that a reason to play the game would be for people to playfully get to embody a (rather strange) dachshund, so I imagine that this would need to be seen and felt very clearly visually.
Also, a lot of it would hinge on the quality and tightness of the level design, I imagine -- which is probably very obvious.
Looking forward to more game ideas sometime in the future :)
Oh cool you got a Gameboy Micro! How do you like it? I was so mesmerised by that when I discovered it.
So fun to hear that you've found a way to keep playing Surmount for so long, that's incredible to hear. And glad that bug with the Big Hand costume is gone!
I'm thrilled to be a bit more open about what I'm working on over here going forward. That's a good description of how I think some of the gameplay will play out. Glad you like the concept! I love that they're called "wiener dogs" lol.
I'm not sure how much of an audience there could possibly be on the Playdate either, I heard they had sold about 200 000 units, so not a whole lot of players. That's my biggest hesitation with committing to this project.
Also, that's interesting what you say about "making it clear that you're a wiener dog. Do you think it's not clear enough visually?
In terms of the console itself, the GameBoy Micro is my favorite ever. What I mean by that is that I'll pick up other consoles just to play a game, but I will pick up games just to play the GameBoy Micro -- lol.
Perhaps the Playdate has a small but dedicated audience -- I don't know. It's a cool little machine, it seems.
What I meant about making it clear that you're a wiener dog, I guess, is to make it visually clear and satisfying -- so that even someone who isn't playing could look at the screen and be amused and entertained by it.
I guess my personal main criticisms would be 2 things:
1) The front legs. I would find it more satisfying if the front legs were visual at all times (maybe derpily to each side or something). When they disappear, to me, it seems like the dog is growing it's neck instead of it's body. Also, I personally find it a little unsatisfying visually how long the front legs can stretch. If wiener dogs are known for one thing it isn't the length of their legs :) (although, mechanically, the leg lengthening is nicely executed)
2) The growing body. This is just a simple visual thing, but to me, I imagine that I would find the dog more cohesive as a character if the growing body didn't have that fuzzy texture and was more simple and clean -- like the rest of its body.
Once again, I also get that this was a very early presentation. With that said maybe some more character could be added. Perhaps its face could be more cartoonish and engaging. Perhaps it could be eating wiener sausages instead of apples. Lol.
It's kinda the same thing with me and the Playdate, as what you describe with the Micro. I totally get you ahah
That thing about the front legs is a great point. I was planning on changing it but I totally forgot about it, I guess I got so used to seeing it that I didn't really notice them anymore. Will definitely do something about it!
I really like the fuzzy body so I think I'll probably keep it and I tried to make it a long cohesive line before but the way I draw the body makes that a little bit too taxing (I just spawn a lot of sprites/game objects very close to each other). Anything might change though, so it's good to hear this!
I would add a lot more animation and life to the dog once the game loop is complete and I've got a few levels in. It feels very static to me right now as well.
I'm glad that these thoughts, shared from a critical mindset, landed with you the way I had hoped. Even though you're explicitly requesting raw opinions it can still feel a little "scary" to be this critical -- some people take things more personally than how they were actually meant.
Take what you want from what I wrote and ignore what you feel like ignoring :)
The technical stuff regarding the sprites and the stretch animation makes sense. Maybe the fuzzy body will look more fitting (to me) when the other visuals have been adjusted.
I love the dog idea for the playdate! But I do have to say that I don't have one, I don't know anyone who does, and I barely see content talking about it. I don't know if it's just super niche or if it hasn't reached the Brazilian market yet - which is where I live. Just thought this is important to consider. Are there a lot of users for this console in Europe?
But in general I think the approach of getting an MVP out quickly to get feedback is the safest process, be it for games or other products! Good luck with whatever the second project will be! If you need it in the future, I would love to collaborate on the art part or anything that requires a storyboard.
Last I heard, and if I remember correctly is that there are about 200 000 Playdate owners. Which isn't a lot. That's also what makes me hesitate with going all-in on this project. I've been treating it like something to sooth my eagerness to get programming on something. Most owners are probably in the US and here in Europe.
I'll keep you in mind if I need any help on art or storyboards, thank you Haruh!
Nice! Crafts like that pouch and holder are so quaint.
One thing I loved about "10 Years With Hayao Miyazaki" is in the first epsiode, he does not take the ideation process (the time between projects) lightly.
"Be true to your craft, without pretensions." He also doesn't hold closely to any particular idea
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/shows/10yearshayaomiyazaki/
I never make myself the time to watch that documentary! I need to change that. It seems like there's a lot to learn from it.
I feel like I haven't gotten completely serious (or dramatic) about this in-between period yet. But when I think about the fact I need to figure something out I get pretty excited.
Cool pouch! I need something like that for my GameBoy Micro.
Your reflections on Surmount and how you see your path forward are interesting. Lessons can come in all sorts of forms and ways.
Personally, when I feel like playing a little something and I don't know what, "the daily mountain" in Surmount has become something of a go-to for me. I did this yesterday and decided to also check if the "Big Hand" glitch had been fixed on the Switch version. It was fixed, so now I've got myself a nice new costume B)
There's something cool about your recent approach and of potentially testing new ideas on Indie Notebook.
I've never tried a Playdate, but it looks fun. Regarding your idea, there are some fun and cool conceptual aspects to it, for sure. I imagine that it could be quite satisfying to be stuck somewhere and then finding an apple that is juuust within reach and then have the dog grow longer and able to reach another apple... and another... and another.
Also, conceptually, using a dachshund (also known as a "wiener dog") is pretty unique and the "crap score" is a fun concept as well :)
What you're showing is obviously a very rough test. I don't know how a final version like that could look on a Playdate or what kind of audience there would be for it on that console (like I said, it's not a world I am a part of). Could the idea of it being a wiener dog be properly represented visually as it stretches out? I imagine that a reason to play the game would be for people to playfully get to embody a (rather strange) dachshund, so I imagine that this would need to be seen and felt very clearly visually.
Also, a lot of it would hinge on the quality and tightness of the level design, I imagine -- which is probably very obvious.
Looking forward to more game ideas sometime in the future :)
Oh cool you got a Gameboy Micro! How do you like it? I was so mesmerised by that when I discovered it.
So fun to hear that you've found a way to keep playing Surmount for so long, that's incredible to hear. And glad that bug with the Big Hand costume is gone!
I'm thrilled to be a bit more open about what I'm working on over here going forward. That's a good description of how I think some of the gameplay will play out. Glad you like the concept! I love that they're called "wiener dogs" lol.
I'm not sure how much of an audience there could possibly be on the Playdate either, I heard they had sold about 200 000 units, so not a whole lot of players. That's my biggest hesitation with committing to this project.
Also, that's interesting what you say about "making it clear that you're a wiener dog. Do you think it's not clear enough visually?
Love to hear your thoughts!
In terms of the console itself, the GameBoy Micro is my favorite ever. What I mean by that is that I'll pick up other consoles just to play a game, but I will pick up games just to play the GameBoy Micro -- lol.
Perhaps the Playdate has a small but dedicated audience -- I don't know. It's a cool little machine, it seems.
What I meant about making it clear that you're a wiener dog, I guess, is to make it visually clear and satisfying -- so that even someone who isn't playing could look at the screen and be amused and entertained by it.
I guess my personal main criticisms would be 2 things:
1) The front legs. I would find it more satisfying if the front legs were visual at all times (maybe derpily to each side or something). When they disappear, to me, it seems like the dog is growing it's neck instead of it's body. Also, I personally find it a little unsatisfying visually how long the front legs can stretch. If wiener dogs are known for one thing it isn't the length of their legs :) (although, mechanically, the leg lengthening is nicely executed)
2) The growing body. This is just a simple visual thing, but to me, I imagine that I would find the dog more cohesive as a character if the growing body didn't have that fuzzy texture and was more simple and clean -- like the rest of its body.
Once again, I also get that this was a very early presentation. With that said maybe some more character could be added. Perhaps its face could be more cartoonish and engaging. Perhaps it could be eating wiener sausages instead of apples. Lol.
Those were my (edit: critical) thoughts.
It's kinda the same thing with me and the Playdate, as what you describe with the Micro. I totally get you ahah
That thing about the front legs is a great point. I was planning on changing it but I totally forgot about it, I guess I got so used to seeing it that I didn't really notice them anymore. Will definitely do something about it!
I really like the fuzzy body so I think I'll probably keep it and I tried to make it a long cohesive line before but the way I draw the body makes that a little bit too taxing (I just spawn a lot of sprites/game objects very close to each other). Anything might change though, so it's good to hear this!
I would add a lot more animation and life to the dog once the game loop is complete and I've got a few levels in. It feels very static to me right now as well.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts Hasse! :- )
I'm glad that these thoughts, shared from a critical mindset, landed with you the way I had hoped. Even though you're explicitly requesting raw opinions it can still feel a little "scary" to be this critical -- some people take things more personally than how they were actually meant.
Take what you want from what I wrote and ignore what you feel like ignoring :)
The technical stuff regarding the sprites and the stretch animation makes sense. Maybe the fuzzy body will look more fitting (to me) when the other visuals have been adjusted.
Glad you could use my feedback!