> Transcribing log: DEV_02.19.23

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So it has been a bit since I wrote the last devlog for those that are still following the project and I have a few updates.

First I want to thank everyone who has played the game so far and left your feedback. It helps me more than you know! Identifying what is fun and what isn’t is information that I need to make sure Pareidolia is as great as I know it can be. For those that heard about the game through chance, the GameMaker discord, or anywhere else: thank you for stopping by and taking interest! Now to the meat of tonight’s devlog:

Current State of the Game

The game is still in semi-active development. What I mean by “semi-active” is that I recently have had some priority changes in life along with what I do for work. These priorities have temporarily taken precedence over Pareidolia for the time being. I still aim to put out active devlogs after this one to hold myself accountable.

What Have I Been Working On?

I have been revamping the visuals by tightening the palette I use for Pareidolia and by redesigning certain aspects of new and existing assets. I also have been slowly adding new puzzle pieces like the Thermal Turbine.

The Thermal Turbine emits a charge only when a geyser is passing through it. The fan inside spins and when it reaches a max spin speed, it opens/closes doors and bridges attached to it.

I also redesigned the character a bit. Making their feet a bit more defined and tightening the shoulder plates a bit. Some more changes and additions can be viewed below!

What Is Next?

Honestly, a complete overhaul is needed to make the game compete with other titles in the genre. One thing I plan to change completely is the hunt mechanic. Through playtesting and feedback, I found that most of the fun and memorable moments of the game comes from when the monster spawns and chases the player. I think I need to remove that barrier of fun in a sense. How I plan on doing that is still being workshopped and is not something I am prepared to share at the moment. Also, progression and goal setting needs to be more clear and a full map implementation is needed before I share a new iteration of the project. It is not enough to have isolated setpieces in the caves and unique biomes. Players need to know where they are in relation to RAID and the monster at all times. I still want a mostly HUD-less experience, so how I implement this is still being worked on. So expect the next version of Pareidolia to be faster, smarter, and more rewarding. Public Alpha 2 might receive more updates in the coming months if bugs keep being reported, we will see. 

So that’s what I got! Thank you everyone for your interest and feedback as always and I will have an update next week.

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> Printing #SOCIALS.array

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> Exiting