Yesterday under the shower, I had an “eureka” moment. Now I can continue with a project I had put on pause, because I have a new vision to work on. This breakthrough was possible because I put hours into studying a tool– a completely different kind of task. My mind started connecting the dots, and after a couple of “let’s try this…” attempts, I got it.
I am happy; now I have renewed energies to work on this.
Yesterday, I got the third prototype for my game Pawtners Case. I have this design pillar, which is called “continuous patrol”. One of the objectives of the ideation stage and pre-production is to decide on design pillars that will guide the rest of the production and launch.
That means that I don’t want to have a main menu. You run the game, you are in the game. Most games do not need a main menu, especially nowadays when loading a game takes so much times and connections.
Also, there is no death condition. You can fall off the level (imagine levels are islands in the sky) and land on the same level again. I am also thinking of minigames to do.
Credits will be integrated into the game, too. You can ignore them, but you don’t have to skip them.
I have hired a concept artist to help me with keyart and logo design, then I made this onepager to introduce the game to potential publishers.
This week I have worked intensively on my indie game, Pawtners Case. You are a police dog and you have to help your colleagues to solve cases.
The first level I am prototyping is a medium one. The goal is straightforward, you need to reunite with your colleague, Agent Quinn, and escape a warehouse. There is a bomb to dismantle, too.
This week I have implemented a lot of features, and a blockout. You can see the result here:
For the blockout, I started by looking for references and setting up a moodboard:
Then, I proceeded to create a notepad where I defined my goals, the sequence, and so on. Later I created a map:
Then, in Unreal Engine I set up the level, iterating on the concept. I have to say that I find Unreal Engine versatile for a game designer. It has integrated a gameplay framework that makes things easier. I am happy with my choice!
Today I have completed a set of new mechanics which will be useful for the very first prototype of my game. You can watch here:
I have also changed the name of the game, after listening to the first feedback on a Discord server. The game will be called Pawtners Case, I am studying also layouts for a possible capsule. This is what I got so far:
I am impressed by Unreal Engine. I don’t know why I didn’t use it until now. It has a whole gameplay framework already implemented, you can set things up very easily. And placing object in the level is fairly simple. It doesn’t have the huge community that Unity has, but it’s a powerful tool.
Now I need to focus on the level for the first prototype, and double check which mechanics I am missing.
I discovered that AEVI, a local association that helps game developers in Spain, activated a help plan for independent developers. They help you financially with the development of a prototype.
My first solo dev game in Unreal Engine is taking shape! I am excited, and I am willing to keep things very small and doable. I want to make a complete game in 6 months, and I can add 2 more for QA and debugging but that’s it.
My intention is to keep things fairly simple:
When I was younger I was addicted to TV shows with a policeman and a dog. The most famous one was called Tequila & Bonetti. I still remember that piano music that Bonetti played at night, recalling his dark past.
I am studying Unreal Engine and I had an idea: an action game with a story where you are the dog and have to solve situations to move forward with the story.
For now it’s called simply “Dog game”, I am implementing the first mechanics.