Ok Retro

When I started working on The Skeleton King for a game jam. I just wanted to make something that was evocative of Castlevania. While it was a very short game jam (72 hours) I think I achieved something. My first released gaming thing and it technically functioned (with multiple bugs) But it was something and I was proud to have set a goal and achieve it.

Then as I revisited The Skeleton King to make it a real thing...it got...moodier. I think the combination of playing Cyber Shadow, watching Blasphemous and Dark Souls, and just really going through it in life had a profound impact on the direction of the narrative. And it was really difficult to work on...I was definitely pursuing this game as a magnum opus without realizing it. Like, let's bank on the story because as my first game? How good could I make the gameplay? And I realized this was all silly. All of it.

So I scraped most things. I still worry about the narrative but I'm pretty sure it'll be fine. I think I just like to worry. I even redesigned the player character because I didn't want it to be as serious. Can it be? Sure. But I really wanted to embrace more of the dorky 90s platformer hero vibes.

At the end of the day the player character is a little dingdong, who is in over his head. It isn't deep. He just wants to save his friends and protect his community at the end of the day. No trying to destroy inner demons or have the plight be some kind of allegory. I'm just making a doofy little game I hope some people enjoy and can spy the little references hidden through out.

But making games is fun and funny because I'm constantly trying to wrangle my ideas back. Because it is all new to me but I have so many ideas for later on for other games and experiences. I've always wanted to tell stories...and I'm not the best writer (as you can clearly see) but, I do love...and have...some level of proficiency in visual storytelling so...games just make sense...How did I not end up here sooner?!

Anyways, I'm going to get back to building the UI so we can not only have some gameplay but also some visual feedback of what the heck is happening.

Foolishly I thought working contract would allow for more time to devote to The Skeleton King. I think there was a learning curve on both sides going from full-time to contract work. I think we have found a rhythm...one can hope at least.

I had also grown restless with The Skeleton King. What seemed like a simple implementation of ladders had cascaded into a crisis. With a recent engine update things are working a lot smoother. So now I have to go and clean up the mess I made in trying to triage the issue.

It was comforting to chat with some friends who work at different studios, including Bethesda, and more often you'd think it was suggested to me to just remove ladders completely if I could. Could I? Perhaps but scaling castles, keeps, and dungeons...feels like some ladders would be needed...

But the Skeleton King is back on the rails and moving down the track. I'll be launching the Steam page soon (finally got all of that sorted) and am working on enemies, combat and UI.

While I'm working on all these pieces I'm also prioritizing figuring out how a few of the systems will work together but also how can I get critical bits done as well as the content for a vertical slice?

This is definitely a learning process as I go. But it feels really good to be excited about the game again. I was really close to abandoning it...but it felt bad to just start working on something new...because I want to get over the hurdle of releasing a game and didn't want my frustration to hamper that and again potentially in the future.

So yeah! The Skeleton King is happening! And it has gotten some visual changes happening and excited to share as soon as I can.

It has been days since the news broke on Toriyama's passing. And I have been reflecting on his impact on my life. The impact of his work is palpable across mainstream media and indie artists across the world. And I am not special, but like so many others his work has inspired me.

It is not just his character design, but his world-building and the way he told stories. The silly humor, and the small bits of biographical work he'd put in his comics about making them have always stuck with me.

One of my favorite games growing up was Dragon Warrior Monster, and of course, I loved Dragon Ball. Sand Land is my favorite Manga and I'm so excited for the game to come out next month. Dr. Slump is weird and delightful and I love how lively Penguin Village always felt with the reoccurring characters.

Toriyama's work is not only some of my favorite manga, anime, and character art in games but has so deeply impacted so many of the artists around me. I can see the inspiration, trickle-down impact, and references in so many works. Toriyama's Capsule Corp designs and small vehicles are permanently ingrained in my brain and I have recently found so many artists that just illustrate tiny vehicles because of his work.

While I am deeply saddened by his passing. Toriyama Sensei's legacy will continue to grow, and inspire individuals across the world for decades to come.

I'm taking the time to revisit his works and those around me and to continue to be inspired as to honor his legacy the best I can and share his works with others.

Thank you Toriyama Sensei. Thank you.

The first level of the Skeleton King is almost complete. I may have broken how ladders work at the moment...or more specifically I broke the Skeleton King himself in recognizing ladders. SOOOOO. That is the biggest hiccup at the moment. I gotta spend more time with the FSM to see where the goof is.

But my goal for February was to get the build of the complete first level/part of the demo playable and shared within the discord. Alas, that didn't happen. I took too big of a bite in February with the Skeleton King and trying to get the build ready, Steam page and everything else I wanted to have ready to support the awareness of the game...while also supporting the launch of the Slave Zero X: Episode Enyo Quake mod and Slave Zero X. But at the end of the day I'm still proud that I was able to still move the needle forward in February with the Skeleton King.

With that, there are some other things happening in life that have caused some silliness. So at least for now, The Skeleton King is my priority. I'm unsure who reads this but I'll let you infer what I'm saying.

I've been tinkering a lot with The Skeleton King. I've decided it was necessary to figure out not only the level progression...thematically, but also functionally.

While I'm keeping the game fairly simple with level design and even mechanics. I still wanted to give the player a little bit of choice in how to progress in some spots and boost our hero if enough collectibles were...collected.

I realize this changes the scope a bit it feels necessary for me. It is going to land somewhere between Super Mario 3, Shovel Knight, and Bat Boy in function and how information is conveyed. Even Castlevania should be thrown in there. But I don't want the overworld/ map to just be representative of where you've been and where you're going but where you have the option to travel.

It feels silly, and maybe even too whimsical for me? And I'm pretty whimsical haha. But I feel like this adage of the overworld is a necessary addition to further the journey of the player.

I've always felt that, even with games like Mario, where your goal is to save Peach, and it is a fairly linear and straightforward quest...it is not only the choice of the player to push forward but every jump or platforming challenge beat is unique to that player's experience. While the outcome is the same the journey is different for at least many players of different skill levels and/or creativity.

I've kind of gone on a ramble here. But an overworld/ level select is being added for The Skeleton King's journey. Which is exciting. It is another thing added to the long list of "to-do's" but it feels good. I'm hoping to get the first left built shared in the discord for a little fun and proof of concept. So be on the look out.

I've been playing Ghost of Tsushima...I started it for Ninja November and then was playing offline just doing side quests when I wasn't feeling well and now I'm in approximately 60 hours in and in Act 3.

I think Sucker Punch has made something really special. At first I was annoyed with being pulled into duels to fight with my samurai skills after I've done so many missions as stealthily as possible but it makes sense. It is a mechanical and physical response I have to the situation Jin Sakai is in.

And perhaps I have just played my quests/missions in such a way that it reinforces these feelings. But the writing is dynamic and somber and somehow really relatable. And no I'm not a 13th century samurai. But see Jin wrestle with the expectations of his upbringing, family, and community, while trying to do what he thinks is right...or the way he can protect and save his home...is...devastating.

You see Jin really grapple with being referred to as a demon or ghost...he's just a samurai trying to save his home...and over time you see the impact from the community and hope he brings as the ghost...a folk hero who's pushing back the mongols and bringing hope to Tsushima...

I am not done with the game yet. But I'm also very interested to see where the secondary cast ends their quests of revenge and retribution and if they can ever find peace in a place that no longer looks like their home.

And perhaps I'm just a silly little guy. In between me playing Tear of the Kingdom, a handful of retro titles, and always revisiting Shovel Knight and Cyber Shadow...this game has just left in some sort of way. It is like a book I can't put down. Its somewhat predictable and has also taken me off guard. My last play session has left me distraught with the events that occurred and I know I'm creeping up on the end and I'm torn with doing all the side missions or mainlining the story to get to the conclusion. But perhaps that is another sign of well crafted writing. Me, the player is also hurt and upset and want a resolution...

Welp I got sick in November...and proceeded to have wild Bronchitis most of December...I still have a neat cough...but its less frequent. So Ninja November was inadvertently cut short...but on the upside...you know how many ninja games I have?! So the ninjas persist.

I'll be streaming on Thursday as long as my cough allows. And surprise...it will be ninja games, games with ninjas, or dev streams...(which The Skeleton King does have ninjas) sooooo yeah.

With not feeling great I decided to really put some work in on The Skeleton King. And I'm very proud with how far I've made it thus far. My goal was to have the first level fleshed out and traversable by the end of November...With being sick that didn't happen. But it is mostly fleshed out...just not in anyway connected. BUT I did flesh out the State Machine for the hero and the level. So with animations I need to make...The Skeleton King will look like a real thing in no time.

I've also taken to working on pixel art on my iPad. Which is really nice. I also periodically work on level mockups for when I'm designing the UI or just working on the readability of the tiles. I want the color palettes to be distinct so you don't have to guess if its a platform or not.

So I'm hoping by the end of January that the first level will be explorable and maybe have some basic enemies.

It's been a weird one with getting sick and family visiting for the holidays. But I think the ninja games may just be my identity at this point because Ninja November is rolling into December too.

I have really been enjoying my time with Ghost of Tsushima as well. I enjoy how the world feels alive and how it has revealed stories large and small to me. And the stealth feels good but I do get impatient with the enemies which ends up being fine because the game forces you into combat scenarios so you might as well fight sometimes.

I think, at this time at least, that is my only complaint. The game forces these narrative beats with this one on one sword fights...fit for a samurai. But as I continue to learn into my Ghost techniques they don't necessarily help me in those combat moments (I mean...they do) but I can never get the upper hand out of the gate. I'm not saying I need to assassinate the enemy and never fight, but I also don't get to sneak up on them and land a critical hit. It is nice to creep around Mongol territory and watch a leader practice and then get a critical hit on them. That feels satisfying. But I think the game, like Jin Sakai, is struggling to identify as the Ghost narrative and forces you to cling to Samurai resolutions to situations that feel like they could be avoided...

But with that being said, I do love this game. Just not when I feel like it pulls back control from me. But It is also hard to come by a stealth game that isn't an Ass Creed with this level of production. So I'll take it.

I have tightened up the narrative beats of the story and while building out the first level I realized compositionally I was really happy with how I was able to separate the foreground and the background...But the scale wasn't right. The top image is 320 x 180 which can scale up to 1920 x 1080 but I wasn't happy with how limited was vertically and horizontally for player movement and enemies. I realized it was very tight. SO. I scaled up the play field to 480 x 270 which can also scale up to 1080 which you can see below.

I'm a lot happier with this version compositionally and I'm almost back to where I was originally with mapping out level 1 and oooooooo buddy am I excited. The Skeleton King has set on an adventure and it is taking him through diverse locales and all over the realm. The first level here where we find the Skeleton King is an old abandoned crypt that has fallen into disrepair.

The Skeleton King is happening. I love making pixel art but realized I tended to make tile sets in isolation from other tile sets and the project. So I went back and to my Notion/Game Design Document/Game...or in this instance...maybe Necronomicon? Or My Game Dev Enchiridion? Anyways.

I went back and referred to the game progression and kind of blocked out what colors I thought would be the most useful in conveying the mood and environment and from there I started re-establishing the tilesets. Which for much of it was just a palette swap/ refining.

But in doing so I also realized that the Skeleton King needed more legibility on the various backgrounds. I was already worried about his legs popping off the background when it was mostly black but continued to worry about it haha.

This was a really difficult problem for me to solve because of the color palette and the size of the sprite I was trying to articulate with a limited color palette. I'm trying to adhere as closely to the NES system specifications without sacrificing what I want to achieve. I chose the NES to limit my color palette in order to avoid decision paralysis. But I am finding where the palette is limited and have been debating adding a few more colors to flesh out what I want. I recall Yacht Club Games talking about this very instance.

So while I want to adhere to these system specifications, since it is self-imposed, I'm just trying to define a rule set to justify or determine if augmentation is needed and if I do proceed how do I do it uniformly and intentionally throughout the game instead of haphazardly and inconsistent.

But I'm close to the point where I can really start building things out. I have a few more animations I'd like to rough out just for my sanity, but I can restart the demo build and chunk away at that. I already have the skills the Skeleton King acquires on his journey fleshed out. I just have to incorporate them into the FSM more fully. But I feel like...I may not be at the tipping point...but I feel like I may be close to the point where I can really start seeing some stuff come together.

A little different than usual...but I'm part of the team bringing this bad boy to the masses. And I'm so proud of everyone at Poppy Works and Ziggurat Interactive. This was the first game announced when I joined Ziggurat and it is wild that around my 2 year anniversary with Ziggurat it is getting released. February 21st 2024 is a big day and I'm very much excited to share everything going on in Slave Zero X and stories unfolding within the Mega City.

Check out this great trailer the team assembled. Slave Zero X will be released across platforms. Buckle up.

I think it is safe to say...I love video games. And I've been unpacking and reorganizing my games post my recent move. and I'm finding it difficult to share games with my partner.

She was always someone who watched others play growing up...and has a weird dislike for Zelda (which I don't understand) and she did enjoy (supposedly) Kirby and the Forgotten Land. And I'm finding she is more interested in exploring games with a fixed camera. And I can think of a lot of retro games but I don't want the potential steep difficulty of retro games to be a deterrent. And for some reason, she did not like Animal Crossing New Horizons...

And do I think everyone should love games? Sure but really no. But I'd at least like to present some options for her to explore that could maybe help unwind after a stressful day at work...and my brain just isn't populating any games...Though I have been pondering Cult of the Lamb...

I have redesigned the Skeleton King idle sprites...and color palette. And have been at least making some temporary/work-in-progress tile sets.

I'm trying to feel out what the vibe is for The Skeleton King. Originally, it was darker in tone and as it has been evolving so has some of the rendering. It has been really exciting though and I've been mapping out scenes on paper and really managing the game design doc and really charting where this game has been and where it is going.

I feel cautiously optimistic of its growth and its future.

Life has been wild. The Skeleton King has been going through a bit of an identity crisis but has found a groove and moving forward.

I've gotten divorced, moved, and am currently trying to find a new groove. I've been spending a lot of time trying to make my workspace comfortable and inspiring. It feels good.

Streams start off on Monday again. Can't wait to see you all. A little gaming and a little game dev.

Post GDC, I needed to change up my workflow and have a little breather when it came to The Skeleton King. I had been burning the candle at both ends a bit.

So, I joined Kaijujam 3 and tasked myself with learning a little bit of GB Studio. I just had to mix it up to get the creativity going again. 

GB Studio is a fantastic tool. I used a similar workflow to that of The Skeleton King with making tiles in Aseprite and then moving it to LDtk to build scenes and dump into GB Studio. Wrestling with the hardware constraints of the Game Boy can definitely be tricky but so satisfying.

It was the jolt of inspiration I needed. The Game Boy was my first video game hardware of my own, I have it tattooed on my arm with a banner saying “life full of adventure” so it is extra special to me to be making a game on the platform.

Kaiju Quest isn’t fleshed out completely. It is a bit ad-hoc at the moment to meet the jam time constraints but will be fleshed out more over time as I need a breather from The Skeleton King.

I was really inspired by Pokemon Red/Blue, Dragon Warrior Monster, Eastward and Earthbound and want to continue to explore this project over time. So I hope you join me. 

I recently took down the browser link because the controls were busted but the Game Boy rom is currently available here. 

While I didn’t get The Skeleton King demo built for GDC, I still had the opportunity to go and represent the marketing efforts for Ziggurat Interactive. It was a wonderful time. I met so many incredible developers and finally got to meet online friends and developer partners in person.

It is just wild to look back. Back in middle school, I remember making games in RPG Maker 95 and 2000 and I’d use graph paper to map out video game levels and design my own. I sort of fell out of love with games for a while, but it returned with a fire in graduate school I returned to these ideas and built arcade cabinets with small experiences for one person to have in a gallery.

It was a dream come true honestly. When I was in graduate school, I would sit in a tiny basement cafeteria and eat Thai food and would just read Gamasutra (now Game Developer) articles and dream of the day I could say I worked in video games.

Now I work for a video game company, started my own studio, and got to GDC and meet designers who I admire?! It is wild. Thank you to everyone I met and took the time to talk to me. 

So I’ve been working away on The Skeleton King...or at least I was...haha I sort of burnt myself out leading up to GDC. But I did make a lot of progress. I didn’t get the demo built to a place where I felt comfortable sharing it, but I’ve returned to working on it and will share it once I have it in a state worth sharing.

The demo is a bit of a hodge-podge. I didn’t want to just pull a few levels from the game. I’m making it its own unique experience. Sort of a remix of areas with a collection of some of the skills you can have to showcase combat and platforming with some enemy variety. Should be neat. 

I’ve been tinkering with the UI and how information is shared like player health and energy. And while I’ve been doing this I’ve been playing some games and I’m also looking at how games communicate damage to the player and enemy. This may sound a little silly, like duh Cole. Good job. But I’m finding with playing some games and demos that the expected time I feel like the player should be safe for how the combat feels is off? So I’m trying to be very aware of this. 

Anyways. Things are moving. I have some more posts to share.

But be on the lookout for more Skeleton King screens and gifs as I get further along in building the demo.