inkdragonworks

[inkdragonworks]

Trying hard to work and post monthly again.

I haven't had as much that's worth showing on Bluesky as a majority of work is scripting cutscenes in areas that don't have backgrounds and tilesetting yet. I don't think folks would want to read a bunch of text on black backgrounds.

Chapter 3's Act 1 dialogue/cutscenes are pretty finished now. Which means all the progression flags and map transitions are in place. It's nice to see the map flesh out and the interpersonal conflict of the story starting to form. Here's a fun tram ride:

It's funny that while level design involves balancing exploration, combat, platforming, and puzzles, the dialogue stuff I have to balance plot, humor, characterization, progression guiding, gameplay hinting, and making sure it's not overtaking gameplay too long.

With shops and sidequests I figure it's okay to be indulgent though. Finch's collectible medals are now functional at her shop: these start popping out of half the chests you find starting in chapter 2. While working as a way to pace how much money you find, their main purpose is to unlock prizes at Finch's shop, with 7 in total.

These include modifiers involving tradeoffs with money, gadget cards, partner attacks, and a very special one for getting all of them.

For example, a "Customer Appreciation Award" that, once pinned, boosts how much money enemies drop (if they end up dropping money)... in exchange for increasing how much damage PnJ take.

You'll also notice Finch has a friend in her alley!

This is Eclair, a dragon chef who migrated from The Kingdom of Three Laurels. What kind of chef is he? Why's he in some random alleyway?

Unfortunately he won't tell Poppin and Jupa until they've tried out at least 12 different foods. But once they do it'll kick off a separate sidequest, involving the Fishing Rod Gadget!

These two have a lot to say, and a lot I need to implement for them still. Functionality on all of Finch's rewards, the fishing mechanic and eventual payoff for Eclair (which itself would have to wait until more of the game's map is complete). They also tell some lengthy stories that require images to draw.

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Act 2 of Chapter 3 is coming along slowly. The pair of tasks that involve their own cutscene sets have been fully tested and seems to be working as intended, regardless of what order you complete them or routing you take.

I decided to add a propeller tutorial area, similar to the drill and the upcoming bomb gadget. It's short but feels more consistent.

The ending of the Act 2 is underway, with only Rickity's boss fight next.

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Here's what I'm considering next month:

Complete Rickity boss and cutscenes

Chapter 4 obstacles and enemies

Chapter 3 backgrounds and tiling tests

Catching up on bugs/polish/to-do list

I do wanna take some time for drawings and other things I've been putting off though. Hopefully some of it can be shared on Bluesky, or here.

Have a nice summer!

[inkdragonworks]

Trying hard to work and post monthly again.

I haven't had as much that's worth showing on Bluesky as a majority of work is scripting cutscenes in areas that don't have backgrounds and tilesetting yet. I don't think folks would want to read a bunch of text on black backgrounds.

Chapter 3's Act 1 dialogue/cutscenes are pretty finished now. Which means all the progression flags and map transitions are in place. It's nice to see the map flesh out and the interpersonal conflict of the story starting to form. Here's a fun tram ride:

It's funny that while level design involves balancing exploration, combat, platforming, and puzzles, the dialogue stuff I have to balance plot, humor, characterization, progression guiding, gameplay hinting, and making sure it's not overtaking gameplay too long.

With shops and sidequests I figure it's okay to be indulgent though. Finch's collectible medals are now functional at her shop: these start popping out of half the chests you find starting in chapter 2. While working as a way to pace how much money you find, their main purpose is to unlock prizes at Finch's shop, with 7 in total.

These include modifiers involving tradeoffs with money, gadget cards, partner attacks, and a very special one for getting all of them.

For example, a "Customer Appreciation Award" that, once pinned, boosts how much money enemies drop (if they end up dropping money)... in exchange for increasing how much damage PnJ take.

You'll also notice Finch has a friend in her alley!

This is Eclair, a dragon chef who migrated from The Kingdom of Three Laurels. What kind of chef is he? Why's he in some random alleyway?

Unfortunately he won't tell Poppin and Jupa until they've tried out at least 12 different foods. But once they do it'll kick off a separate sidequest, involving the Fishing Rod Gadget!

These two have a lot to say, and a lot I need to implement for them still. Functionality on all of Finch's rewards, the fishing mechanic and eventual payoff for Eclair (which itself would have to wait until more of the game's map is complete). They also tell some lengthy stories that require images to draw.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Act 2 of Chapter 3 is coming along slowly. The pair of tasks that involve their own cutscene sets have been fully tested and seems to be working as intended, regardless of what order you complete them or routing you take.

I decided to add a propeller tutorial area, similar to the drill and the upcoming bomb gadget. It's short but feels more consistent.

The ending of the Act 2 is underway, with only Rickity's boss fight next.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's what I'm considering next month:

Complete Rickity boss and cutscenes

Chapter 4 obstacles and enemies

Chapter 3 backgrounds and tiling tests

Catching up on bugs/polish/to-do list

I do wanna take some time for drawings and other things I've been putting off though. Hopefully some of it can be shared on Bluesky, or here.

Have a nice summer!

[inkdragonworks]

@inkdragonworks

The Girls™ have returned!

[inkdragonworks]

IIIIIIITTTTTTTTTTSSSSSSSSSS ⱼᵤₚₐ

@inkdragonworks

[inkdragonworks]

Hello! Not a very exciting post this month. Along with handling the move, a family emergency hit us and ended up complicating things, as well as sapping a lot of enthusiasm. So what time not spent moving or my usual job and chores was just spent drawing. It's a pretty large set of drawings and I hope to share soon, but for now here's what I did handle in April:

Updating the cutscene editor to handle image setting/removing better, as well as making some other parts of it more convenient.

Making progress on construction area cutscenes. What's been holding it up is this scenario involves 2 tasks PnJ can complete. 1 task has two potential entrances/exits, and the other task has 2 areas you can complete in either order. Both tasks have their own intro/outro cutscenes to consider, as well as flags that they update, and you can complete either of these tasks in either order. What this leads to is a lot of testing to make sure each variant is working as intended.

Construction site level design progress.

Addressing ice physics and propeller bugs.

Updating the way in-game tasks are saved to either prepend or append them on the "to-do" list in the journal, making it more obvious what tasks are immediate and will progress the main story, and which ones are lower priority/optional.

Minimap data handling reconfigured for how it tracks door and chest data again, making it more stable and future-proof.

Refining the level design of the first half of Chapter 3 more, as well as implementing their cutscenes.

Animating, and scripting dialogue for NPCs:

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This month I plan to pick up the pace on game dev again. Now that moving's mostly finished I'm hoping to settle in a routine here, relax, and start saving up money again.

My plans remain about the same: finish up the first half of chapter 3's level design and sequences so that it's possible to reach the construction area as intended, and then to complete the construction area (cutscenes, last 2 rooms, Rickity boss battle).

This could lead into either working on the end of chapter 3, chapter 3 art assets, or working more on chapter 4's obstacles/enemies/rough level design. I could always jump into something else like completing the Waterfall caves, or working on the circus side area. But most likely I'll be working on art separate from PnJ. We'll see next month!

[inkdragonworks]

Princess Vainisa + Christmas Outfit @candyybunny

Pierre clumsy_candyfloss on Instagram

Strings leamonade_moon_6 on Instagram

Virus + Guy @junillustrates

Bearson @nixpainting

Barb @inkdragonworks

Milka + Her Sona @just-miki

[inkdragonworks]

Did some @inkdragonworks style Alouettes for some reason.

[inkdragonworks]

2 updates in a row..... impressive...

That Mario Day comic ended up taking up several days. I wish stuff like that wasn't a time-sink or I'd try doing it more often... But thankfully I put a lot of time into Pocket Adventure this month.

Early I decided to start Chapter 4 obstacles. Shown here are drill-switch platforms, moved via Poppin's drill, and TicKeys, a type of robot that follows them around until opening a lock. Chapter 4 pares back the rate of cutscenes halfway in to focus on a larger area, with a ton of puzzles and obstacles to deal with, so expect more to come along these lines.

The real centerpiece this month is the Pachinko minigame! It's been ages since I posted about it, but I finally had the inspiration to complete it, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, with the physics, aesthetics, and it not being too generous (I had to re-record this gif 4 times before getting a win).

It's a bad way to make money, but I think it adds a lot of character to the world, and if you feel like dumping all your money, it's a pretty fun way to do it.

I'm pretty happy with the room for it too, Brine's Bar. I really focused on it feeling seedy compared to Salty's tavern at the end of chapter 1. Coincidentally. the pachinko machine occupies a similar spot to those cardplayers sat at in the tavern...

I rounded the month out by working more on Chapter 3's construction area. I thought I could complete all the cutscenes and progression up to the boss, but ended up identifying and fixing a lot of bugs and working more on the enemies.

For example, Bin here will now track PnJ's platform height, and align their attack with that floor level.

I also made some progress on cutscene assets. Seems like all the robots this mining/construction company are real troublemakers.

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Moving's coming up at the end of this month. Thankfully we have a lot packed up already. Hopefully the rest goes smoothly, but understandably it'll take up a few days to complete.

What I'd like to do next month is finish up the construction area's cutscenes/level design/progression, complete chapter 3's boss, and follow-through on the remaining Chapter 4 obstacles.

I keep thinking about roughing out Chapter 4 soon so I can get a real idea of how much it takes up the map space, but it also helps with feeling closer to the mid-point of Pocket Adventure's main story. Makes completion of the game feel not so out of reach. Plus, it's fun see the world map slowly flesh out.

Once I get around to the optional areas that flesh out the central part of the map, it'll start to really look like a metroidvania. Maybe by next year, I'll have something closer to that.

Have a nice April!

[inkdragonworks]

2 updates in a row..... impressive...

That Mario Day comic ended up taking up several days. I wish stuff like that wasn't a time-sink or I'd try doing it more often... But thankfully I put a lot of time into Pocket Adventure this month.

Early I decided to start Chapter 4 obstacles. Shown here are drill-switch platforms, moved via Poppin's drill, and TicKeys, a type of robot that follows them around until opening a lock. Chapter 4 pares back the rate of cutscenes halfway in to focus on a larger area, with a ton of puzzles and obstacles to deal with, so expect more to come along these lines.

The real centerpiece this month is the Pachinko minigame! It's been ages since I posted about it, but I finally had the inspiration to complete it, and I'm pretty happy with how it turned out, with the physics, aesthetics, and it not being too generous (I had to re-record this gif 4 times before getting a win).

It's a bad way to make money, but I think it adds a lot of character to the world, and if you feel like dumping all your money, it's a pretty fun way to do it.

I'm pretty happy with the room for it too, Brine's Bar. I really focused on it feeling seedy compared to Salty's tavern at the end of chapter 1. Coincidentally. the pachinko machine occupies a similar spot to those cardplayers sat at in the tavern...

I rounded the month out by working more on Chapter 3's construction area. I thought I could complete all the cutscenes and progression up to the boss, but ended up identifying and fixing a lot of bugs and working more on the enemies.

For example, Bin here will now track PnJ's platform height, and align their attack with that floor level.

I also made some progress on cutscene assets. Seems like all the robots this mining/construction company are real troublemakers.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Moving's coming up at the end of this month. Thankfully we have a lot packed up already. Hopefully the rest goes smoothly, but understandably it'll take up a few days to complete.

What I'd like to do next month is finish up the construction area's cutscenes/level design/progression, complete chapter 3's boss, and follow-through on the remaining Chapter 4 obstacles.

I keep thinking about roughing out Chapter 4 soon so I can get a real idea of how much it takes up the map space, but it also helps with feeling closer to the mid-point of Pocket Adventure's main story. Makes completion of the game feel not so out of reach. Plus, it's fun see the world map slowly flesh out.

Once I get around to the optional areas that flesh out the central part of the map, it'll start to really look like a metroidvania. Maybe by next year, I'll have something closer to that.

Have a nice April!

[inkdragonworks]

"Any Volunteers?"

From "Cosmic Travels: The Puzzle Fantasy"

Join the Discord!

[inkdragonworks]

It's @inkdragonworks Jupa!

Been a while.

[inkdragonworks]

Late comic for Mario Day! Starring Poppin, Jupa, Mock and Gerty.

[inkdragonworks]

Late comic for Mario Day! Starring Poppin, Jupa, Mock and Gerty.

[inkdragonworks]

Here's the update from last month! During January I ended up taking a batch of commissions, so not much was done then. But with them out of the way I decided to pick at earlier bullet points on my overall to-do list. This involved some of the optional side areas, available once you obtain the drill/complete chapter 2.

First up is a scene kicking off a sidequest where you help this individual trapped underneath some junk. This is something meant to be completed over the course of the next couple of chapters, but you can trigger it outside the entrance to the mining site.

Next up is a teaser of the bandit's main camp. The places you visited during Chapter 1 were smaller scale compared to this... but sadly, PnJ can't get in until they have the propeller. If they try to walk in, this happens:

Guess they'll have to come back later!

The last stretch of the month was dedicated to the Waterfall Caves; a condensed set of rooms with a lot going on in them. As the name implies it's based around rushing water.

Like the wind object, it pushes PnJ a certain direction. Most of the work was in coding the visuals and effects.

The Waterfalls is also where Dr. Thurston's sidequest truly starts. You met him in Chapter 1 and again at the start of Chapter 2, but here is where PnJ can help escort him towards those rare rocks he's been looking for.

His sidequest has multiple parts, so this just introduces you to the idea of moving him around.

It would end with a boss battle against this thing: the Craterpillar. He's also a guy I plan for you to come across throughout the side areas, as PnJ make their way deeper into Mount Glitteroam. During which he'd slowly evolve... but for now I figured out his initial pupa design and base sprite.

(Scuttlebutt is there too for comparison)

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While these portions aren't part of the main storyline, my vision for Poppin & Jupa: Pocket Adventure was to reward exploration and yknow... reflect the feeling of being on an adventure. So having fleshed out side areas and characters helps with that feeling. One of my favorite parts from playing Symphony of the Night was filling out the map and discovering whole new places and enemy types, and I want to expand on that experience here. It'd help with the length and replay value, anyway.

Me and my partner are preparing to move out by the end of the month, so that'll likely cut into development time. But when I'm not doing that or working my day job, I'm planning to continue both fleshing out the Waterfall Caves, and picking back on Chapter 3's cutscenes and level refinement. It would be nice to at least finish the construction site portion of that chapter...

We'll see I guess. Thanks for reading!

[inkdragonworks]

@inkdragonworks Tiera again!

[inkdragonworks]

"Ever had one of those days?"

From "Cosmic Travels: The Puzzle Fantasy"

Join the Discord! - https://discord.com/invite/JRjSNnmSyK…

[inkdragonworks]

Spittin' Snake

From "Cosmic Travels: The Puzzle Fantasy"

Join the Discord! - https://discord.com/invite/JRjSNnmSyK