Hey everyone!

I hope everyone has been doing well over the last few months. I've been busy, and... elephant in the room... I did not meet the Q1 release date. So sorry about that. It's my fault really. With my last game I underestimated how long the final stages of making a commercial game take, and this time I repeated the same mistake. Even when you "finish" a game, there is somehow so many administrative things to take care of; screenshots, trailers, bug fixing, platform optimization, localization, Steam Achievements, etc. Each one of these can take a week or more to complete.. I am just one person after all.

[h2]IT'S DONE[/h2]

That said though -- The Abandoned Planet is complete!

Yep, you read that right; it's done. And there's a brand new voice actress, Erika Merchant, who voiced the astronaut. She's great, and I think everyone will be pleased with the change.

[h2]NEW DEMO SOON[/h2]

Once localization is complete (which is the very final thing that's left to do), I will upload an updated demo which showcases Act 1. This new demo will feature the new voice actress, be localized into 11 world languages, and even have some new puzzles, animations, and cutscenes for Act 1. (NOTE: New demo saved games will not be compatible with old saves).

[h2]EXTRAS[/h2]

Additionally, I was even able to add all of the extras I wanted, which are unlocked once you beat the game the first time:

• Escape Mode! Complete the game in 2 hours before the planet explodes. (this is not easy, and you basically have to have all the puzzle solutions memorized). There's a Steam Achievement for it.
  
• Script - read the script to the game. This is only in English, but it's a complete script of the entire game, which was one of the first things I did after completing the initial vertical slice/MVP. Really cool to see what changed and what stayed.
  
• Artwork Gallery - you can look at sketches of puzzles and areas that I used in development and some final pieces of artwork I created for the game.
  

• English (text and speech)
  
• Spanish (text only)
  
• Italian (text only)
  
• French (text only)
  
• German (text only)
  
• Japanese (text only)
  
• Korean (text only)
  
• Portuguese (text only)
  
• Russian (text only)
  
• Chinese Simplified (text only)
  
• Chinese Traditional (text only)
  

HELLO!

I hope all is well as we kick off 2024. First of all, I want to assure everyone that the game is coming along nicely and is almost finished. I'm working on the final cutscenes and wrapping up some puzzles in Act 5 (the final act). Thank you so much for your patience!

Before we get into the nitty gritty, you can check out a bunch of gameplay and an overview of The Abandoned Planet in this video that it was showcased in. It's a video about upcoming adventure games in 2024. Here is the time stamp of when my game is showcased:

https://youtu.be/zAtzAfV9waQ?t=4040



[h2]Setbacks & Game Length[/h2]

So, elephant in the room... I did not meet the 2023 release date. I'm so sorry about that! It was not my intention, but game development is very difficult to predict. Launching a game that meets developer and player expectations is no easy task. I want to make sure that players get their money's worth; a fun game with challenging puzzles and an engaging story. It also can't be too short! While not everyone equates game-length with value, I definitely don't want my game to be too short.



I have played through the game and for me, as the developer, running through it, knowing all the puzzle solutions, it came in at around 3 hours. So, you can imagine that players NOT knowing all the puzzle solutions, a first time play-through, will be considerably longer. I can definitely see some people spending 10 hours in the game. I'm happy with this! Point and clicks are not 100 hour games, nor do I believe they should be. They are finite experiences. Enjoyable experiences. But finite.



[h2]Extended Game Modes & Extras[/h2]

There are two things that I want to add to the game that I haven't yet: an "escape mode", and extras.

Escape Mode: My idea is that once you've completed the game the first time, you unlock "Escape Mode". The game was originally titled "Escape the Abandoned Planet", but my publisher suggested we shorten it to just "The Abandoned Planet". This is a great change. When I was discussing this with my brother, he suggested it would be cool to have a new-game-plus type situation in which, after you beat the game, you can try to play through it a second time, but with a timer. Basically, the idea is that you have to finish the game before the planet explodes!

I love this idea and I hope that I can publish the game with "Escape Mode" included. If not, it will be in an update.

Extras: As far as extras go, I have a few photos I took of my development notebook (before I lost it at a hotel... ugh) that I'd like to include. But the main extra would be the script I wrote for the game. Each Act has a script, that reads more or less like a movie script (sans dialogue). This would be a really cool addition, as it provides more detail that isn't directly apparent in the gameplay itself. Here is the first page from the script I wrote about a year and half ago:



[h2]Wrapping Things Up[/h2]

There is a lot to do in the next month or so, and I'm working everyday to make The Abandoned Planet the best I can. Here is what needs to be done:

• Complete Act 5 (final puzzles and cutscenes)
  
• Localization (which is completed by a localization team and then easily imported)
  
• Re-record all dialogue with new actress (should take a week total)
  
• Escape Mode
  
• Extras
  
• Bug Fixes
  

Hello everyone,

What a couple of months it's been! I honestly should have posted an update sooner, but alas, I have been head-down working on my next milestone; completing the background artwork for all 5 acts. Yes! That's correct, I have completed a total of 303 individual scenes for "The Abandoned Planet" (TAP).... with more to come as puzzle development commences.

Maybe you're thinking, "that doesn't sound like a lot". Well, it is! While games like Myst and Riven, with their pre-rendered backgrounds, contained 100s (maybe 1000s) of backgrounds, those games weren't hand drawn. They were pre-rendered using 3D assets and then just moving the camera and taking snapshots. A huge task, for sure, but nothing compared to hand-drawing the backgrounds.

On the other hand, games like Monkey Island or Day of the Tentacle offer around 100 backgrounds each. This is because hand drawn artwork is extremely time-consuming. For TAP, I draw each background. I choose each color from a pre-determined palette. Each pixel has to be precisely placed. So, 300+ backgrounds is a lot, especially for a solo-developer who also has to animate, do puzzle-design, program, and bug fix. Yikes!

[h2]Preview of Scenes in Acts 4 and 5[/h2]

Despite this huge challenge, It's been really fun! Getting to slowly see the story of the game come to life is really satisfying. Here are some backgrounds from Acts 4 and 5 that I haven't shared before:








As you can see, some of the backgrounds are static, while some of them have animations. I like to animate all the non-puzzle related animations along with the background.

[h2]Puzzle Programming and Animations[/h2]

But that doesn't mean I haven't done any of the puzzles or programming along the way. I do actually some of the animations related to puzzles and this leads me down the rabbit hole of programming some of the puzzles along the way. Here are two examples:




In the first gif, the astronaut picks up a vial from the hand of a dead alien. I really needed to create this artwork and program the associated actions to feel like I completed that zone. The same is true of the second gif, since that animation is necessary for the context of the scene.

Oh yeah... and I also do the SFX for these animations as a I go along, instead of leaving it for later. Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today!

I digress... as you can see in the above previews, the astronaut travels a long way from the crash site in the demo. She truly goes on an adventure that will change her life forever.

[h2]Conclusion[/h2]

I'm really motived and excited to complete TAP and get it into your hands by the end of the year. I know I previously said that The Abandoned Planet would be released Q3 2023, but it's going to be Q4. There's just no way I can complete it before then. I want to make sure I deliver a premium indie-game experience.

Thank you all for your patience and for following along in the journey. Let me know if you have any questions. I wish you all the best.

Jeremy Fryc
dexterstardust.com

Welcome to Puzzle Fest! By now you've likely realized that you've found the most technologically progressive... nay... the most high fidelity... nay nay!... the most puzzlely adventure game OF ALL TIME!!!

I don't know if any of that is true, per-say, but it's not not true-ish. Regardless, "The Abandoned Planet" will undoubtedly scratch that retro-classic, point and click adventure itch.

Expanded Demo?

While the public demo contains Act 1, there is a closed expanded version of the demo that contains Act 1 and 2. This expanded demo is open only to those in the media (influencer/streamer/blogger). So, if you qualify, please reach out to dexterteamgames@gmail.com and I'll be happy to set you up with access to that Expanded Demo (promo branch).

Either way, have fun and enjoy the demo!

Hello everyone,

I apologize for not publishing a development update sooner, but if you follow me on Twitter, you likely saw that I've been quite active. There is lots to talk about and it's all good news! So, let's get into it.

New UI

The game now has a new UI! I got great feedback here and on social media about pixel-art UI vs. an HD UI. Obviously, each one has it's advantages and disadvantages. But I think I can summarize it by only listing advantages:

• Pixel-art UI advantages: Aesthetic perfectly matches the in-game graphics
  
• HD UI advantages: More detailed UI (which means it can be smaller and leave more in-game graphics visible), more contrast between the UI and in-game graphics, better for legible text, easier implementation for localization and different characters/alphabets, more accessible all-around.
  

• English
  
• Spanish
  
• Italian
  
• French
  
• German
  
• Japanese
  
• Korean
  
• Portuguese
  
• Russian
  
• Chinese Simplified
  
• Chinese Traditional
  

Hello everyone!

Welcome back for another development update for TAP. I'm happy to report that things are coming along nicely. First of all; where am I at with the game?

Game Progress

Well, I'm working hard completing more backgrounds, animations, and puzzles for Act 3. I'm almost done with the artwork for that Act.



My plan is to complete the background artwork/animations for all 5 Acts, then go back through the game and add some additional puzzles and artwork where needed. It's always easier said than done, but my game design philosophy is this; no artwork is sacred. What does that mean?

You may have noticed that many modern adventure games leave you sitting on one or two backgrounds (or maybe a handful) for 30-40 minutes of gameplay. Just going back and forth between those few areas, and jamming them with head-scratching puzzles. I personally don't like this. This ends up feeling like an escape room game, which have their place in the entertainment world, but ultimately leave narrative by the wayside.



Instead, I like a greater sense of physical movement and exploration. When you played the demo to TAP, you likely noticed that you quickly move from one area to another; a puzzle on one screen opens a path on a another. Some backgrounds don't even have a puzzle or an item to pick up, but they are essential for communicating the space and feel of the overall area. That's something I enjoy and that's what I am including in TAP.



I believe there are something like 270 backgrounds (not including cutscenes) in TAP; each one unique. It's a lot of work, but it all contributes to an exciting adventure game experience.

UI Changes

Now, on to the main topic -- I'm reworking the UI. I wouldn't call this a "major" change, because I'm not altering the aesthetic of the UI, but the position of the UI elements and possibly, the fidelity of the UI. For context, here is how the UI currently appears in the game:



While I do like this, and while it technically "works", there are a few issues:

• The portrait/inventory take up a lot of permanent space on the bottom.
  
• For those who wish to click the arrows on screen (as opposed to using the WASD or arrow keys, which is what I prefer to do), the arrow buttons are far apart on the screen. This means that the player has to constantly move their cursor across the entire screen to navigate.
  
• The pixel art font is no good for localization
  
• The pixel art font is terrible for accessibility
  

• The portrait is now on the left side and the inventory opens on a button click, thus freeing up that space on the bottom.
  
• The arrow buttons are all located on the right side, making it easier to click on them (if that's your preferred method of interaction).
  
• The use of an HD font is perfect for localization.
  
• The HD font is perfect for accessibility.
  

Hello to everyone who has wishlisted the game so far! No doubt you are wondering how development is going. So, lets get into it and here's a little teaser video to check out:

[previewyoutube=JHS2A6W9uIc;full][/previewyoutube]

[h2]Broad Overview[/h2]
The full game of The Abandoned Planet (TAP) contains a total of 5 Acts. Likely, you noticed that Act 1 (the demo) is on the shorter side. From comments Ive seen, first time playthroughs range from about 15 minutes to 45 minutes, depending on the player. This is good! Personally, I like to design my games with a quick descent into story and gameplay mechanics.

While Acts 2 through 5 vary in length, they will be considerably longer in gameplay than Act 1. This is especially true of Acts 2, 3, and 4. No spoilers, but as the Astronaut continues through the Acts, shell travel further and further away from the crash site, uncovering the mysteries of the planet.

[h2]What have I been working on? [/h2]
When I developed my first commercial release (Dexter Stardust: Adventures In Outer Space), I developed the final artwork without even storyboarding or sketching out an entire zone/area. This was not the wisest course of action. It means that I had to go back and completely redesign and redraw this final'' artwork; doubling, and sometimes tripling, my efforts. What a waste of time!

We always learn from our past mistakes. I cant promise I wont make any mistakes again, but Ive certainly learned its wise to sketch out the entirety of TAP before creating final artwork. And this is what Ive done. I sketched out every background in the game, roughly planned out major puzzle elements, and Ive placed those sketches into my game engine. Ive also set up the directional move system for the entirety of the game. You can see what this looks like here:



Yes, its pretty boring to look at, but its essential to the process and a huge time saver in the long run. It took a few months to do this, but now Im full steam ahead on final artwork.

Additionally, its important to note that I design environment sounds and SFX as I put the final artwork into TAP. This can be quite time consuming. However, its something I enjoy a lot!

[h2]How much of the game is completed? [/h2]
So far, only Act 1 is playable, complete with puzzles, dialogue, and polish. However, I have completed final artwork on Act 2, and Im well underway on Act 3. Im not programming all the puzzles yet, but Im making sure to implement door opening puzzles, travel elements, and elevator stuff (yup, theres elevators).




Its important to remember that it was only about a month ago that I reached the milestone of completing the sketches and directional move system for TAP. So, it took only a month or so to complete the final artwork for an entire Act. I think thats pretty good progress!




[h2]Conclusion[/h2]
TAP is coming along nicely. Ill try to keep everyone up-to-date about the progress. As for the release date, my publisher and I were originally shooting for the end of the first quarter in 2023, but well have to move it back. The reason is that I spent a lot of time porting Dexter Stardust to iOS (where it has done really well!) and trying to port it to Android (Google has a frustrating maximum base_master.apk of 150MB for app downloads, and I cant get mine below 178MB. I spent about a month on this. ARGH! No dice. Well see!).

So, I think you can likely expect the game sometime mid-2023. Personally, I feel this is still really great. Im a solo-developer who has a full-time job and a family. Our daughter is almost 2 years old. Shes a climber. So, trying to draw while shes climbing all over me is a challenge, but I wouldnt change it for anything. :)

Thanks for wishlisting TAP! And please let me know if theres something youd like to see in the game, and if you have any questions about the development. Take care and stay safe.

All the best,

Jeremy Fryc
dexterstardust.com

During NextFest, the sole-developer on "The Abandoned Planet", Jeremy Fryc, will be providing commentary on the first part of Act 1. Get behind the scenes insight into how the game is made and learn more about the planet that the Astronaut is marooned on.

Don't forget to download and play the demo before you watch the commentary/live-stream!

During NextFest, the sole-developer on "The Abandoned Planet", Jeremy Fryc, will be providing commentary on the first part of Act 1. Get behind the scenes insight into how the game is made and learn more about the planet that the Astronaut is marooned on.

Don't forget to download and play the demo before you watch the commentary/live-stream!

Play an Astronaut, sent through a worm hole, and stranded on an abandoned planet. Where is she? Where did everyone go? Is she truly alone?

Enjoy this 15-30 minute demo which includes Act 1, "The Crash", which is likely to be the shortest of the final game's 5 Acts. Download and enjoy!