Welcome to the first devlog post from me on itch.io, drifters! Most of the content for these posts can also be found on the WordPress site here. There are development blog posts since September of last year on there, so check them out if you're interested in seeing earlier progress.  For those who read these updates every month on WordPress, I want to apologize for the absence of one in April. Alpha Demo #1 was still successfully released, but it came at the price of the update and some of my own pride. We’ll still have a proper update later in this blog post, but I want to address the elephant in the room first.

What happened to the April 2021 Update?

Unfortunately, I did not plan the past month well enough to leave a sufficient amount of time to write the update. These updates are not particularly long nor are they all that mentally taxing. Both of these traits were exacerbated because I was working under a very tight schedule to not only release Alpha Demo #1 but also to handle any post-release problems.

In the whirlwind of handling Alpha Demo #1’s debugging, release, playtesting, and feedback aggregation, I continuously pushed back and delayed the writing of the April 2021 Update until it was already May! After this trial by fire, I feel that it’s important to be transparent about measures I’m taking to prevent this crunch development. Before I list these measures, I want to clarify that I was the only team member crunched. The health, both physical and mental, of the team is very important to me, but I lost sight of my own in desperation. Let’s see what I can do about that below.

Create a roadmap

I naively tried to represent too much of the video game too early, resulting in a rush to squeeze too many unfinished features into the Alpha Demo #1 release. By the time I realized the dreadful situation, there were only a few days left until release date. I ended up delaying the releases a little more than a week to reassess the content of the demo and essentially rebuild it in a more genuine scope.

During all of that, it became clear that planning would need to be different for Alpha Demo #2. A roadmap helps visualize the milestones and goals you want to meet, so that you can allocate an appropriate amount of time for all the tasks at hand. This sounds like a no-brainer, but the adrenaline and momentum of a project can quickly blind you from the obvious. Hindsight is still precious, regardless.

Implementing a feature freeze

I wish I could deliver the Drifter Dynasty I have envisioned for months at the snap of a finger, but the reality is that all of the features that constitute it take weeks of development and testing. For now, I’ll have to settle with what I can deliver in the time I’ve set out in the roadmap. At a certain point in that roadmap, I have a period scheduled where no new features will be added. The focus will be on bug fixes and ensuring that the user experience is the best it can be given the current resources. This is what’s known as a feature freeze. This freeze will prevent an overly demanding

Onwards to Alpha Demo #2

As April wound down, following the release of Alpha Demo #1, I took a break from the project to catch my breath. With the onset of May, I went right back to work. The overall reception to Alpha Demo #1 was positive! The feedback I received was for the most part constructive, so expect to see a very high level of refinement from Alpha Demo #1 to Alpha Demo #2. Speaking of Alpha Demo #1, I’ve decided to open it to the public! Follow this link to download the demo from itch.io.

Since I’ve already started making headway on Alpha Demo #2, I have closed the formal feedback survey on Alpha Demo #1. Don’t worry though. You’ll have your chance to voice your opinions and thoughts with the release of Alpha Demo #2! Henceforth, all major demo releases will be free for anyone to download. Speaking of which, let’s see what you can expect in the next demo!

Music!

Internally, I finally showcased musical integration to the Drifter Dynasty Sound Team! I will begin introducing you to the wonderful soundtrack in the coming weeks via Twitter. I have, admittedly, been absent on that platform for the past two months. I plan to begin posting more gameplay there by at least next week.

At the moment, the Sound Team has completed two songs and has at least one other song in production. The tracks have not been fully mixed and mastered, but we’re honing in on a unified sound direction that allows all members to shine through interplay and collaboration. Alpha Demo #2 will feature six songs, so we’re nearly halfway through the essential music for this scope.

More Animations! More Characters! More Gameplay!

As you play Alpha Demo #1, it’ll become apparent that the only character who has a full set of animations is The Drifter. That will change with Alpha Demo #2! Most of Madison’s efforts in the next month will be focused on bringing more characters to life through a complete set of motions, and you can follow the progress via our Instagram.

On that note, there will be a total of four playable characters in the next demo! Each one is being individualized to offer a different feel and overall variety to the gameplay options. The first demo was very small in scope, a one-on-one battle, but you will be able to play through a full scenario with a streamlined tutorial and full-scale battle where the aforementioned characters will enter the story!

More Ways to Play!

I have decided to support both gamepads and keyboard & mouse configurations, so expect to see a more interactive user interface as I accommodate more playing options. In addition to this, Drifter Dynasty will be fully playable on both Windows and Mac computers! This particular support began following Alpha Demo #1’s release, so I intend to follow through with the entire game.

Aiming for the Stars

Despite a rocky release, Alpha Demo #1 hopefully made it loud and clear. Drifter Dynasty is a legitimate video game in development. My enthusiasm for the project continues to grow, even as I decide to cut down on features because the quality increases with the overall focus. Thank you for your continued patience. The beta demo has been pushed back to allow for more time for Alpha Demo #2, which will be arriving on June 27th, 2021!

For the latest developments and notifications, be sure to follow the project on Twitter, Instagram, and the new itch.io page! Stay well and drift on!