How I made 10 hours of Gameplay with 30 seconds of content - 2D Platformer Devlog 0
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- čas přidán 13. 11. 2023
- The first demo is out! You can play the game on the itch page linked below.
You can also support my work on Patreon: patreon.com/user?u=108467521
This is it folks - Devlog 0.
I’m a Solo Indie Game Developer making a 2D Platformer inspired by Ghostrunner and Celeste. Join me on my game dev journey as I go in-depth on all the game design lessons I learn while I undertake this undertaking.
In this episode, I talk about how game mechanics, level design and meta progression work in tandem to produce a gameplay loop that keeps players coming back.
I pull from a tonne of different sources, including Game Maker’s Toolkit, GDC and even some academics like Bartle and Juul.
The next episode will most likely be about how I’m creating and implementing the game’s adaptive music, so stay tuned and what not.
See you down in the comments.
Buddy holly riff
My website:
www.leomcardle.co.uk
Play Strata:
leomca.itch.io/strata
Play Button Pop: store.steampowered.com/app/22...
Reality Adrift Studio on CZcams:
/ @realityadriftstudio
Level Design Playlist: • Level Design Playlist ...
Featured Videos: docs.google.com/document/d/1G... - Hry
Hi folks!
So CZcams seems to be pushing this one again, which is awesome.
Just wanted to let you know that a LOT has happened since this video. The Prototype is now a small demo, and the game is much more polished!
A few people wanted to know how they can support the project, so there's a Patreon now. Members will get access to early drafts of levels as I'm making them.
Thanks for being here!
patreon.com/user?u=108467521
Amazing video! Being a small artist singersongwriter with an interest in video games makes videos like this from a unique perspective llike yours feel like an uncovered gem! Looking forward to seeing more!
Thank you! I'll definitely be doing a whole episode on adaptive music at some point@@afinelad9366
This looks really cool! Definitely looking forward to later versions of this and/or other stuff you make :D
you said you would show how to cross that gap at the and, but didnt
Pretty sure he said he wouldn't tell you how to cross the gap.😅
Just shared this with fellow gamedevs as it's super insightful. This is gonna blow up, I'm calling it
Cheers!
Come back here in a few days and we'll see if you're right lmao
Blowing up - called it
Yeeeeeeee you kinda called it
A few days lol, try half of one
Lol feels good to see this video at 47k after reading this comment. Absolutely no way it's gunna stop at 47, this video is great and the game looks amazing. Hope I can install it on my steamdeck
Bruh this video looks as though made by a person with hundreds of thousands of views. The game is also a must play
Yoo big compliments thank you! Can't wait to make more.
@@I-OMusic I really thought this would not be a game I liked but then I kept thinking about playing it and now I have a 13 second best time and now I’m trying desperately trying to figure out how you got 11
Really really good game and I can’t wait for more
The video is now at 100k views.
@@I-OMusic three weeks later, and it's come true, this video has 135k views, congratulations on going viral
and look at that now he got a hundred thousand views :)
I respect people who venture outside of there comfort zone to learn new things. It's not often that music producers pursue game design, let alone study it to a high level. Good work! Looking forward to seeing your future developments.
Thanks so much! Games have always been a massive part of my life and I've always been interested in studying design. It wasn't until the pandemic hit that I had time to really settle in and grind and it's been great (the game design, not the pandemic)
Your Movement looks insanely clean. Im starting out with a 2D Fighter and Platformer like Hollowknight and it´s insanely hard to get the movement right. Especially because visuals play such a big roll, like character squishing etc. Respect.
Thank you! I've been polishing and honing it for like two years on and off and I'm so proud of where it's ended up.
Aww I'd love to make something like that, but I don't envy you cause yeah movement is so time consuming especially once you put combat into the mix.
I watched the entire video before scrolling down and noticing it is from a 300 subs channel, this is very good, i really love the way you present information and explain about your game mechanics. I hope you get more recognition, as you have the quality to be a big channel.
Thanks so much!
Looking forward to putting out more stuff
500, 3 hours later. 🦄
700, 5 hours later
830, 6 hours later.
EDIT: I wasn’t paying enough attention so I originally commented hours since vid upload, not since the comment being made
in 6 hours they got 600 more subs :)
I started watching this expecting… I don’t know what, but you packed so much helpful information into those 16 minutes that I’m genuinely impressed. Thanks for the thoughtful video and helpful resource playlist!
Well ya know, still trying to nail down the secret to that perfect title/ thumbnail combo 😅
What a lovely comment, I put a lot of work into this one so that feedback means a lot.
@@I-OMusicthis video is amazing mate, it felt like 5 minutes because of all the content
First time viewer and new subscriber here, keep it up! Formula is coming together wonderfully so far as I can see! Good content all around
This is a very good insight, I just dipped my toe into the indie game dev comunity and I'm in love with how almost everyone is sharing their knowledge sincerely to grow together
Well done Man! Thank you so much for sharing!
Much appreciated, and the warmest of welcomes to the community!
Honestly yeah I love this space so much, and getting to a point in my journey where I can actually share useful information is a real milestone.
It's awesome, we make games because we want to play better games, so it's win win.
The sheer quality of both this video and this game are insane; amazing work! New landmark gamedev channel in the making if you choose to pursue it, I'm a believer.
Damn what a nice thing to say, cheers!
As an eldrich god who gains more power when people believe in him, I thank you for the encouragement.
ETA: I accidentally a word like right at the beginning :(
This was an awesome and interesting/entertaining video already but putting a marquee with the music in the corner was a certified chef's kiss moment. I know it adds a lot to the editing of a video, but it frustrates me that most video creators will sometimes have a playlist linked in the description with music used (of which it's a crapshoot whether the playlist is organized chronologically or not), though more often than not there's just nothing. Feels real good to hear some banger of a track in a video, and when you want to know what that song is you've got to either dig through a playlist or depend on the vagaries of the comments to grace you with an answer.
Strata seems really cool already, and I hope it becomes everything you wish for it to be!
Thank you for the puns, I was not expecting them but they were hilarious every time
I'm glad someone enjoyed them and it isn't just me
"High Level" was my favourite 😂😂
The movement looks so fluid I can’t wait to see how the full game comes together
This game seems like it's what will make me really get into movement game genre
A lot of devs focus a lot about making lots and lots of content for players but what they don’t realize that perfecting a really short game can give even better results
14:59 "feeding the youtube algorithm by clicking the buttons and writing the words genuinely has a massive impact on smaller creators like me" Oh you can't be that small I thought naively, looking down to the subscriber count expecting 100K to mean "small" but NO, you genuinely have 300 subscribers and made a great video. I've clicked all the buttons, and now I've written my words, may the algorithm be ever in your favour, I hope your channel explodes (in a metaphorical popularity based way).
Thank you thank you!
Algorithm seems to be in my favour right now, all these views have come in the last hour, but we serve a fickle god
found it funny when you mentioned celeste dev inspiring herself in rock climbing because i actually thought that level design is a bit like route setting in rock climbing earlier in the video xD Great video btw!
I exist only to boost engagement
This game looks awesome, and I love the step by step emphasis. I'm really eager to see where this goes. Your comments on game dev and structure building are also both super informative and light.
Thank you!
Really interesting. Also I like how it's mostly just your voice without any background music, it's a nice change of pace from everything else I watch
Dude this is crazy, you packed so many decisive elements to clearly explains your process and environment whilst also maintaining an excellent pace of explanation, that though you have so clearly done enumerable amounts of learning and research, you still kept that massive volume brief, short, and exciting. Hats off to you man, this video was done incredibly well. Loved it, and even though I don’t create anything (yet), it would be a dream to get to work with you/learn from you! Bless you, man.
With how much research and deep thought you're putting into this, I imagine your game is going to be pretty brilliant! Thanks for sharing your process with us
Apart from the great content of the video I also wanna commend your production value (editing, showing what youre talking about ect., comedic relief). At "Let's zoom out to a higher level" I had the best kind of dad-joke groan. We will watch your career with great interest.
Jesus christ. I think ghost runner may just be my favorite game that ive played this year, but i only played it casually and got the platinum trophy. I had no idea how crazy the movement system really was, some of that footage was insane. Great game
Right??? Like the game doesn't teach or even hint at any of it, which is definitely something I'll discuss when I eventually do a deep dive on that game
Keep making videos. Keep making this game. Good shit.
8:05 thank you!! I feel like this is super important and Ive definitely gotten stuck on more than a few knowledge challenges when I thought that they were just really hard.
This is a fantastic video, really well paced information and well edited. Thanks, I can't wait to see more!
I love your approach and how much (meaningful) thought you put into every aspect of your game, and if there is gonna be some kind of reward for completionists, I'm just that much more excited for when it is finished!
Super well done video. Thanks for sharing. I've been hemming and hawing about making my own games for decades, and this might be the push I need to take the plunge. Thanks for all the info!
I've always been a fan of complex movement, and strata looks really promising. Keep up the good work!
Subscribed in the hope of further dev logs like this one. I’d love to see Strata evolve with things like sprites, sound design, responsive level design, etc. that would take this game to the next level. First of your videos I’ve seen and already I’m a fan. You have so much talent and great potential. Keep up the good work. I look forward to future videos.
Thank you and welcome!
It definitely will be getting all of those things! I have a bunch of level mechanics ready to go already and the sound design is kinda pitiful for someone with a god damned modern music degree so it's very high on my list of things to do.
Thanks so much for the kind words, I'll keep it up!
Love the in detail devlog! Good luck, I'll definitely be following your gamedev journey
I'm extremely glad I found this channel (and this video). I'm also a composer/producer who is looking to get into game design. My best friend (who is an artist at a game studio) and I have been talking about building some games together, specifically a heavily movement oriented metroidvania. I've spent a lot of time thinking about questions like "what makes a good movement controller?" and "how can I use level design and movement mechanics to create a game with speedrunning in mind from the beginning?". This video gave me a lot of inspiration and ideas to consider! Looking forward to seeing future development on your game and videos in the future!
The insight and depth you went into is purely insane! I am very excited to get my hands on STRATA down the road! You clearly put so much time and effort into producing this video and the game itself, and I truly wish you all the best on this journey! Earned a sub from me, and I'm keen to see where things go
actually superb video, thank you for this
What a great video man, definitely going to be watching your progress. Thank you for inspiring to continue my Game Dev journey.
Finally, a YTer who's aware of the gameplay's link to storytelling haha! (Which is different from narrative.) It's also called a Unifying Theme, and it's a lot more crucial than people think. The theme reinforces the mechanics and the mechanics reinforce the theme. I'm releasing an extensive game design video on the Cuphead DLC bosses soon that I think you'd find interesting since it talks on this topic, as well as other topics you mention like mental burden (related to pacing and complexity). It also details out how to structure boss battlers and multiphase challenges to avoid tedium, in case that interests you.
It's clear that you know what you're talking about and so I'm glad to run into you! I'm also a big fan of Neon White, which I'm actually surprised to not see a mention of here. I think it'd be a favorite of yours since it's in-line with what you like and are describing. I watched Alpharad's Neon White tournament vid and stream and it makes me want to host a tournament like that for people who haven't played the game. Perhaps if you haven't played it, we can set something up. Should be a blast! Or, if you decide to design something akin to Neon White at some point, I'd like to co-design; or otherwise some game that'd benefit from co-designers. God bless.
I always appreciate the research and massive amount of planning that goes into what "makes something fun". Seems like this will turn into something incredibly well polished and exciting with such a passionate creator :)
Absolutely incredible video! Your insight into level design and movement mechanics is awesome! As a person that's also working on building a fluid movement based platformer I'm definitely taking notes and excited to see the development of Strata
Thank you! And I'm super glad to hear to hear it. I'm glad to contribute to this amazing well of knowledge us devs have here. Best of luck with your game!
Wow, you did an amazing job with this video! Very cool information and presentation. Also your game looks super juicy!
perhaps one of the best devlogs I have ever seen, amazing analysis. The playlist of sources is a huge plus.
Excited about what you come up with next :)
Working on the next one right now ;)
Two new videos available. Check them out!
one of the best videos I've seen. well-articulated. well done mate keep it up
That's high praise, I really appreciate that. And I most certainly will!
Keep it up man, always amazing to see a new content creator that’s gunna take off. ❤ super high quality
Thank you random and unbiased stranger on the internet
Great video, very neat to have a look into the process of movement and level design. Wish you the best!
Subscribed; I'm glad to see other game designers figure out these things and apply said ideas with a focus on fast movement platforming.
i am writing words to feed the algorithm, no but fr i thought you were some rando that just got his hands on a unity tutorial and thinks hes a god and can do anything. But to be honest you seem very profesional, i hope that your channel will grow and good luck (also a sub and a like)
Oh I 100% am that rando and I will hold that identity until I die because I am a narcissist.
fr though thanks very much! Glad to have you on board.
Really nice video and reflection on level disign thanks, good luck for your project 🔥
Thank you! Next goal is to have a few levels done by the next video for you all to play.
Looks smooth and lovely. Love seeing people work on things that chain movement/momentum between different things or usage of mechanics like these.
I'll be popping back in every so often most likely keep on doing what you do I'd say :D.
This is super fascinating. I don't know how I found this but I'm glad it got pushed into my recs. Insightful commentary, and it looks satisfying to play.
This looks fantastic! Reminds me of some of my favorite flash games back in the day. Your work and design philosophy really seem on point. I look forward to seeing more about this game.
Cheers! Yeah there's definitely some of that spirit there. In fact there's a really specific flash platformer I've been trying to find for agessss for a reference for this game.
Glad to have you on board!
This was super interesting! Thanks for the very insightful video!
Cheers! Glad you liked it
This looks really good cant wait to see what this turns into! Great video!
This vid is popping off, congrats :D
Nice and analytical breakdown with tons of useful insights, thank you for sharing this with us. Subbed
Awesome explanation
Awesome video! Watched all 16mins of it. Level design can be a tricky thing to get right. Worst is the case of blank canvas where you don't know where to start and what to make. Ending up stressing over nothing. Stealing (getting inspired) from other level designers can help. Sketches and writing the flow of your level in text before blocking can ease the blockout process. However don't rely too much on your way of thinking some design iterations will just work. Always let others test the levels you make, take feedback and iterate. This can be from your core audience and outside audience. Gather valuable feedback and keep on iterating and testing with players.
Glad you liked it!
And VERY good advice. Aside from pen and paper, I think having non-gamers and people with disabilites that affect play test the game has been a massive help. They've helped me identify issues and pain points that I never would've seen with my very narrow lens.
More complex level design is definitely gonna be seen in the next build.
I am in love with the aesthetics in your games and the game design of Strata.
Really juicy movement, and great insightful video. Thank you.
i sense a new great game dev channel, great work
Your senses are well-tuned (hopefully)
Thank you! Can't wait to make more
Really good stuff mate, it’s inspiring :)
Ayy thank you! Also your channel looks great, lots of fantastic technical art and I love the artstyle of Kartboard Racing
@@I-OMusicTy, I appreciate that :)
very interesting and insightful tbh! I really love alot of the games you mentioned, plz keep this going!
Holy shit. Top tier content, really good info. Good luck with your game, It's going to go big
For some reason I don't have a button to dash, it just says "Press New Text to Dash" the game seems really cool and I'm excited to see where it goes
Weird bug, I'll update the build but the Dash button is 'I'
Will add custom controls in the next build
Fixed it, new build on itch! Thanks for the bug report.
I think you have started with the core - or like a solid base, mechanic which you can improve or build upon, personally I think that the character could use a couple more moves to be added, but even at this state, a very atmospheric or fast music would make all the difference, and also I think that if you find just that nice mix or balance of enviromental hazards or puzzles and movement usage, make everything look smooth and crisp - then who knows? I absolutely love the visual communication of your character which has no legs but the shrinking down nicely symbolizes the character building up speed.
Also, I find it crazy how level design may seem kind of easy, especially for a 2D platformer, but as one gets to do it, one may find it that it requires some mastery and time.
i'm here to feed the algorithm and click the buttons and write words yes
loved the variety of games you showed with the examples thank you for showing a large breadth of games in the video.
sometimes people forget that there are just that many different games doing so many different things. and its nice to see that acknowledgement.
I’m a beginner at this whole video game making thing, this was actually supremely helpful in knowing where to start, also your playlist you talked about is going to be a lifesaver I can tell
I have just started learning how to code the last few months, did some research in game design and have messed around in Unity (which I now know is controversial lol). I discussed making a game with one of my close friends and a lot of the movement mechanic ideas were exactly how you described them, which was honestly incredible to see (although yours are a lot more flushed out than our rough ideas). I've also worked with Ableton a bit, as I'm in a band and enjoy writing new songs. What I'm trying to say is that I'm impressed and am extremely inspired by your work. As a broke college student, I can't offer much monetary support, but at the bare minimum you've got a new subscriber that's excited to watch Strata's progression and eventually play the game. Keep up the good work!
Hey a fellow broke student, nice!
Don't worry I'm firmly stuck in unity but the controversy actually ended up benefiting solo devs like me in the end.
Having music and audio knowledge is gonna be super useful if you and your mates are dipping your toes into this pond, there's definitely gonna be a lot more content about music in games cause it's my specialty subject so hopefully I can pass on some good knowledge.
Thanks so much for the support!
And if you get round to a play session I'd love to hear your feedback!
Your game's movement appears so slick that it begs for a multiplayer race game mode.
Gotta manage my scope, but I actually messed around with multiplayer in a different project so it's possible...
@@I-OMusicfallback idea: keep an eye out for little hooks you can leave here and there for modders and they'll do it for you.
86k views congrats and can’t wait for the game release looks really fun :)
Dude this is sick! The movement is so flowy that is awesome. Im currentlt in highschool but really wanna get into gane dev and seeing small creators gives me a realistic aspiration so thanks man, keep up the good work!!
This is impressive
The prototype looks so good! U should really get a team together to work on it bcs it has huge potential.
Thanks so much!
I'd love to expand and bring more people in eventually, but for now I'm trying to keep the scope as tight as possible and get something finished for you guys. But I agree, some visual talent would definitely elevate the game.
Wow, I saw the video yesterday (clicked all the buttons) I came back now to to check something, and this is the biggest explosion I've ever seen on any channel!
You totally deserve it! Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much!
Yeah it's kinda boggled my brain like I'm literally just some guy
@@I-OMusiceveryone just some guy until they aren't
This is fun! I hope to see progress updates as the project goes along
that looks amazing
TLDR: Make it possible to combine several movement mechanics, thus giving the player an advantage (i.e. more speed)
Great video! Really loved it.
Well summarized!
For more general game design, I'd add
"focus on depth in your core mechanics, then build levels and meta-progression specifically to support and push that depth"
Loved the game, and loved how all the mechanics come together. Very fluid and fun to play. Great job!
Honestly such a nice video will definitely be binging these videos while I work on my own project. Finding this while working on my own game (Ironically another 2d platformer with a focus on movement and stringing movement together) was a serial experience, because a lot of the things I have struggled to find inspiration for or even where to start like level design, you addressed in this video. So thank you, I look forward to seeing Sterata come out, and these videos will most likely be on repeat whenever I need to sit and think my way through dev problems ^-^
This was really fun to try out, I'll have to revisit it but I managed to get a 17.4 second run on the most recent build, but I know I can go faster.
That's pretty fast for a second run!
Christ, I really cannot wait to see how players tear up the demo when it's out.
Damn the movement looks creamy. Interested to see how the game develops!
Please let me quote you just saying the word "creamy" for the trailer lmao
I love me come creamy movement.
@@I-OMusic The trailer would not be complete without that quote.
I love watching these videos as someone also interested in making games, Strata looks awesome so far keep going!
Great video! I love the way you highlighted the principles of Ghostrunner and adapted them to a 2D platformer.
this game looks pretty cool 👍
Have you played Dustforce? A great, momentum-based platformer with rather floaty controls that, when used well, give it a sense of "flow", and a focus on using dashes to cancel moves and preserve momentum, usually gained by sliding down slopes. It's great fun!
So I bought and installed it after Leon Massey's excellent video on it but I kinda bounced off after not quite understanding the tutorial.
Should maybe go back to it though cause it looks fantastic
@@I-OMusic Funnily enough, I also learned of it from Leon Massey... I now have 370 hours of playtime, and have surpassed the very CZcamsr :)
The tutorials **suck.** I didn't even realise that one was meant to dash four times a second to retain speed on my first playthrough, and just beat everything slowly, ruining some of the more accessible speedrunning levels. Oh, well.
P.S. the game's single achievement is pretty easy, and is sitting at an UNPRECEDENTED 0.4% attainment rate on Steam :o!
@@wewserlethaldude9 This is pedantic and tangential but that achievement rate definitely isn't unprecedented. Crypt of the Necrodancer has like a dozen achievements lower than that, including the 3 hardest achivements I've seen in a game (Impossible, Right?, Very Polyamorous and Lowest of the Low) (there are some with lower %s than that but that's because they were added years after the game's release in a dlc without much promotion)
Sounds like an awesome project! Best of luck!
Better explained and researched video than I was expecting. Nice. Keep studying game design. Too few of us actually put in the effort to study. Keep making games. I'll post this in my design community.
Super cool breakdown of a cool looking project!
It inspired me to pickup my pygame platformer again, I left it a while ago when I was working on a level editor.
But my physics and mechanics are definitely not as smooth and deep as yours😅
Inspiring someone else to pick up their project and continuing the cycle, damn that feels good.
Do it! I bet you'll make something great.
Amazing video man!!! Im also starting my game development journey, so I wanted to ask. Do you advice me on making a youtube channel? Or should I wait to when I have more consistent stuff to make?
I'm definitely not an authority on this, but in my very limited experience I'd say consistency and quality are more important than frequency. Also, start with a thumbnail and a title before you start writing - best advice I ever got.
Best of luck!
@@I-OMusic thank you so much man!!! I'll wait then, i hope to have more news sooner than later!!
the game looks incredibly cool and this video is so well made! super insightful and as someone whos just starting the path of how to make games this is massively helpful!
great stuff dude. I'm not a huge fan of speedrun platformers, but your work is amazing and this may be the most creative devlog I've seen, even if it's not titled as such. I hope you hit it big
Sweet to see someone using Unitys visual scripting :D, very underrated method of using Unity
Is this geometry dash?
Haha sorry 😂
No this is clearly Darude Sandstorm smh
This gave me a lot of ideas for my own game, and some of those led to other, even more specific idea.
The project I’m working on is a very different game, that being a 2D-3D metroidvania, with a focus on NPC dialogue, some RPG-style quests, and really, really diverse movement. Found your collection of basic level design ideas especially helpful, as metroidvanias are quite reliant on the world, and I have been struggling to start making functional design.
Great video. Thoroughly enjoyed and learned from it!
Can't wait to play the demo on itch, I love these types of games and I look forward to seeing more from your channel in the future
I can’t wait to you make and release your game! Of course, make sure your take your time making it, polish it as much as you need, and enjoy the process of creation. I can’t wait to play your masterpiece! 😄
Looks awesome! Excited to play when its done!
First, congrats on the success this video is seeing! It’s a great watch!
As someone who also loves games with interesting movement mechanics, I’m looking forward to checking this out! Keep up the good work!
Fantastic devlog, and some really smart game design! I really enjoy the timer only starting for a level once you pass a little checkmark flag, it feels like looking at and sizing up the first bit of the level and getting to take a run up to the start, like eyeballing a difficult jump in a 3d platformer for however long you'd like before trying it. I like this preparation tension/release a lot! Can't wait to see where this game goes from here, it sounds like you're on a great track already :)
very well done, both the vid and the game. good luck in ur endeavors
This was a really cool video. Thanks. I'm currently working on my own fighting game as a personal project and there's so much to do. Best of luck with your projects.
This is a very well made video, excited to try your game!
Just started getting more into developing and am thinking about jumping into creating my own small project. Helpful video and I hope it reaches more eyes!