HAPPY NEW YEAR from WAN WAN GAMES! (Patreon)

Greetings and HAPPY NEW YEAR! It has been awhile since we've posted as our 2021 ended up being chock full of curveballs and unexpected surprises. We had taken on some additional jobs for awhile to ensure stability, but as of October, we've been back on track and are in a much better spot.

While we ended up juggling a lot around this year, we still made a lot of progress with projects. Heading into 2022 we have a LOT planned, and we will be opening the year with a NEW test build of Tough Bippy. We've road mapped 2022 for ourselves and hope to make it the most productive year we can. While we're in a much more stable position, we're going to hold off on new team hires until the first test build goes live.

In this post we'll be posting details on work we had done, as well as discussing our plans for 2022 and where we hope to take things forward.

Tough Bippy's second test build has been massively overhauled and will be dropping early in the year (January or February.) We're still waiting on hiring some new artists/animators for the game as our budget isn't quite there for it. During the on-and-off schedule we had earlier in this year, massive overhauls were done to the test build to improve performance and squash out additional bugs. It was a lengthy process but we managed to trim down our code heavily - and the hope is that in the long run we will already have a game that performs well and won't be as hard to port around to other platforms.

• Re-optimized code has sped up work and allowed for better performance in-game!

We had a long list of optimizations and bug fixes we've gone through since the first test build we posted. Code has been cut down, made more efficient, and has heavily increased performance for the game. It has become much easier to implement new content into the re-optimized code structure, and we've also updated our hitbox software to generate more optimal script files for hitbox data. We even redid our menu systems and have implemented a much better controller support system, giving even broader support to gamepad devices with additional customization options (analog dead zone, button macros).

• Bippy moves faster, his jump arc being sped up (and his jumps going higher!)

The general physics in Tough Bippy have been adjusted changing the pace of the game a bit. Gravity has been increased slightly, while your jump's peak is a bit higher. Air dashes now give a quicker burst of speed, dashes carry more momentum into attacks, wall kicks have been sped up, and Bippy's walks and dashes move faster. Hit stop has been reduced a bit on attacks, but it has generally sped up the flow of combat to match up with the more rapid movement the player is provided with. Our rewritten code structure has also improved our animation system a bit, so certain animations will blend between each other a lot more cleanly, giving a lot more feedback to your movements. Input buffering has also been overhauled to allow for a lot more precision in regards to your control.

• It's possible to strafe by holding either a STRAFE macro or any attack button.

By mapping a macro for STRAFE to your controller/keyboard configuration or by continuing to hold PUNCH, SPECIAL, or DODGE after an attack - you can continue facing the same direction opening up your movement options. By pressing DASH while walking backwards - you can perform a BACKDASH. Walking backwards reduces your speed and allows you to fine tune your positioning. You can utilize strafing to keep yourself focused on an enemy while fighting them, or BACKDASH to quickly to pull backwards out of a situation. Walking backwards keeps you on a platform - so you can't walk off ledges.

• Back dashing keeps you on a platform even when you hit the ledge!

By strafing backwards and pressing DASH or mapping a button macro for your gamepad/keyboard configuration - you can perform a BACKDASH. The first few frames of a BACKDASH grant you invincibility, allowing you to phase through attacks while hopping out of the way. Repeated BACKDASHES can be used as a fast movement option, they also keep you on a platform even if you backdash into a ledge. 

• All PUNCHES cancel into SPECIALS! Try structuring combos around them!

Pressing the SPECIAL button combined with an optional direction will execute a SPECIAL MOVE! Most of Bippy's special moves double as a movement tool, and each SPECIAL can be cancelled into from any attack mapped to the PUNCH button. Specials cannot be cancelled off of into dodges/dashes but can cancel into EX SPECIALS (Punch+Special) with the use of meter. ( Combo structure : Punch -> Special -> EX Special )

We've been in a much better position in regards to life and are hoping to dedicate 2022 to really going all out and pushing ahead on projects. We will finally be launching the second test build of Tough Bippy in either JANUARY or FEBRUARY of 2022. While January is the goal, depending on the time needed for some final art assets to be made. The test build will feature all sorts of changes and will really demonstrate combat and platforming.  We'll be posting some concepts for the opening stage to the game and will be working towards a PUBLIC DEMO of the first stage of the game later in the year. We're still hoping to grow the team for the game, and will most likely be hiring on some additional artists after we get the next test build released. 

Our Pirate Game was started this year as a smaller project designed to help raise some additional funding to grow our team for Tough Bippy with an emphasis on fun arcade styled action. Despite our bumpy schedule during 2021, we have a prototyped engine and have finished the core ships for the game. We've been plotting out stage designs and finalizing the narrative for the game and will hopefully have a lot to show over the course of its development in 2022.

( Click here for a higher resolution version! ) 

• Various concept art for weapon designs, characters, and a potential title screen!

The Pirate Game has seen a lot of conceptualization over the course of the year, and we have carried over some of the optimized controller code from Tough Bippy to the first pass of the game's engine. After the new test build of Tough Bippy goes live we'll be showcasing more development towards it alongside additional concept art.

As we look into additional hires for Tough Bippy, we'll be doing work on the Pirate Game and trying to ready it for later in the year. As a smaller scale project, it won't be demanding full attention from our schedule for the year, but we'll be trying to ready it for around autumn (hopefully!)

• Julian will host game dev streams every Tuesday & Thursday at 3 PM Pacific Time.

If you are interested in watching where development is at - Julian will be streaming work he does on game art assets over on his Twitch channel. His streams will be on every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 PM Pacific Time so tune in if you're curious in watching the process! 

• While this schedule isn't set in stone - it's the goals we'll be aiming towards in 2022!

Our goal for 2022 is to start the year off with the second test build of Tough Bippy, then later in the year we're hoping to release our Pirate Game. Before the year ends, we're hoping to get a public demo live of Tough Bippy that will showcase the first level of the game. We'll be giving monthly updates on projects over the course of the year, and will be showcasing both Tough Bippy and Pirate Game concepts over the course of the year.

( Progress may vary over the course of the year, but based on how many additional artists we hire on, the speed of development could potentially go faster. )

We will be updating the front page for our Patreon in the next few days to provide more up to date information about our projects and goals. It'll be one heck of a busy year for us but also a very exciting one!

Keep checking back monthly for future updates - and happy new year!

~ DD