Progress on 0.11.x

The updates have been less frequent but Serenade of the Sirens (SOTS) is still in the works! Progress is going pretty good as I continue to redesign and make changes to the game. The next update will be the biggest change yet to come to the SOTS universe, but this won't be for awhile. I'm not in a position to give a hard deadline, but I estimate the next update may be out by the end of the year at the latest. I'll try to give more frequent updates until then as the next build finalizes. So rather than continue blabbering on about an update that's not here yet, I would like to take the time to reflect on the past, current, and future state of the game. I'll do that by talking about specific areas of the SOTS.

Background

SOTS began as a game jam game for the GameGirl Jam. The theme of the game jam was to make a game that contained a female heroine that took place in a retro world. This gave birth to Seika and Serenade of the Sirens. I originally projected six months to complete the game and I was completely and utterly wrong!

Gameplay

I feel like SOTS is getting closer to where I want it to be, but I do recognize that there are some critical issues that need to be addressed before it can reach its full potential. I've highlighted below areas of the game that I'm working to improve:

• Attacks (variations), powers ups, and abilities
• Updating Stages to contain more meaningful content. Less empty space. More thematic and mechanical tie ins.
• Enemy and Boss redesigns
• Items redesigns
• Better end game/metagame mechanics and unlocks
• Visual improvements
• More content
• Bug fixes of course ;-)

This by all means isn't an exhaustive list. I've received great feedback and will incorporate them into the ecosystem of SOTS.

Story

There are a few story points in the current version of SOTS but there's not much. What's in the current game often clashes and doesn't do justice to the lore that birthed the universe. With the next update of SOTS, I would like to introduce more of the world and lore to the player. Since more stages and content will be added to SOTS by the time it leaves early access, there will be more opportunity to reveal why Seika is in such a perilous situation and why she is battling her way through underwater caves!

Biggest Challenge & Goal

One of the main challenges I've been facing with moving SOTS forward has been shedding what's already there. I'm taking SOTS in a new direction and that requires removing things. Some of these things I've unknowingly grown attached to while developing the game. My goal for the next build is to face and overcome this challenge. Not to change things just to change them, but make things better for the game overall.

Conclusion

All in all, I've been focusing on the steps to bring SOTS closer to its 'out of early access' form. I'll give more fleshed out updates once they become available. Thank you for tuning in!

[ 2020-03-28 03:18:42 CET ] [ Original post ]