Hello looters, here is the news from the front. Development of Neverlooted Dungeon continues and the game gets closer and closer to its final form. I feel like a sculptor finishing his work, the sculpture is almost finished, its general form is already great, some places are already perfect but some others are still a little rough. I have to continue refining here and there, until the final experience of the game is as close as possible to my vision. Some people tell me that Im stuck in an endless finishing loop, but when I show them the evolution and improvements of the latest versions, they admit that indeed the result is much better and that it was worth it. This is the main problem with working alone, everything is very slow. A little more patience, it will soon be done.

Leave a review on the demo

Before we begin, I would like to announce that following changes on Steam, the demo now has its own page, on which it is possible to leave a review. So if you liked the demo and want to support me, I invite you to go to the demo page and leave a review. This is very important to help me gain visibility.

LEAVE A REVIEW -> https://store.steampowered.com/app/1394770

Better narration

Lately, Ive been particularly focused on storytelling, in all its forms. Whether it is the writing of dialogues, books and notes, the creation of visual elements, tapestries, paintings, sculptures, and other visual elements, narration has made a big leap forward and I am delighted about it. I also continued my effort to make the place more alive and plausible by adding many small elements and details. I still need to work on some parts, especially the ending sequence, but the bulk is in its near-final form.

Levels improvements

I started my improvement work on levels 3 and 4. A first pass is done and its very encouraging result proves to me that it was a good idea, and that I need to go a bit further for these levels. Theyre not quite in the dungeon raider experience I envision, but Im getting closer and closer, and Im confident that Ill get there very soon.

More polish and reducing technical debt

The polish is also done on the entire game, the other levels, the features, the visuals, the audio, etc. In particular, I continued to fix bugs and improve features. I also do a lot of things that are invisible to you, including reducing technical debt, for example by completely recoding certain elements that were problematic for me, like the player controller which, extremely rarely, slipped on the stairs.

Roadmap

This summer is a bit complicated for me, for various reasons I dont have many long periods to work, which slows down my pace quite a bit. Regarding the 2024 release date, I still think the game will be finished at the end of 2024, but I may postpone the release by a few weeks to avoid this already very busy period. Ill let you know. Have a good summer, and see you soon :) Arnaud

[ 2024-08-06 14:06:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Dungeon Raiders, I hope you are doing well.
At the occasion of the Games Made In France 2024 festival, I will be live on twitch Saturday 18th May 2024 at 11pm (Paris, UTC +2) to present Neverlooted Dungeon during an interview (in French). The stream will be broadcasted on twitch MisterMv channel. You can also discover a lot of other awesome French games during the whole event by looking at the Games Made In France Steam page. Arnaud

[ 2024-05-16 13:38:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello dungeon raiders, I hope you are well since last time. Its time to take a look at the development of Neverlooted Dungeon.

Still polishing the game

As I announced last time, the game is now in the polish phase. The game is almost finished, but I continue to improve it until it finally reaches my level of requirements. My process is quite simple at the moment: I play and analyze the latest version of the game, I do some playtests and analyze the feedbacks, then I sort things to debug, improve, change, add, delete. Then, I work on a new version with the aim of improving the things with the most impact in a limited time. Once the deadline is reached, I finalize the game version, and I start the analysis and improvement loop again.

Full level 2 rework

One of the big challenges I tackled was the complete rework of level 2. For a very long time I found that this level was well below the others in terms of interest, because it was one of the oldest levels that I had created. And as it is important to confirm the interest of the game after an already very appreciated first level, it became urgent to take care of it. I started out simply reworking it, but it ended up creating a completely new level. The best parts of the previous level have been reused in this or other levels. It was a big challenge but according to my own tests and playtests, I think it was largely successful. Im also very happy to have completed this work in just a few weeks.

More life in the dungeon

Among the important improvements of the latest versions, I worked on the creation of new unique creatures, especially for the last levels. Indeed, certain levels were really lacking their creatures, whether for novelty and variety, but above all for the atmosphere and narration that they provide.
I started by creating a lot of creature placeholders with very coarse geometry and place them in the levels, and made a lot of tests. I finally really created several of them, including also some variations. There are now crabs, zombies, living statues, and many others which I will not talk about so as not to spoil their discovery. I am very satisfied with the result. In a future version, I will improve their animations, behaviors, and adjust their difficulty, in particular some of them are much easier to defeat than they should be. Here is a glimpse of some of them. You can find the cute crab in the latest version of the demo. [previewyoutube=yiA07VHrKuY;full][/previewyoutube]

Stronger focus on epic traps

Part of my goals in polish is to improve the Epic Tomb Looting aspect, particularly by improving and adding Indiana Jones-style epic trap rooms. I am improving and adding small puzzles too, more for the narrative and atmospheric contribution than for the real challenges, but dont worry, some optional puzzles will be real challenges. I have actually done things that I find really nice in the new level 2, here is a short preview: [previewyoutube=I51gK0vyirY;full][/previewyoutube]

New trailer in progress

In order to better highlight the latest developments and the work on the atmosphere, I started to create a new trailer. Its always the same structure based on the same musical track, on which I replace the clips with new ones. I think almost all the clips have been changed in this latest version. When the trailer is done, I will officially publish it and promote it. However, I have already put it on the Steam page, so if you visited the page lately you may already have seen it. Here is the current trailer, what do you think ? [previewyoutube=0QAYcVaumQ0;full][/previewyoutube]

Overall improvements

I also work on many things that are not necessarily visible, notably on fixing bugs or improving certain design elements. I also continue little by little to improve the art style, notably with work on textures and lighting. I would love to have time to improve some atmospheric elements, like adding a waterfall in the first level, more particle and light effects, more visual scene elements.

Visibility and festivals

In terms of the games visibility, Im happy because I feel like Ive finally managed to break through a bit. Ive been part of some festivals lately, and I started being really noticed, for instance with an article from Rock Paper Shotgun during the FPS Fest. I must now focus on making the best game possible, so that this visibility has a use when the game is released.

Demo update

I recently updated the demo to include the last improvements. There is also now a new small creature below the big stone bridge.

Roadmap

I am currently focusing primarily on improving the narration, with the addition of dialogues, notes, books, indirect and environmental narration, which I had always left at a minimum to concentrate on the gameplay. My other priorities are improving the UI to have something cleaner and more professional, and finding an illustrator to create the introduction art and various visual elements of the game. Besides, if you are a freelance professional 2D artist specialist in fantasy, do not hesitate to send me your references. My last really big challenge will be working on level 3. Several months ago I created a new version of this level, but I was never really satisfied with it. I would like to be able to combine the best of the existing level and this new version, to make it one of the best levels in the game. Then, there are still a lot to do, like improving the combat, balancing the economy, improving the art, and many other things to round out the corners and have the best possible experience. In terms of release, my current schedule is to aim for the end of the year around November/December. I think Im still on time, but with the incompressible delays for the localisation and its testing, I cant guarantee anything. There may also be the issue of overload of game releases at the end of the year that I should take into account.

Wishlist

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171980 Have nice dungeon looting and see you later :)

[ 2024-05-05 08:07:11 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello dungeon raiders, I hope you are well since last time. I'm sorry I do not write devlogs more regularly. I'm too focused on the development of the game and I completely neglect giving news and promoting the game. That's really not a good thing. This devlog will therefore be a long overview of the many things that I have done in recent months and the state of progress of the game.

Development status - entry into polishing phase

Last time, I told you a little about my work on the last level, and it's now finished. I think it's really great, and I can't wait to see more people playing it. Of course, it still has some flaws. The various playtests revealed some problems which will be corrected gradually. In terms of general progression, I am now "feature and content complete", that is to say that all the levels and the content planned for release are done in a playable in a rather clean and polished version. I am now moving into the "polish" phase, that is to say multiple successive iteration and improvement until I reach sufficient satisfaction with all the elements of the game. Of course, I may add a few things here or there. I'd like to do one or two more iterations on the whole game before doing more open playtests, but they'll be coming soon. After a big period of fatigue at the start of the year, this summer finally went well, but I am currently experiencing a seasonal autumn fatigue. This is usually the period of the year where I do a deep look at the project. It is an opportunity to lay the foundations, the vision, to review the schedules, to return to the cor experience, telling myself that this year will be the one! You will probably have guessed it for yourself regarding the date, the release will therefore not take place in 2023 as we all hoped, once again the release date has been postponed. I had really neglected the accumulated fatigue which seriously affected my production rate. Additionally, the stress generated by approaching the end of development makes me question everything and waste time going in all directions.

Gloomy2

Last year I drastically improved the art style with the "gloomy" update, that consisted in a full rework of all textures and materials. This month, I just completed the "gloomy2" update that goes further with creating better and more varied textures, new environment meshes, and improving the atmosphere using fog, particles and special effects. This update jas significantly improved the aesthetics of the game, and I plan to continue working on the artistic style.

Improved stealth

For a long time, I had wanted to improve the infiltration system, to return to a richer system based on light and sound, inspired by Thief: The Dark Project. I finally took the time to create a prototype in which I reworked the detection systems. The goal was to test the technical feasibility of such system in the actual game, but also its impact on the core experience. Previously I only used a simple detection cone with a basic detection test, which resulted in a binary "seen - not seen" state. Detection is now affected by how hidden you are in shadows and how much noise you make. The system incorporates multiple levels of detection, NPCs will first "look at something suspicious", then "investigate" if you are almost detected, and be "alert" when they spot you. I put my levels to the test by creating more interesting stealth situations in each level, to see if it worked well with the experience I was trying to create. Well yes, the new infiltration system enriches the game's experience as I was expecting. You explore "slowly and carefully", which allows you to detect and avoid both traps and monsters. So I validated this change, and integrated it into the game. With these improvements, you can now move slowly and silently in the shadows to completely avoid combat or perform sneak attacks. You can also create diversions by making noise, such as throwing objects, or sneaking up behind an enemy to push them into a trap. [previewyoutube=4fvSOgsK-7w;full][/previewyoutube] Besides, did you know that there already was a lure system based on food? Monsters can be attracted if you place the appropriate food nearby. For the rats, it will be cheese. Use it to keep them away from you or lure them into a trap. You can test the new stealth system in the last demo update.

Combat Improvement Dodging, Blocking

A significant criticism of the game was that the combat was not very interesting, consisting only of circling around enemies. Even if combat is far from being one of the priorities of the game, because it's not an action and combat game, I decided to nevertheless improve it. This time again, I created a prototype to try out new features and see how to improve combat. After some experimentation, I finally added two new moves: dodging and blocking. Blocking can be done with the weapon in the right hand or with a shield equipped in any hand. Shields can even block arrows and certain traps. However, be careful when blocking, as it consumes stamina and you will be stunned if you block without enough. Dodging revitalizes movement, it is much easier to avoid an attack or to slip behind the attacker's back. [previewyoutube=G2WGoPNtb0s;full][/previewyoutube] These new movements are well in line with the type of combat that I am trying to create, slow and strategic, where the management of positioning, rhythm, and endurance are priorities to defeat your enemies. I don't want a game that's too action-heavy with quick fights where you chain monsters together. I want to encourage players to detect and then approach monsters thoughtfully, by creating an advantage, or using the environment to their advantage. These changes have also been integrated into the game, and you can also test them in the latest version of the demo.

Player progression and skill tree

In Neverlooted Dungeon, there are no experience points and levels, it's a "light" RPG. But actually, yes, there are. Gold coins are the equivalent of experience points, and magic items and equipment are the skills you unlock by spending your gold. Consequently, there is a kind of "skill tree", even if it is a little hidden. As you progress, you can buy more and more magical items, more varied, but also more powerful. For example, after purchasing "speed boots", you can choose later to buy "advanced speed boots", or rather "double jump boots" if you are more of the acrobat type, or even "powerful kicking boots" if you're the warrior type. What kind of abilities are unlockable? A lot ! Some examples: telekinesis, rope arrow, speed, high jump, double jump, levitation, slow fall, rock creation, flame thrower, fire extinguisher, enlarge or shrink objects, control and summon rats, fireball... From a narrative point of view, this system is justified by the fact that when you die, you are a new dungeon raider. Gaining levels therefore makes no sense. However, you can "recover your experience" by looting the corpse of the previous looter to recover your gold and equipment. Another fundamental difference with a classic "skill tree" is that a skill tree commits you to a branch, for example you have to buy "speed 1" to unlock "speed 2", and this often prevents you from experimenting because the points are limited. Here, you can simply sell your boots to buy another type, which allows you to change branches whenever you want to try several styles of play.

However, even if there is indeed a character progression, I also don't want the game to have a "zero to hero" type progression. I see the player's progression more as an enrichment of the game possibilities, with more and more capabilities, than as a simple "power up" to become a "hero". It is above all the player himself who will progress and become a better dungeon raider rather than his character. I hope that these choices will be well understood and appreciated.

Feature Failure: Mega dungeon

When you're developing a game, it's sometimes hard to stay on track and always make the right decisions. The creation process is very different from that of software creation, with (more or less) clear specifications and a (more or less well-made) budget. When we make a game, the objective is not clearly defined, we seek to achieve a "vision", but without always knowing what are the right decisions to achieve it. When I paused Goblin's Week to work on Neverlooted Dungeon, one of the constraints I imposed on myself was to have a set of independent levels, and not a mega dungeon with interconnected levels, to better manage the scope and avoid a new pitfall. But for a long time, this idea of an interconnected mega dungeon had been circling around in my head, and I couldnt decide if it was the right decision. So, once all the levels were completed, I wanted to spend a few days working again on this concept of "interconnected mega dungeon" to validate or invalidate it once and for all. For this, I made several prototypes: 1 - The first was a technical feasibility prototype. Given that I already had everything set up during my work on Goblin's Week, it didn't take very long to connect all my levels with object persistence (for example, place an object on the ground in a level and it will still be there later) 2 - Next, I wanted to evaluate whether connecting the levels and allowing back and forth had as much added value as I thought. So I put together the coolest ideas that had been running through my head for months. While playing it, there was certainly added value, but I also encountered some degradation of the core experience, and I also found that certain aspects would require more work to adapt than expected. 3 - I was also wondering whether I should connect the levels around a central hub or in a more organic way. I had the central hub set up and started making a more organic version. The central hub was rather unsatisfactory, but the organic connection added even more problems.
The important thing when making a prototype is that it must answer a specific question, here was whether an "interconnected mega dungeon" was the right direction to take to complete Neverlooted Dungeon. No, it's not a good idea. This is a very important element and one that works well for games that are built around this idea from the start, like Arx Fatalis or Lunacid, but for Neverlooted Dungeon not only does it degrade certain aspects of the experience that I consider important , but it also requires a lot of additional work that I would prefer to invest elsewhere. I decided invalidate that hypothesis and return to the fundamentals of Neverlooted Dungeon: atmospheric dungeon exploration, traps, treasures, and a lot of freedom of action. From my point of view, there is still a lot of work on this side, and their improvement has much better added value than the connection of levels. This little paragraph was written to show you that in a game development, it's misleading to look at the final product and imagine that everything has flowed naturally. The creation process contains a lot of research, trial and error, and sometimes failures and cut content. I recently found the graphic below at a GDC talk and think it expresses this point perfectly.

Many other things

Apart from the work on the levels and major features, all the elements of the game continue to progress. Most of these changes are invisible, but you may notice improvements in all areas of the game. The music is almost finalized. Alexandre Scir continues to compose excellent pieces, separated into stackable tracks, which I spend a lot of time listening to in detail, mixing dynamically, testing in the game, writing precise and detailed feedback, so that the soundtrack allows really create the atmospheric exploration experience I desire. I made lots of tweaks and minor changes here and there. For example, the improved stamina/health UI which better shows consumption or damage taken. Or that nice gamepad control scheme.
I told you last time about rope arrows, they are now available in the demo. Try to find them and use them to reach inaccessible places and collect all the loot.
Don't like spiders? Look at the game settings and turn them off for a spider-free experience. Also, I was told that I should also add a thalassophobia mode, it will be done.

Christmas demo

Finally, this year, a little break in development to put the demo in Christmas colors. If you missed the Halloween update, now is the time to go and test the latest new features with a winter theme (shields, parries, infiltration, rope arrows, etc.) and give me your opinion.

Roadmap

I am therefore in the polishing phase. The biggest difficulty is sorting the things to do by importance and properly estimating their costs. I'm currently focusing on improving atmosphere, exploration, traps and treasures. Some levels need more work than others. Some levels require more variety of traps and monsters. I also know that the narrative needs to be improved to strengthen the player's motivations. There is also polish work to be done everywhere, whether on the visuals, the interfaces, the dialogues. In short, there is plenty to do... 2024, I believe in it!

[ 2023-12-23 13:50:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Looters, Lastly, the demo has received numerous important updates. Additionally, the Halloween Special demo is back for a limited time!

Halloween Special

For a limited time, you can activate the Halloween special mode when starting the demo, which will add some pumpkins and a few themed changes in the game. Did you know you can use a pumpkin lantern as a firebomb?

Stealth Improvement - Hide in Shadows, Avoid Making Noise, Noise Distractions

I have significantly enhanced the Stealth system to consider shadows and noises. Previously, I was only using a simple detection cone with a basic collision test, resulting in a binary "seen - not seen" mode. Going back to my inspiration from Thief: The Dark Project, the NPC sensors have been greatly improved. Detection is now affected by how well you are hidden in shadows and how much noise you make. The system is also based on several awareness levels, meaning that if you are only partially hidden, the NPCs will "look at something suspicious" and may even "investigate" if they almost detect you. With these exciting improvements, you can now slowly and silently move into the shadows to completely avoid combat or perform sneak attacks. You can also create diversions by making noise, such as throwing items. Also, did you know there is already a food lure system? Monsters can be lured if you throw the appropriate food near them. For rats, it will be cheese. Use it to lure them away or attract them into a trap.
[previewyoutube=4fvSOgsK-7w;full][/previewyoutube]

Combat Improvement - Dodge, Block

One significant criticism of the game was that combat was not very engaging, merely revolving around turning around enemies. I addressed this by adding two important combat moves: dodging and blocking. Blocking can be done with the weapon in right hand or with a shield equipped in the left hand. Shields can even block arrows and some traps. However, be cautious when blocking, as it consumes stamina, and you will be stunned if you block without enough stamina.
[previewyoutube=G2WGoPNtb0s;full][/previewyoutube]

Rope Arrows

Rope arrows (bolts, to be precise) are now included in the demo. Try to find them and use them to reach inaccessible places and gather all the loot.

Visual Improvements

I consistently continue to work on the art style. The last new textures, fogs, and lighting changes have significantly enhanced the aesthetics of the game.

No More Spiders

Do you dislike spiders? Look at the game settings and disable them all for a spider-free experience :)

A Lot of Other Things

The demo also benefits from all the hard work I am doing on the full game. Most of these changes are under the hood, but you may notice improvements in all areas of the game.

Devlog is Coming Soon

I plan to soon write a devlog to keep you informed about the current state of the game, release date and else.

Give Your Feedback

Please give me your feedback and report any bugs. Whether you like or dislike the changes or if something seems wrong, please let me know using various methods of contacting me (in-game bug report, feedback form, Discord channel, email, etc.). Happy Halloween :) Arnaud

[ 2023-10-21 14:14:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, here is the news from the front. Several months have passed since the last newsletter, its time to take a look at the progress of Neverlooted Dungeon. Ive been pretty tired lately and my work rate has dropped a bit, but Ive still done a lot of interesting things that Ill show you:

Demo update

First of all, the demo has just received an update to stay as close as possible to the final game experience. It includes, among other things, the changes described below. Feel free to relaunch it and let me know what you think of these changes.

Rope arrows! (WIP)

For a long time, Ive wanted to add the ability to fire rope arrows inspired by Thief: The Dark Project. Its a new tool that allows you to fire special arrows on walls or ceilings, which upon impact release a rope that can be used for climbing. In the past, I had already made several attempts and given up for various technical reasons, but I tried again recently, and this time its the right one! After testing this feature in all the levels, I must say that its really amazing. It unlocks a lot of possibilities to explore the level vertically, and also a lot of possibilities to avoid traps.
There are no limitations on arrows, they work anywhere, you can shoot them into a stone wall or ceiling. I didnt want to offer such a creative tool and limit it only to places where I myself would have planned to use them. Besides, I would not have liked to have to manually add wooden beams everywhere in the levels so that we can plant an arrow there. Some could ask me: but, these arrows must totally break the game and the exploration? And I would answer that there are already magic items allowing vertical traversal (like the great jump boots, the wand of rock) and that the levels were designed to be explored freely. On the contrary, the experience that I want is precisely to make the player feel that he is smarter than me because he has used the ropes in an intelligent way, perhaps even unintended. The vertical exploration aspect is just reinforced, and I should just be careful to balance the availability of arrows. Heres a little WIP video showcasing some possibilities: [previewyoutube=l87Mdq0hp9g;full]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l87Mdq0hp9g[/previewyoutube] There are still a few design and technical issues to solve, but adding them is so positive that Ill take the time to make it right. And I have to tell you, these arrows will be especially useful for the grand finale. Note: the arrows are not (yet) in the demo.

Full gamepad support

In order to avoid having certain critical tasks left for the end of development, I worked on gamepad support and accessibility features, so that the critical features are all in place and only content and polish are missing. I implemented full gamepad support. A lot of work was needed, especially on the redesign of the menus and of the inventory, so that everything could only work with a gamepad. Although Im more of a keyboard-mouse player, I find the game very enjoyable to play on the gamepad, and the default controls very easy to pick up and satisfying. All control keys are obviously configurable to play as you prefer.
I also added control and interface options (detailed below), such as interaction assistance and object highlighting, which are more suited to gamepad control. If you like playing with a gamepad, I invite you to try the new version of the demo and give me your feedback. Above all, if you have the slightest gamepad detection problem, remember to report it to me, on Discord or via the bug report form included in the game.

Accessibility and interface options

Ive implemented a lot of control and interface options to make the game as customizable and accessible as possible, and to better suit gamers who prefer playing with a gamepad: Interaction assistance with a customizable action radius that allows you to interact with objects even when you are not quite focused on them. Highlighting targeted objects with a colored outline. Adjustment of the size of texts and interfaces. Choice of an OpenDyslexia font as well as a more readable font. Adjustment of background transparency in texts. Reminders of the controls displayed during the game. Actions crouch, run, lean, carry, can be set to hold button or press once. I tested the game quite a bit with a color blindness filter to check that the game was playable for everyone. I took the opportunity to rework the potions and magic items to differentiate them more easily by their shape and not just by their color.
Here is a small preview of these features, where the game detects a gamepad for the first time and sets the default gamepad settings. [previewyoutube=AyhPdEe12p0;full][/previewyoutube]

More loot!

I decided to reinforce the loot aspect of the game (after all, its in the title!) by varying more the treasures found and the way to find them. For example, you dont find only hidden gold coins, but also valuable items, like golden chalices, golden candlesticks, jewels, precious stones, relics, etc.
I wanted to reinforce the immersion with coherent objects, but above all the investigation aspect. When you enter a room, you will look more for what objects could have value. Those gold candlesticks on that tombstone look well made. Some additional interactions (and traps) are to be expected, such as detaching a precious jewel from a statue watch out for the statues I would have warned you. To recognize valuable objects, first of all there is their golden / precious appearance which contrasts with common objects and allows them to be spotted. Then, next to the name of the precious object is displayed an estimate of its value (precious, very precious, extremely precious, etc.). There is also the sound emitted during the collection which clearly indicates that it is a precious object. Ive also added an optional option in the difficulty mode that allows you to add some eye-catching light effects, to make them easier to identify at first glance. When you complete the level, there is now a small loot report animation. Will you be a Bredrouille Explorer or a Legendary Pillager? [previewyoutube=enCQuNeQhqc;full][/previewyoutube]

Last level soon completed

In terms of content, Im finalizing most of the work on the last level. There will follow a playtest phase, followed by several iterations to arrive at a well-constructed level. I cant talk much about it because this level has to be kept secret, but its an extremely interesting and unique level, but oh so hard to complete. The advantage of making the levels by hand and not procedurally is that you can create very rich and complex conceptual levels. But here, I really did something complex. When you discover it, I hope you will appreciate it at the height of the energy that it will have required of me! Get ready for a mind-bending finale.

SteamDeck Support

After several tests, it seems that the game works perfectly on SteamDeck. I do not have the official certification yet, it will only be done at the time of the release. If you have one, dont hesitate to try the demo and tell me if everything works. If there are any problems, dont forget to let me know.

Speedrun

Members of the community are already having fun making and redoing the demo to see who will be the fastest, and have recorded their records on www.speedrun.com. Congratulation to Gatorraid for the fastest run! Several records have been broken and you can watch the latest, and why not enter the competition by posting your own video: https://www.speedrun.com/neverlooted_dungeon

Thanks to the alpha playtesters

Thank you to the few alpha playtesters who continue to play regularly and give me feedback. In particular, thanks this month to Siegfried who recorded a complete walkthrough and talked to me about his experience. I havent given out new test keys in a long time, and I know many people are eagerly waiting for one; but I currently do not have enough time available to process all the feedback that may be made to me; moreover, I have not yet been able to correct the biggest issues that have already been reported to me. Rather than hearing the same thing again, I prefer to wait until I have completed the last level and made a first pass of correction, to finally start giving keys. Dont worry, there will be!

Thanks to those who talk about the game!

I would like to say a big thank you to Nilme from Discord, who told one of his favorite streamers about Neverlooted Dungeon, and he was convinced to try it out, and loved it! He did a full live demo which generated a lot of views. These kinds of videos are essential to raise awareness of the game and increase wishlists, so if you have a favorite youtuber/streamer, dont hesitate to whisper the sweet name of Neverlooted Dungeon in their ear to encourage them to discover the game and make a video. [previewyoutube=VnMBfdKQgnk;full][/previewyoutube]

Roadmap

There is still a lot of work planned, not that much compared to all that has been done in all those years, and nothing very complicated, but with the accumulated fatigue I am progressing more slowly than I would like. Im going to complete the last level first, its my big priority, because I will finally have a complete game. Then, I will start successive passes of improvement, each focused on a particular aspect of the game (narration, level design, graphics, balancing, etc.). Im still planning some small additions, for example a few more monsters, some very unique traps, an improvement of the inventory, etc. I will also have to make an intro and ending sequence. For the intro, I think Ill do a cool image animation with a voiceover, for the ending sequence Im experimenting semi-interactive cutscene. Thats it, thank you for reading, and see you soon! Arnaud

Try the demo, Wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171980/Almost_Epic_Adventures_Neverlooted_Dungeon/

[ 2023-04-11 14:31:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Adventurers, on the occasion of Paris Games Week 2022, a special contest is hold! Participate and try to win an incredible treasure: a key to enter the Neverlooted Dungeon!

5 Keys to Win! Be the first to loot!

To participate in the contest, follow the link below and perform one or more actions. Increase your chances of winning by performing multiple actions!

TRY TO LOOT A KEY

The contest is open from November 1 to November 13, 11:59pm Paris. Winners will receive a Steam key for Neverlooted Dungeon. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171980

[ 2022-11-01 18:00:17 CET ] [ Original post ]

Going to Paris Games Week

I am proud to announce that Neverlooted Dungeon has been selected to be part of the Jeux Made In France panel for Paris Games Week. Paris Games Week is the biggest video game convention in France, which will take place at the Parc des expositions Porte de Versailles, in Paris, from November 2 to 6, 2022. I will hold a game stand for the duration of the event with a playable demo, along with other games from Jeux Made In France. For the occasion, I prepared a short version of the demo to give a good overview of the game while being more adapted to the conditions of the event. This is the first time that I participate in a physical event, I hope it will go well.

Paris Games Week Contest

If you go to the Paris Games Week, come and say hello. I will hold a contest so that visitors can win some Steam keys for the game. More infos on: https://www.parisgamesweek.com https://www.parisgamesweek.com/Actualites/Les-actus-PGW/L-espace-jeux-Made-in-France https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171980/Almost_Epic_Adventures_Neverlooted_Dungeon/

[ 2022-10-23 13:06:32 CET ] [ Original post ]

Halloween Special demo

On the occasion of the Scream Fest and to celebrate Halloween, the Neverlooted Dungeon Halloween Special demo is back from October 14 to November 1!

Halloween special theme activities

On the program, candy collecting, ghost hunting and pumpkin carving, and more !

Temporary horrific area

This year, a new unique and temporary area is to be found below the dungeon entrance, only for a limited time. Face its traps and dangers, discover its horrific secret!

Wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171980

[ 2022-10-08 13:36:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Neverlooted Dungeon is proud to be featured at REALMS DEEP 2022 fest!

Chat with dev

In parallel of the REALMS DEEP 2022 Extended Showcase, that will take place on September 17, we will be live stream to answer your questions about Neverlooted Dungeon. Note that exact time of the live will be updated and displayed during the stream.

[ 2022-09-15 22:01:48 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, here is the news from the front. I hope you are doing well, and that you had a good summer! Neverlooted Dungeon is progressing well, it's even almost finished, phew! Well, there's always more work to do than you think, so I wouldn't venture to give a release date. But we are there, soon! I have a lot of things to tell you, and rather than making a gigantic message, I'm going to tell you things in several messages. Today, I would especially like to tell you about a big change: the graphic style.

New gloomy graphic style

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about the graphic style, and after many tries I decided to change the style of Neverlooted Dungeon for a slightly more detailed style, that drastically increased the immersion provided by the game. My goal is to add a bit more depth with textures, while keeping the design clean and stylish.

Trailer style update - tell me what you think

I invite you to watch the new trailer, and tell me what you think of this new style! Along with showing off the new style, you'll also see new levels and magic items! [previewyoutube=vlXeQ26yuPw;full][/previewyoutube]

Demo style update - try the style in game

I also updated the demo, I invite you to play its new version to see how this new style feels while playing the game. Hope you like it, please tell me what you think! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1171980/Almost_Epic_Adventures_Neverlooted_Dungeon/ See you very soon for more devlogs that will present the new features (fire propagation, water swimming & physics, magic items) and give a preview of the new levels of the game. Arnaud

[ 2022-09-01 11:22:38 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, Are you ready for a massive devlog update? Here's the news from the front.

Awesome Key Art

First of all, I'm proud to present the official artwork for Neverlooted Dungeon. The illustration was produced by David Alvarez, a specialist in role-playing and fantasy illustration, among other things. Personally I love it, David did a really great job! And you, what do you think? David also worked on different particular formats, including variations on the positioning of the characters and other elements, for the steam page, for the cover, for wallpaper, etc.

Full Localization of the Demo

After having programmed everything that was necessary, I called on a translation company specializing in video games to translate the entire demo into German, Russian and Chinese, as well as a proofreading of the English version. Thanks to Aurlie for proofreading the French version. A Japanese version was courtesy of one of the discord members, Toyoch. A big thanks to him! I still have to analyze the statistics of the demo to see if these new languages have brought in more people, and decide which languages I will keep for the release. Localization is expansive so I can not simply do it for all languages.

Improving the Levels

Since the last devlog, I have made good progress on improving the different levels of the game, especially with a lot of level design work. The idea is to make each level contain a wealth of traps, puzzles and physical obstacles, to make the most of the different unique mechanics of the game. I also worked on the topology of levels, multiple paths, secret or unlockable passages, verticality, to offer interesting levels to explore - and re-explore.

Level 1

With this in mind, the first level has therefore been completely reworked, with now a real entrance worthy of a Legendary Dungeon. I am particularly happy with the result and my objective is to rework all the levels to obtain an equivalent richness and quality. You can already test it yourself by playing the latest version of the demo!

Level 3

Level 3 required a lot of work, because I had decided to rework and merge two previous levels to make a unique and very rich one. The first playtests are very positive, and I can't wait to have it tested more. The finale of this level is really cool, and it contains a surprise that you won't soon forget...

Level 4

Level 4 is almost done. The idea behind this level is to offer something short but very rich in surprises (narrative, gameplay) to revive the dynamics after a somewhat long level 3.

Fire Propagation and Deep Water

In parallel with my work to improve the levels and existing features, I am working little by little on new features, to get ever closer to my initial vision - very ambitious. The idea is not to pile up features, but to create rich systems which interact with each other, to offer even more variety on traps, problems and solutions. For example, it's all physics-based, and any physical interaction can trigger a trap, like throwing a crate with a gravity wand, or kicking a rat. The idea is to add more systems to interact with, like Fire and Water.

Fire Propagation Experimentation

I wanted to add a fire propagation system to burn objects and spread the flames to nearby objects. Indeed, in some advanced levels, several traps were based on fire, and I didn't like that you could block flames with simple wooden crates. I hesitated to remove these fire traps, but I wanted to first try quickly the fire propagation, to see what it brought and its advantages and disadvantages in terms of technique and game design. So I set up this feature, which is currently enable in the demo, and I want to continue to explore the possibilities it offers, in terms of traps, obstacles, and interactions. Now the crates will ignite, and will also be able to spread the fire to other objects, to monsters, to the player ... You can also ignite objects from other objects of the scenery, such as chimneys or campfires. It's great fun setting an entire room on fire and watching the flames spread, or to use it to kill monsters. Be careful thought, you could also be burning valuable items, like JumpJump Boots! I will therefore continue to explore possible interactions with fire, fire-based traps and obstacles, and other possibilities and interactions with other game systems. Based on the playtest feedback and my own design experience, I will decide if I keep it or not.

Deep Water & Swimming & Water Physics

Another feature that has been close to my heart for a long time is the addition of deep water, water physics, and swimming. Indeed, a big fan of the very first Tomb Raider, I particularly like everything that water can add to exploration, in particular diving to find secret passages, swimming in underwater mazes, or simply the atmosphere provided by flooded rooms. Along with the physical system, floating objects also add new possibilities for obstacles and physics-based solutions, such as making floating bridges, using water to move heavy floating objects, etc. Finally, I have a large list of water-based traps, and it would be a shame if the game came out without a little trap or two based on flooding a room whose door suddenly closed behind you ;)

Upcoming Features

There are still plenty of other features that I would love to explore, but to avoid spending all my time on them, my focus remains on levels and traps, and improving existing content. However, I always keep a little time to explore certain things. In small teasing, breaking more stuff, flaming oil, explosive gas, electricity, a better monster detection system to enable stealth, especially in the dark, more magic wands, even more magic equipment, ... ;)

October Events Update

The last few months have been very busy in terms of marketing events, which is an important task and one that should not be overlooked. I participated in the Steam Next Fest at the beginning of October and at Game Made in France at the end of October.

Steam Next Fest

At the beginning of October, the Steam Next Fest took place, the Steam event that highlights the next Steam releases, in particular games with demos. So for the occasion I had prepared a new demo, and I performed several live streams. I had also set up a small contest to win keys, bravos to the 5 winners! I am happy with the visibility that has been provided, but there is still a lot of work to do.

Games Made in France

At the end of October, I participated in the Games Made in France event, a four-day streaming event on Twitch and Steam, featuring the selection of French games on Steam. I had the pleasure of participating in a live interview with MisterMV and DamDam as they discovered the game live in front of thousands of spectators. I am very happy with the visibility and the feedback from the spectators. If you missed the stream, you can watch it in replay here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1183660087?t=08h11m06s

Halloween Demo

Finally, to celebrate Halloween, and relax a bit after all these events, I did a little Halloween demo update. I added pumpkins, graves, more skulls, and turned 1st level into a deadly candy hunt. If you missed this demo, you can find it on itch.io: https://wildmagegames.itch.io/neverlooted-dungeon-spooky

Players Feedback Analysis

When I set up the Steam Next Fest demo, I added a feedback form for players to give me their opinion on the game. I received over 350 responses, and I thank all the people who took the time to answer them. I spent a lot of time reading all the comments that were left, sometimes very, very long, sorting them, ranking the items by importance. Overall, the responses are very positive, and I have noted the remarks on what pleases and dislikes. I have a long list of things to correct and others I could add :-). The negative comment that comes up the most is that the fights are a bit boring and not very inspired. I wanted to keep them simple because the focus of the game is on traps. Despite this, I have plans to improve some points of the combat system, for instance I am investigating the possibility of parrying hits with a shield, to offer another approach of fighting.

Be Part of the Private Alpha Test

I quietly started to set up a private alpha, where I give access to an alpha version of the game to a handful of handpicked people. The more weeks go by, the more people I will add to test more and more levels. I prefer to give keys little by little so that I can improve the game between each wave of new users. I have set up a dedicated form to be able to register and participate. If you are interested, REGISTER HERE.

Roadmap

So I will continue to improve the different levels, while improving the existing features, in order to have the most fun game possible for its release. After a slower pace of development due to my focus on marketing, development restarted faster and I can't wait to tackle the next levels and have you try them out. Oh Wow, that was a very long dev log. Thanks for reading, and see you soon, Arnaud.

[ 2021-12-07 14:26:52 CET ] [ Original post ]

For Halloween, discover the deadliest candy hunt ever!

Discover or or re-discover the demo, with a unique Halloween theme, and much more! The level has been improved, more traps and enemy, and there is a lot of new hidden stuff to discover!

Enjoy Pumpkins!

Hunt Candies!

Find Ghosts!

Have fun!

[ 2021-10-28 11:08:18 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Adventurers,

I am very happy to announce that the demo has been fully localized into Japanese, Russian, German, and Simplified Chinese!

If you haven't played the demo yet, it's the opportunity to play it in your native language! Also, if you detect any issue in the localization, please send a bug report in-game, or contact me at bugreport@wildmagegames.com!

[ 2021-10-10 09:38:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Adventurers,

One Last Stream

One last stream for the Steam Next Fest will be broadcasted on October 7th.

October 7th - Dev Live Stream Q/A, demo secrets

Starting at 5pm UTC+2 Come and chat with me, ask me anything about the game.

Contest to win game keys

5 keys can be earned, in 5 different ways

[olist]

Finisher: random choice among all those who completed the demo and posted a screenshot of their score.

Completionist: random choice among all those who found all the relics and posted a screenshot of their score.

Speed-runner: the player who will complete the demo with the best time and posted a screenshot of his score.

Most beautiful screenshot: we will chose the nicest screenshot of the game(choice will be subjective).

Most fun screenshot: we will chose the most "fun" screenshot of the game, use the game creatively! (choice will be subjective). [/olist]

How to win a key

To participate, you can either:

• Post your screenshot and player name on TWITTER, using the hastags #NeverlootedDungeon and #SteamNextFest.
• Post your screenshot and player name on the Wild Mage Games DISCORD in the #steam-next-fest-contest channel.

Contest ends October 7th 7pm UTC+2. All details here: https://www.wildmagegames.com/steam-neo-fest-2021-contest-details/

Play the Demo

The demo is available. Have you tried it yet? Most people playing it tell me it was "awesome" and "amazing". So you really should try it to. Try your luck now, loot and glory await! Please report any bug you encounter. You do not like it? Give me your feedback too!

Join the Discord

You like the game, you want to join the community? Then join the discord and come chat with us!

Don't forget to wishlist!

[ 2021-10-05 07:13:21 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Adventurers, I am very happy to announce that Neverlooted Dungeon will be part of the Steam Next Fest, from October 1st to October 7th 2021. There will be LIVE STREAMS, a CONTEST to win keys, and the DEMO is playable !

Dev Live Streams

Several live streams are planned. Between the live streams a continuous stream will be broadcast.

October 1st - Dev Live Stream Q/A, demo presentation

Starting at 9pm UTC+2 (2pm New York, 11am Los Angeles) Come and chat with me, ask me anything about the game, and discover the demo, and more.

October 2nd - Dev Live Stream Q/A, kick only challenge

Starting at 9pm UTC+2 (2pm New York, 11am Los Angeles) Come and chat with me, ask me anything about the game. I will play the demo and do the "kick only challenge", i.e. completing the demo only using the foot kick. It will be fun! Try it too!

October 3th - Dev Live Stream Q/A, cheat code fun

Starting at 4pm UTC+2 (10am New York, 7am Los Angeles) Come and chat with me, ask me anything about the game. I will play the demo and use cheat code to get some cool items and play with the game.

Maybe more...

Contest to win game keys

5 keys can be earned, in 5 different ways

[olist]

Finisher: random choice among all those who completed the demo and posted a screenshot of their score.

Completionist: random choice among all those who found all the relics and posted a screenshot of their score.

Speed-runner: the player who will complete the demo with the best time and posted a screenshot of his score.

Most beautiful screenshot: we will chose the nicest screenshot of the game(choice will be subjective).

Most fun screenshot: we will chose the most "fun" screenshot of the game, use the game creatively! (choice will be subjective). [/olist]

How to win a key

To participate, you can either:

• Post your screenshot and player name on TWITTER, using the hastags #NeverlootedDungeon and #SteamNextFest.
• Post your screenshot and player name on the Wild Mage Games DISCORD in the #steam-next-fest-contest channel.

Contest ends October 7th 7pm UTC+2. All details here: https://www.wildmagegames.com/steam-neo-fest-2021-contest-details/

Play the Demo

The demo is available. Have you tried it yet? Most people playing it tell me it was "awesome" and "amazing". So you really should try it to. Try your luck now, loot and glory await! Please report any bug you encounter. You do not like it? Give me your feedback too!

Join the Discord

You like the game, you want to join the community? Then join the discord and come chat with us!

Don't forget to wishlist!

[ 2021-10-01 07:48:26 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello Adventurers, I am very happy to announce that Neverlooted Dungeon will be part of the Steam Next Fest, from October 1st to October 7th 2021. There will be LIVE STREAMS, a CONTEST to win keys, and the DEMO is playable !

Dev Live Streams

Several live streams are planned. Between the live streams a continuous stream will be broadcast.

October 1st - Dev Live Stream Q/A, demo presentation

Starting at 9pm UTC+2 (2pm New York, 11am Los Angeles) Come and chat with me, ask me anything about the game, and discover the demo, and more.

October 2nd - Dev Live Stream Q/A, kick only challenge

Starting at 9pm UTC+2 (2pm New York, 11am Los Angeles) Come and chat with me, ask me anything about the game. I will play the demo and do the "kick only challenge", i.e. completing the demo only using the foot kick. It will be fun! Try it too!

October 3th - Dev Live Stream Q/A, cheat code fun

Starting at 4pm UTC+2 (10am New York, 7am Los Angeles) Come and chat with me, ask me anything about the game. I will play the demo and use cheat code to get some cool items and play with the game.

Maybe more...

Contest to win game keys

5 keys can be earned, in 5 different ways

[olist]

Finisher: random choice among all those who completed the demo and posted a screenshot of their score.

Completionist: random choice among all those who found all the relics and posted a screenshot of their score.

Speed-runner: the player who will complete the demo with the best time and posted a screenshot of his score.

Most beautiful screenshot: we will chose the nicest screenshot of the game(choice will be subjective).

Most fun screenshot: we will chose the most "fun" screenshot of the game, use the game creatively! (choice will be subjective). [/olist]

How to win a key

To participate, you can either:

• Post your screenshot and player name on TWITTER, using the hastags #NeverlootedDungeon and #SteamNextFest.
• Post your screenshot and player name on the Wild Mage Games DISCORD in the #steam-next-fest-contest channel.

Contest ends October 7th 7pm UTC+2. All details here: https://www.wildmagegames.com/steam-neo-fest-2021-contest-details/

Play the Demo

The demo is available. Have you tried it yet? Most people playing it tell me it was "awesome" and "amazing". So you really should try it to. Try your luck now, loot and glory await! Please report any bug you encounter. You do not like it? Give me your feedback too!

Join the Discord

You like the game, you want to join the community? Then join the discord and come chat with us!

Don't forget to wishlist!

[ 2021-09-27 19:05:39 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone,

I am very happy to announce that the new Neverlooted Dungeon demo has finally been released.

You can already play it now! In this new demo, you will discover an immersive non linear level filled with of hidden secrets, you will be able to kick things and fight monsters! Or both!
The new demo has tons of new stuff compared to the old one, so even if you've played the first one, you will definitively enjoy playing this new one. After playing, do not hesitate to fill the feedback form so I can know if you liked it or not. If you encounter an issue or bug, please report it using the included report form or by joining our Discord. Arnaud

[ 2021-09-26 12:08:09 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, here is the news from the front! The last few months have been very productive, the development of Neverlooted Dungeon has progressed well. The new features are complete and integrated into the game, and bring the hoped-for richness to the gameplay. Let's see all of this in detail.

Monsters

Still at the prototype stage during the last devlog in February, they are now complete and integrated into the game. From now on, beware of the lurking monsters when exploring the dungeon. There are several types of monsters, each with their own ambush specialty, to better surprise you. I won't reveal them all so as not to spoil the surprise, but here is at least one: the giant rat, a monster essential to any self-respecting dungeon. The most interesting thing about these monsters are the new game possibilities and situations they bring, thanks to their interaction with all the other game systems, especially with traps and physics. Your sword is broken, are you running low on health? There are many ways to get rid of these monsters ...

Fights

The goal of adding these monsters is not so much to add combat like in all classic RPGs, but above all to add a different type of trap, the living traps, where the monsters wait in various types of ambush. This did not prevent me from further improving the weapon and combat system to make them interesting, in the event that a fight takes place with one or more monsters. The combat has therefore been reworked. It is based on dodging and endurance management, while remaining very dynamic. The different types of weapons have been enhanced, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.

Kicking

Kicking, a feature that I wanted to do for a while and that I finally took the time to do, and pretty quickly too! Now that it's in the game, I wonder how the game could have been released without it. For a game where all of the gameplay is physics-based, being able to kick things is a must have. It is therefore a new way to interact (violently) with the world, in particular to push obstacles, open doors, or push monsters into holes.

Style

I finished reworking the graphic style of the game, in particular by completely redoing all the textures of the floors and walls. I also reworked the lights and colors. I must say that I am very satisfied with the result. When I compare the current game with its previous versions, I'm glad I did, as the graphic and artistic improvement is important.

Dynamic music

The game's composer, Alexandre Scir, continues to create great ambience tracks for Neverlooted Dungeon for exploring the dungeon. I made him a rather particular and difficult request on these tracks. The idea is to have dynamic music, using tracks played on several layers, with their intensity depending on the location and the context. For example, a basic track sets the mood, a little melody is added when you are near a campfire, a dramatic track is played in particularly deadly places. The changes in the game are very subtle, but they help to subconsciously reinforce the tension or on the contrary to release it, to avoid monotony and to make the experience even more intense. And you, did you notice these changes while playing the demo?

Demo and playtests

Thanks to everyone who tried out the new private demo which featured monsters, combat, and kick. Thanks to the feedback I continue to improve the game in its entirety. The next public version of the demo should be released soon. I still have to decide on its content, because the first level alone seems a bit short to me, but the first two levels seem a bit long for a demo. In the meantime, if you are interested in testing the latest alpha versions of the game, do not hesitate, join the discord and join the playtesters!

Roadmap

In the last few months, an important step has been taken, I find that the game has finally reached its maturity in gameplay, narrative, visual and audio. My efforts having been mainly focused on the first levels, especially those of the demo, I now have to rework the rest of the game to offer a rich and interesting experience on all levels. A first full alpha release should go to testing in a few weeks, and I'll be working hard to get the game released before the end of the year. See you soon, Arnaud.

[ 2021-06-07 14:30:41 CET ] [ Original post ]

Hello everyone, here is the February 2021 devlog. Read all devlogs on the website: https://www.wildmagegames.com/blog

6 years!

It's been six years since I started this adventure, time flies so fast! The pessimists will say six years and still no game, what a failure!, the optimists will say awesome, six years, what perseverance!, the choice is yours. Anyway, happy six years to Wild Mage Games, 2021 will be the release year of Neverlooted Dungeon, I hope the first of a long series of games!

Steam Game Festival Review

In October 2020 took place the Steam Game Festival. It was an opportunity to show Neverlooted Dungeon to the world with a public demo. Lots of people have played the game, I got quite a bit of positive feedback, a few streamers even posted videos of the game, I got a few new followers and people on the Discord which is really cool. I also did my first streams, showed some secrets and did some live speedruns. Despite this, the results of this festival are rather mixed. There were about 500 downloads, 355 people completed the first level, and only 137 the second level. It's both extremely exciting to have had so many players and positive feedback, and at the same time that number is rather low for a demo launched on Steam during this festival. On the one hand, the game was immediately "buried" in the RPG page, at the bottom in the "Dungeon Crawler" part, which meant that it was hardly visible. Since my community is still very small, there was no significant discovery phenomenon as I had hoped and the game has remained invisible. This aspect will have to be greatly improved before the game's release, because under these conditions the release would be a failure, regardless of the quality of the game. Then there might be a little something missing from this demo (and the game), or something to improve, to make people playing it so excited that they talk about it and create an organic community growth.

Demo Feedback Analysis

I am analyzing the user feedback I received, to understand what works and what does not, to define the priorities, in order to make the best possible game. I also analyzed the game's stats, especially the deadliest traps, to try to understand if these first two levels had any major flaws. I think after analysis that the very first trap of the first level is a bit hard for new players and has led to a lot of misunderstanding and frustration, I've lost quite a few people here. The first trap of the second level is even harder (the plank that breaks and throws you into a pit) and seems to have created a lot of "quit rage", for the frustration of losing the accumulated inventory from the start. It is possible to retrieve your inventory but few people have understood it. Over forty people died in this trap and then left the game:
I also watched the majority of streams to analyze what was working and what was not. For some who directly understand the concept, the game seemed to be really enjoyable, I enjoyed seeing them avoiding traps, playing with physics, trying original solutions, etc. For others it didn't seem to be so obvious. The difficulty in creating a game based on treacherous deadly traps therefore remains to take into account beginners to give them time to grasp the concepts, but without degrading the experience of more accustomed players and offer them an interesting challenge. I've already added a difficulty mode that makes traps more or less visible, but it hasn't been used a lot. I have idas for improvements that I will try for the next demo version.

Give me your feedback!

Did you play the demo? Don't forget to give me your opinion, on what you liked but also on what you didn't like! The demo is private again until the next version, but if you want to play it now, ask me and I'll give you a key!

Graphic Work

One of the things I'm working on right now is improving the graphic style. After a few tests, it seems important that I rework the textures of the floors and walls, to break up the monotony a little. Obviously, it's not that easy because I also need these textures to work with the hidden traps and not make them too easy to detect. The first visual tests look rather promising, here are some previews. On those pictures I added a texture to walls and grounds, what do you think ?

Monster Prototype

I am also working on a prototype with monsters! When I started Neverlooted Dungeon, I had set myself the constraint "no monsters or non-player characters", to avoid exploding the development time. Despite this, I had already felt the need to add a few characters to talk to, while limiting interactions to dialogues, to bring more storytelling, more humor, and take short breaks between stressful phases of traps. I've been thinking about adding a few monsters for a while, and user feedback on Steam has confirmed that it might be worth it to add that little something that would make the game unforgettable. The idea is not at all to make a "classic" rpg where monster combat is the main activity, the deadly traps remain the heart of the game. The idea is rather to add a few treacherous monsters, used as living traps, a bit like certain monsters in Dark Souls, which add tension to the player, who must in addition to paying attention to the traps, watch out for monsters and prepare to flee or to fight. For example, a monster that attacks from the back while you are examining a treasure, a monster that falls from the ceiling while you observe the ground a little too much, etc. Currently, the player is mostly in control of the situation and the rhythm, he can calmly observe the situation and avoid the traps, a bit like in a puzzle game. Over the entire duration of the game, this creates a rhythm that is a little too monotonous. Adding a few monsters provides short phases of tension when the player gets caught. It also adds new trap triggers, "visibility" or "proximity", which add variety to the triggers that are mostly activated by the player (by stepping on them, opening a chest, door, etc.). Plus, there are lots of cool things to do with monsters, including their interaction with physics, items, traps, and even with other monsters. For example, luring a monster into a trap, getting trapped by a monster, getting pushed into a trap, etc. The monster prototype is well advanced and I can't wait to have you try it all out. The aims of this prototype are to test the concept of deceitful monsters, to determine their production cost to see whether or not I can make them in a reasonable time, to test if they degrade the unique concept of dungeon based on traps, or on the contrary make it possible to enrich it by adding variety and interaction between the different systems. After makeing you test the prototype I will decide if I continue or not working on them. Below are some images of the prototype (the 3D models of the rats are temporary, just for testing).

Combat System

Since monsters bring combat as well, I also spent some time reworking the game's combat system, especially the weapons variety (speed, range, damage), and animations. My idea is to provide a simple combat system that is little more interesting than simply doing the same attack without moving. This system will make the fights with the monsters more interesting, in the event that the player is surprised and must fight for his life. Without going into a complex combat system, and without focusing on combat because the priority remains the traps, I reworked the combat system. Each weapon now has a fast attack, which can be chained, and a slow attack. Swords slice quickly, maces slam slowly, spears attack from afar, knives cut fast and stab, crossbows fire from a distance. Attacks consume stamina and you have to manage it correctly, you have to choose your weapon, your attack, predict and avoid the attacks of the monster. We will test this on the next demo, and feedback will help me chose the best system for Neverlooted. Here is a small video preview of this new system in the dungeon training room: [previewyoutube=_ktrB9czNfs;full][/previewyoutube]

Join the Discord

Roadmap

That was a long devlog. So, I'm going to finish this new demo with monsters and let you test it soon. I will also continue to improve the demo, to offer a new version that will be really appreciated, and hopefully help to increase the community. See you soon, Arnaud.

[ 2021-02-07 15:42:07 CET ] [ Original post ]

Come to discover the demo secrets, see some speedruns, and chat with me

On Monday, October 12th, at 2pm EDT (New York), 11am PDT (Los Angeles), 8pm CEST (Paris), I will be streaming the Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon demo, and answer to your questions in the chat.

All secrets

I will play the demo and show all its secrets. You still don't find all the relics? I will show you!

Speedruns

I will then do a speedrun of the demo, and then a 100% speedrun. Can you be faster than me?

Q&A

During the whole stream you can chat with me and ask anything about the game, and I will conclude with a Q&A session.

Join the Discord

You can already join the community on the Discord!

About the game

Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon is an adventure exploration game with a focus on traps and physics-based interactions, in a humorous dark fantasy world. Venture into the depths of a mysterious dungeon full of treacherous traps, and find your own way to overcome its dangers. Will you be the first to loot the Neverlooted Dungeon?

KEY FEATURES

• Experience a unique and tense exploration game focused on avoiding treacherous traps.
• Find your own way to overcome the dangers, with the physics-based interactions and traps.
• Discover a satirical dark fantasy world filled with humor.
• Dying is not the end. Restart the level, loot your corpse, try to progress even further.
• Explore a great variety of levels containing unique traps and triggers.
• Find tons of secrets, loot tons of treasures!

[previewyoutube=WHy7Dp_LnV0;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2020-10-10 12:14:56 CET ] [ Original post ]

Come Discover the Game and chat with the dev!

On Thursday, October 8th, at 4pm EDT (New York), 1pm PDT (Los Angeles), 10pm CEST (Paris), I will be streaming the Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon demo, and answer to your questions in the chat. You are not available on this date ? No worries, the game session will then be replayed so you can see it when you can.

Join the Discord

You can already join the community on the Discord!

About the game

Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon is an adventure exploration game with a focus on traps and physics-based interactions, in a humorous dark fantasy world. Venture into the depths of a mysterious dungeon full of treacherous traps, and find your own way to overcome its dangers. Will you be the first to loot the Neverlooted Dungeon?

KEY FEATURES

• Experience a unique and tense exploration game focused on avoiding treacherous traps.
• Find your own way to overcome the dangers, with the physics-based interactions and traps.
• Discover a satirical dark fantasy world filled with humor.
• Dying is not the end. Restart the level, loot your corpse, try to progress even further.
• Explore a great variety of levels containing unique traps and triggers.
• Find tons of secrets, loot tons of treasures!

[previewyoutube=WHy7Dp_LnV0;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2020-10-08 20:00:43 CET ] [ Original post ]

Come Discover the Game and Chat with me!

On Wednesday, October 7th, at 2pm EDT (New York), 11 am PDT (Los Angeles), 8pm CEST (Paris), I will be doing a 1-hour stream of Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon, and answer questions live from chat! Come to see me play the demo and talk about it, and maybe discover some of its secrets.

Ask your questions below

Ask your questions about the game in the comments below, and I will try to answer all of them during the live stream.

Join the Discord

You can already join the community on the Discord!

About the game

Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon is an adventure exploration game with a focus on traps and physics-based interactions, in a humorous dark fantasy world. Venture into the depths of a mysterious dungeon full of treacherous traps, and find your own way to overcome its dangers. Will you be the first to loot the Neverlooted Dungeon?

KEY FEATURES

• Experience a unique and tense exploration game focused on avoiding treacherous traps.
• Find your own way to overcome the dangers, with the physics-based interactions and traps.
• Dying is not the end. Restart the level, loot your corpse, try to progress even further.
• Explore a great variety of levels containing unique traps and triggers.
• Find tons of secrets, loot tons of treasures!
• Discover a satirical dark fantasy world filled with humor.

[previewyoutube=WHy7Dp_LnV0;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2020-10-05 09:33:23 CET ] [ Original post ]

Come Discover the Game and Chat with me!

On Wednesday, October 7th, at 1pm EDT (New York), 10 am PDT (Los Angeles), 7pm CEST (Paris), I will be doing a 1-hour stream on Twitch of Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon, and answer questions live from chat! Come to see me play the demo and talk about it, and maybe discover some of its secrets.

Ask your questions below

Ask your questions about the game in the comments below, and I will try to answer all of them during the live stream.

Join the Discord

You can already join the community on the Discord!

About the game

Almost Epic Adventures: Neverlooted Dungeon is a gory, humorous, adventure exploration game, with a focus on traps and physics-based interactions. Venture into the depths of a mysterious dungeon full of deadly traps, and find your own way to overcome its dangers. Will you be the first to loot the Neverlooted Dungeon?

KEY FEATURES

• Experience a unique and tense exploration game focused on avoiding treacherous traps.
• Find your own way to overcome the dangers, with the physics-based interactions and traps.
• Dying is not the end. Restart the level, loot your corpse, try to progress even further.
• Explore a great variety of levels containing unique traps and triggers.
• Find tons of secrets, loot tons of treasures!
• Discover a satirical dark fantasy world filled with humor.

[previewyoutube=WHy7Dp_LnV0;full][/previewyoutube]

[ 2020-10-04 13:14:14 CET ] [ Original post ]