It has been about 2 days since I released The Snake Game, in that time I've been making adjustments and corrections to it (mostly to ensure that the medals are definitely awarded)
I have 2 other projects that I've been working on since 2012 that I plan to finish up and release very soon, in the mean time I've officially begun work on a new Vertigo: Gravity Llama game. The plan is to continue the story of the first one, but I don't want to change too much in terms of the game-play, rather I want to make improvements in certain areas and generally add more content to it.
For instance, in the original Vertigo I put a power-up in each world that you used for the duration of that world (but did not get to carry outside of those worlds). Understandably a lot of players would have liked to take the double jump and double switch powers out of those worlds and in to the others, but my level design simply did not account for this. So my plan for Vertigo 2 with regard to power-ups is that they'll be unlocked in each world and then the player can choose from their collection, revisiting old worlds with new-found access and abilities.
Another glaring issue with Vertigo was the lack of use for coins, other than one or two of the awards in-game which required you to collect all the coins in particular worlds. It very much felt like I'd just put them in for the sake of having something to collect. My plan for Vertigo 2 with regard to coins is to have the player spend them on unlocking levels (usually in the form of hidden levels or alternative routes)
There are dozens of things about Vertigo that I would improve given the chance but I'll just have to voice those improvements through Vertigo 2 instead. What amazes me about developing larger games like Vertigo or Greg Can Jump is that during production I'm convinced that it's my best work and that I've given it 100% of my effort, but it isn't until I release the game and see the masses of constructive (sometimes less so) feedback that all of the imperfections and improvements suddenly stand out. I learn more in the hours after release than I do in the months I spend working on the game and this will always fascinate me and compel me to get my games out there.
That is all for now, if you're reading this then that's awesome!
TL;DR
~ Released The Snake Game, and I am happy with the people's verdict.
~ Working toward a release for my next two games. The Pong and Light Games. (videos in an earlier post)
~ Large discussion over my last major game, Vertigo: Gravity Llama, focussing on areas of improvement.
~ I have a plan for Vertigo 2 that I think will make an excellent game.
~ The experience and feedback gained from the release of your project is far more valuable than that of the development process.
Lastly, a screenshot of a few hour's work:
