Blog @ studioKeywi

studioKeywi is definitely still around; finding time to do the things I want has been at a premium (story of my life) but I am by no means throwing in the towel yet.

current projects

Among other things, I've recently finished converting the sK website over to SvelteKit from Sapper and am trying to get the old sketchy code from the first generation of the critFX tool running; the intent is to get a 5E dungeon generator based on the tables from the DMG using the same loot table system that powers cFX -- more to come

current dreams

Got married! Life is still crazy. Code still happens but never what/when I want to anymore :P But it keeps coming and I'm still working towards my larger goals when I can

Meanwhile, here's something you can play with: a bookmark that lets you throw confetti on (nearly) any website by entering the konami code on a keyboard -- sorry mobile :(

Simply create a new browser bookmark with any name you like, and copy the line below into the Address/Location/URL field of your browser:

javascript:(async()=>{const{confetti,konami}=await import('//cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/studiokeywi/play/index.js');const{init,render}=confetti();konami({once:false,payload:k=>(init(),render())}).load();})();

Unpacked for clarity:

Utilities

Recently, I've been finding myself fidgeting with code -- working on little scraps, snippets, tools, and utilities. I'm putting together an update/overhaul to my Utilities GitHub repo so look forward to that. I've been experimenting with Electron as a way to package up some projects, including...

Game Dev

While experimenting over the years, cross-platform gameplay has always been a back-burner dream. Given the current state of web technologies, I'm aiming to release at least one game concurrently as a page on the website as well as a standalone Electron app.

Experiements

Just a quick update to say I still exist and still have goals. 2020 has certainly upended things for many of us, but when I have the time I'm still pursuing my interests.

The official studioKeywi website has a new redesign and represents most of my recent work. Hoping to be making more content across the web worth sharing soon!

Coming soon from a studioKeywi near you:

LIFE!

Graduation has come and gone, and the real world moves on. Now that the bills are being paid by my "big boy" software developer job, I'm getting back to spending my free time developing software.

Plans include:

[X] Commissioning an artist to help get my web presence to be more cohesive (In progress)

[ ] Do more write ups on what I would consider medium topics (because there are plenty of "beginner tutorials" out there, and lots of "advanced tips and tricks", but not necessarily as many resources for people who feel in between)

Just wanted to put a quick message out there and let people know what sort of game projects I'm working on!

Aelhyrst

Aelhyrst is the main setting for the games planned right now, based on a fantasy campaign setting I developed. I’ll be getting into more details on Aelhyrst in the future, but for now I’ve got some details on two of our projects:

Project: Mole Cricket

Legends hold that somewhere far out at sea is an island, displaced from time and life itself. On this island is rumored to be the last vestiges of power from the Great Builders, ancient beings that forged the land long ago. They say that anyone that journeys to the center of the island is granted audience with the Builders to make one request. However, the island shifts uneasily in the waters, and endless lives flare into existence and die away on its land every day. Are you brave enough to fight your way to the heart of the island?

This project is inspired by elements from the roguelite and brawler/beat-'em-up/fight-go-right generes. Major points include permadeath runthroughs, procedurally generated Stages and Rooms, a turn-and-tile based movement/combat system, and 46(!) playable character classes.

Project: Sand Wyrm

Being imprisoned was bad enough, but the offer of freedom dangled before you is even worse. “Go out into the desert and bring back things of interest. If we like what you find, you can buy time off your sentence.” Sounds like another way to keep you imprisoned. Although, rumor has it that the desert conceals a great magcal power... Perhaps, if you find it first, you can use it against your captors

Recycling a few ideas from my past, this game will be inspired by metroidvania platformers with puzzle/action elements. Major points include a large explorable environment, dual entwined storylines, and twists on some classic game tropes.

Curious?

Give me a shout if you're looking for more information on either of these projects, or my development here at studioKeywi!

tl;dr: I'm taking a fresh start to game development (and this tumblr)

The Long Version

studioKeywi is a passion project of mine. It's the umbrella that I do all of my software development under, including apps and websites for games I love as well as woring on my own projects. However, I'm also a full time (nontraditional) college student, so my free time for such projects has been at a premium for over the past year. Within the last month, my work computer (read: aged laptop) finally died on me, and I was unable to back a majority of my code projects before it did. Unfortunately, that means all code for my game projects went with the laptop when it died. Fortunately, I have all of the paper backups of game ideas/mechanics and have been putting together game design documents when I have the time.

This is a bit of a bummer, but at the same time it provides a new beginning for my projects, and a new chance to work things out code-wise so that my projects can fully come to life. I'm also starting fresh on tumblr posts to make sure that I don't confuse people with "lost code". I plan on reposting a few of the old posts (with minor tweaks/updates as needed), but the only downside is that I'm just one keywi; working on code, graphics, and audio myself is quite taxing by itself, and I can't afford to hire artists at this point. Update frequency may therefore be hampered.

See you all soon!