Game
Rock Beyond Time
4 years ago

The current state of Rock Beyond Time, as of 7/11/2022


Making games is hard. You should know that by now. I've known it for about fifteen years by now. This one took me about three years to complete. The game is in a complete, stable state, as far as I know. I intend to release the final Windows build on the 16th.

I had higher hopes for this game, and I felt that I could reach them later. These high hopes at first included a console release. However, if you know anything about the Sunk-Cost Fallacy, then you know that throwing your own money at something, especially more money than your product is worth, doesn't solve the problem. You want a Mac version? I'd need a Mac AND a license from Apple to do that. You want a Switch version? Well, I'd need an SDK and a special deal with both the Big N and YoYo Games, and that could cost me about $800 a year.

So, I ended up getting a subscription for the Indie model of GM Studio 2. It has potential, but I don't think I can reach it yet. It plays well, but my game is designed with the idea that two players can play it. With gamepads. The HTML5 thing CAN support gamepads, but it's a bit iffy by the looks of things. I know there may be other weird syntax things I don't know about, and until the guys at YoYo Games or someone else can provide the Big Book of differences in code execution, this could be trouble. (Then again, every coding program needs a Big Book of Vocabulary, and many publishers fail to provide even that.)

So, I'm doing the sensible thing and cutting my losses. The downside is that it'll be Windows only, but the upside is that it'll be in a working, complete state. I'm sorry for promising the world, and only giving you a continent.

6


1 comment

Loading...

Next up

Trust me, this is part of the process of making cinematics.

If I can't do Sega CD-style, but don't want to resort solely to visual-novel style, I'll take Sierra-Adventure-Game on CD route.

I forgot I designed the auctioneer recently. If there are robot maids, there are robot butlers, too.

...and yes, I did get inspiration from Jughead. What was your first clue?

I probably should continue work on the final boss, but I wanted to show you what else I've been working on with this game.

Title menus are really important for home releases, and Game Overs are for less casual gamers.

Cutscene work begins with drawing backgrounds.

...maybe I made Timothy's hospital bed too small.

The next update may be full of bugs.

...moths, mostly.

This will be the last Bonus Stage I'll make for the game, because all the others are already developed.

Hopefully, there'll be more than dodging space potatoes, and I'll fix the HUD to not be the same one as the racing section.

Okay, the bed's a bit bigger. There are other details I need to correct as well.

Sadly, the reunion between Pinafore and a conscious Timothy will have to wait.

I realize some players just want to play the game and see the story, while others may actually want to use those revival items, so here's a little compromise for you all.

Also, yes, I NEED to put on that "Pro" flag everywhere.

I felt some mechanics were underutilized, so I'm making an expansion.

...more or less just a side quest and extra dungeon. No more than that here.

Coming who-knows-when.

Again, this is more Sierra-styled than Sega CD-styled, but it gets the point across.

It doesn't help that the small-sprite BAC-PAC doesn't exactly pop from this kind of background.

Besides that, I'm making progress.