Project Vessel Update—Save Systems & Tidying Up (Patreon)

Hello folks! After doing a little bit more work on Project Vessel, I'm switching over to working on Charlie Morningstar's Patreon Deluxe. Hopefully I can finish that in about ten days or so. I'll let you if that estimated time changes.

Until then, here's a quickie post covering some of the work I did on Project Vessel over the last four days.

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One of the biggest worries I have in regards to making a long game is the lack of save function. As you can imagine, knowing that any progress cannot be saved would put a limit on potential ideas over a certain length, and also make players worry about closing the game and losing hours of progress. It is something I never gave much thought to, as I thought it was simply not possible.

However, I recently discovered that, with a little bit of code here and there, saving is not only possible, but now implemented in the current build of Project Vessel. This means that, barring your browser / device not supporting saving data via local storage, your progress will be retained for future replays. Testing is still ongoing, and I don't know if the saved data carries over from one version of a game to the next, but it's nice to know that a player can return to a game and continue playing from where they left off. Perhaps I can make those expansions super slow, or implement a "hard" mode for longer, tougher but bigger expansions. So many ideas...

Multiple save slots might be possible for future games, but right now, being able to save at all allows me a lot more freedom in regards to animation ideas, including animations other than these games I'm making. Hopefully the save function will work correctly for all patrons when I release the next demo!

The other work I have done for Vessel involves neatening up some of the expansions, adding some dialogue in, adding in triggers for the expansions (yes, you have to find them!), among other bits of work. I was tempted to add in some minigames for the expansions, but decided that I would rather tidy up what I have and post this project as "completed". As I mentioned in a prior update, this project is a bit too messy and lacking direction for me to want to continue with it. I would rather start over, with a much more focused game plan.

However, I do think this is a good proof of concept for future games. A lot of code in this project can be used for other projects, and as I've already figured out what works and doesn't, the next game should come together much quicker. Hopefully. Maybe. Eh...I'll try.

That's about it. I should be ready to post the next demo, or even post the completed project before the month ends. I am toying with the idea of adding in a cutscene for the ending, at the very least, but we'll see how I feel. I generally finish every project I start, but this might be the one where I throw in the towel, for the sake of doing something better, less broken and more focused in what it's trying to achieve. At the least, you'll have something to play with and explore.

That's enough rambling for one day. Back to a certain naive demon in hell with gullibility issues. TTFN!

— Dim