January 5th, 2021 Update, Announcement Trailer!
Original Post
Original Post
Hey Era,
I've been really eager to share that i am developing a game! This community has been such a huge part of my life over the past 14 years. In that timespan, i got married, became a dad, graduated highschool, moved from Indonesia to the US, graduated univesity, migrated from GAF to Era, gave up alcohol for good, moved back to Indonesia and well now, i am finally developing games… all in that order. This has been a dream of mine for a really long time, and it just feels right to share this with my internet fam. I know many of you have a similar dream. I've no idea how this game will turn out, but i've been having the time of my life making it and hope this thread not only documents the games dev process, but also help nudge a few people to start pursuing their similar dream.
(slightly zoomed out look at player farm, disclaimer work in progress many placeholder assets)
The game i am developing is called Coral Island, and it is a farm sim island life RPG in the vein of Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley. Farm sim games hold a really special place in my heart -- at around the age of 10 my parents had a very bad and nasty divorce, and my mother had a really hard time coping with it -- i introduced Harvest Moon to her and we played through it together. The game provided a needed escape, and really helped us get through a difficult time.
(closer look at sample female and male customized character)
Coral Island aims to build on what makes the genre special, offering a zen like gameplay experience, whilst incorporating topics we find really important. Namely, this includes having a very diverse cast of characters on the island to represent all walks of life. Second, tackle the issue of sustainability by depicting the impact that global pollution has on our coral reefs and ecosystem, while meaningfully tying this to the core gameplay loop. We're attempting a Disney inspired art style, and really not sure if we are nailing it or not. The project officially started in early October last year, and we are targeting a Q1-Q2 2021 early access release.
(Joko the carpenter, Yuri and Luke as dateables, and Mayor Connor!)
We've been fortunate to have some really talented people join the studio. The sad thing about the game development scene in Indonesia is that it is almost non-existent. Most people have experience working in asset houses, but first hand game dev experience is rare. The first 6 months were quite brutal for us as a team. It was a period of learning and getting a handle of UE4, whilst also finding a good working rhythm. We also transitioned to Work From Home early this month because of the Coronavirus, and its been a challenge adjusting to that, but alas the show must go on.
(default camera zoom)
I am working alongside my wife on this game, which has really been a blast. She is creative director, and handles the writing and world-building of the game. My role is game director, which has me spin many plates at once lol. To pursue game dev, my wife and i have been saving funds for a real long time, and recently liquidated some investments. We also have a business partner/co-founder who serves as producer. I still work a full time, so the number of hours i rack up between that and game dev is a fair bit. Definitely feels like a family game, as my daughter also helps with bug hunting (the nasty ones), she seems to have an innate ability to break the game within 1-5 minutes of holding the controller.
But wow... making games is HARD, and emotions swing frequently between bouts of excitement and tsunamis of doubt. It's certainly the most challenging thing i've ever done in my life. The past two years have really opened my eyes how complicated games are in the AAA space, let alone the tremendous amount of effort that goes into shipping any title, big or small. Ironically, the struggle of developing games has made me fall more in love with the medium. Kudos to all the other creators out there.
There is so much more i could and want to share, but feel like i've rambled on a fair amount already, and kind all over the place… so this might be a good place to stop for now. I plan to use this thread to document the games progress, and more importantly, get feedback from anyone that is willing to give it, good or bad. What would be real helpful is ideas or suggestion how to improve anything really. Have seen so many hours of the game that its hard to assume the perspective of fresh eyes. To an extent, i do believe in the magic power of the Era hivemind lol.
Ya'll are good people Era, and i am proud to be part of this community.
Thanks to Bufbaf for making a thread on his game Orbis Furgae, which eventually inspired this one.
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