Progress Report 5/26/2023 (Patreon)

Hello again, everyone! Here's what I got done this week:

• RFM: Made following NPCs follow the mouse while left-click is down; this serves as a secondary control method for them
• RFM: Ensured the secondary control can't put the NPCs in a spot that's permanently safe from stomping
• RFM: Reduced the sizes of characters, feet, and breasts so things are less cramped on screen
• RFM: Increased the horizontal size of the play area so there's a bit more freedom of movement
• RFM: Made the feet move with the camera when not stomping, resulting in much more natural movement
• RFM: Changed the foot AI to always chase the player, regardless of which side of the screen they're on
• RFM: Changed the foot AI to only stomp NPCs when visible above the breasts and when the player isn't in close proximity
• RFM: Limited the player's movement to the same maximum height as the feet; no more hiding safely at the top!
• RFM: Updated the roadmap for the game's development
• RFM: Began compiling a list of every sprite I'll need to make for the customizer... send help...
• Drew a front and side reference for the model's hair and clothes

Firstly, I'd like to thank everyone who participated in Build-A-Giantess Week! I hope the experience for you guys was a positive one, even if it was a bit rough around the edges. ^^;  

Now then, onto the report!

I got back into the groove with Run From Me again this week, and I've updated the gameplay into a spot that I'm pretty comfortable with! I spent a very long time trying to figure out what it was about the game that felt wrong to me. Then, sometime during the week, I came across the old concept drawings that I did. As soon as I saw the one where everything was tiny beneath the giantess, it suddenly hit me: everything is too cramped!

In response, I reduced the size of the feet, breasts, and tinies running around, and I increased the size of the play area a bit. Just having a little bit more breathing room made it SO much more manageable! (And the reduced gameplay speed helped, too.) I added in all nine heroes behind the player -- which is about as chaotic as things can get -- and things still aren't as overwhelming as they were before, at least in my opinion.

And so, at long last, another game update will be available shortly after this post so you can play around with everything! Please don't break it. :,)

I'm uploading two versions of Run From Me: version 1 features the larger play area with smaller characters, and version 2 features the same exact gameplay with the original character sizes and gameplay area for comparison. Let me know what you guys think!

In addition to the gameplay changes I made, I also worked on the behind-the-scenes stuff and worked out a new roadmap for the game. I've got a much better idea of what I'll need to accomplish for 1.0, the demo release. It's not a small list, so I'll be chipping away at it for a while still. I dissoved "The UI Update" that I was working on and spread it across various other updates where they were more relevant.

I've also been compiling a list of sprites to make for the customizer, and... hoo boy. My ambition is gonna be the death of me. If I can pull this off, though, it's gonna be SO satisfying and cool!! :D

Lastly, the 3D model took a bit of a backseat this week, but it'll be at the forefront again starting next week. I did finish drawing the references for the 3D model; now it's simply a matter of building it in Blender! I've been doing a lot of research into how to make 3D hair, and I think I've got a decent grasp on it. Clothes should be fairly simple, but I'll give myself a refresher course on those, too, when the time comes.

Now then, get out there and experience the full power of the prototype! Let the squares and the monochromatic color scheme and the Times New Roman fonts FLOW THROUGH YOU! HAHAHA!!!

Seriously, please don't break anything...

I'm gonna curl into a ball with some Taco Bell as I await the inevitable list of game-breaking bugs. In the meantime, you guys have fun playing around with all the new bells and whistles! I'll see you guys again next week!