waytothewoods - Tumblr blog

[waytothewoods]

so excited to play this game when it comes out and every time I see it it reminds me of studio ghibli movies. so i wanted to ask if you saw the recent studio ghibli movie? I liked it and I thought it felt a little like a callback to stuff like spirited away or totoro, but I feel like it's impossible to beat the vibe or feeling of those movies.

the boy and the heron was AMAZING to me. i saw guillermo del toro describe how 'the master stops trying to impress' talking about that film, and i felt that to be very true. it's so... expressive and raw, in a good way. i have been wanting to rewatch it in dub too! the track 'the last smile' inspired me greatly working on the ending of wttw as well. i suppose the call-backs to spirited away/etc are artistic visuals/idiosyncracies that miyazaki has absorbed into an inherent part of his style. i feel those might images he can't help but draw. OR it could have been a totally intentional choice to represent his career! it is after all, his final film. (this time i believe him... the movie itself feels so final, as if he has figured out what he wants to say)

[waytothewoods]

Hey Ant, I don't really wanna ask any updates or release dates but actually just put some thoughts abt how this game, even if it's not out yet, impacted me. Since that trailer in E3 (rip) I fell in love about it, the music, the ambience, DEERS. I even gained more respect with the behind of scenes of it. In a gaming industry that has been impacted with layoffs, scams (Day Before), half baked annual games, and more aggressive lootbox tactics. A single dev making a game he WANTS to make and people enjoy it honestly it feels like a breath of fresh air in the gaming world.

I know it's a lot of pressure and as you mentioned, when you feel it's ready to come out, any year will be the Deer Year, I want to see how you have grown out of this fantastic experience no matter how the outcome of this journey is.

I'm p sure more people still keep with your Pinky Promise, so keep on going!

hey hyper, your message is very kind, and i appreciate it very much :) i do often think, i should have just released whatever i had and got the money, and be working on w2tw right now. and in many ways, i basically am. but year of the deer is HERE. i also feel let down by many games, but now more than ever i understand the difficulties of getting things out the door. financial pressure causing studios to rush, etc. and as the industry seems to be shifting strangely, i love looking at something like bg3, or stardew valley, which are clearly so well crafted over appropriate time scales. the collaborations in wttw, the surprises... it's cookin. i do also apologise again for how long its takin

[waytothewoods]

I recently downloaded Dredge, which is a little horror fishing game with very artistic graphics. It reminded me of Way to the Woods, as if I've played it, somehow. Pretty music, artsy feel, relaxing traveling around, keeping a light on. Not so much The Horrors part, but just in that it's a very pretty game I could spend hours playing, and I think WttW will be the same. My own years-long project is a novel, which I am making progress on bit by bit! May we both get where we're going 💜

Dredge looks super cool - i'd love to try my hand at horror some time. i think wttw gets a little spooky from time to time, but not straight up horror good luck with the novel too!

[waytothewoods]

Hey kiddo (idk your age, tbh I call everyone kiddo I’m a teacher),

I have been following your game development since it’s conception. I know you’ve got a lot on your shoulders. I know it must be weighing on you. I want you to know, no matter when or if this game comes to fruition, I am so impressed by your creativity and skills. This game and concept had its hooks in me from day one.

I hope you are doing well. I hope life is treating you decently (which is all most of us can hope for). I hope you have people around you to encourage you. And I hope you never, ever lose your creative spark.

While I have been stoked for this game, if it never comes to full fruition, that’s OKAY. And I mean that from the bottom of my heart and soul. You have talent. You have a gift. You have creativity. Wherever that leads you, whether that’s the finish this game or make another or to just make art for yourself, i hope you nurture that part of you. You deserve to enjoy your creativity. You deserve to just be you.

I hope this message sends the correct vibes. I know connotation can be lost through written word. But I mean this with my whole being. No matter what path you go down, no matter what happens with this game, your next game/project/etc. You are valid. You are amazing and you are incredibly talented.

I see so much beauty ahead of you. I see so much creativity thru your talent and love for creating.

Please never stop creating. Not for others, but for yourself. You have so much to give. Make sure, regardless of anything else, you give to yourself.

the fact that someone out there took the time to write this is why the world is beautiful. i'm saving this message for my wall! it's been much needed. your students are very lucky to have your energy in their lives -- needless to say, i've been in my cave for the past years tinkering on this game for y'all. just took a long time! (hey. workin hard, so i can please u.gif) i can't wait for you to play what's been brewing. it's taking a little longer as we cross the last hurdles, but this is the deer year. -- i'm sending the same energy to anyone reading this that's making anything. it seems the world is become colder toward emerging artists, but screw it... we make shit for the joy of it ^_^ actually, i wanted to ask: what're you're all working on? what have deer game fans been making in their time?

[waytothewoods]

So uhhhh let's chat about makin' games...

What is your way of figuring out the game's story prior to making it? I'm thinking about sketching out the characters, controls, the mechanics before I have a wallop at creating my first video game.

hi oakhold, everyone has a different process, so i'll answer from the perspective of mine: the first thing you figure out is the most exciting thing about the game, and this is what helps inform everything else. this 'core' might be the initial spark that led to you want to make the game, or something you figure out on the way. the core could be a fun game loop, a cute character design, a cool song, or a story that you want to tell. that 'core' thing should be something that can extend to a gameplay idea. maybe your core mechanic is something in the character's design, or something in their narrative. ideas might come naturally once you recognise the 'hook'. i think the storyline should be highly informed by both the gameplay, and the 'presentation' of the game. (presentation is how the game is styled, looks, feels.) think about how your story gets told, and how the player interacts with it. identify what's exciting about your game, and give it a context. why does my moth man have a hook hand? is he a lone rogue, searching for love? is my game Vampire Survivors, and needs no story? or is it The Walking Dead, and needs a cast of meaningful characters, with a global threat?

[waytothewoods]

couple things:

-you can give your fawn a kiss

-the cats in this game are assholes

-theres a very big dog in the game

there's already a lot of things in the game you can do as a deer, but I'm wondering...

what kind of things would you guys like to do as a deer? :)

[waytothewoods]

i showed off a short demo of wttw to some journalists a few days ago. there's a short section about it on kotaku!

i think they liked it, and so i feel a bit more confident that you guys will too ✨🦌

still a way to go, but...

soon ✋

[waytothewoods]

*john mulaney voice* any updates?

edit:

hi. sorry, it hurts me to say but i wasn't able to hit certain targets and its still not ready. going to give it more time.

ok this one made me laugh

update:

To be honest, it brings me a lot of anxious feelings to make public posts about it, mostly because I know some people have been waiting a long time already, and expectations are sky high. Seeing that inbox light makes my heart skip a beat, haha. My original goal was to keep totally silent until a month or so before release, however I want to let everyone know about the current trajectory with this post. I’m trying to better about keeping everyone in the loop and overcoming my own expectations. This thing will ship - I’ve been working on this for almost a quarter of my life! Full development began in earnest in the first quarter of 2019. Before that, I was still figuring out what the hell the game was, and how I was going to make it. I’m still pretty much a one man team, now working with an animator, + aivi&surasshu. I’m hoping to ship this 1-2 hour experience first on Xbox and PC. 

Thanks for your patience, thanks for your support, I’m excited to share soon.

here’s some concept art I don’t think I’ve shared.

posting this to just tumblr, because i know the OGs are on here.

-anthony

[waytothewoods]

Way to the Woods, a game by Anthony Tan.

[waytothewoods]

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please enjoy!

[waytothewoods]

music announcement!!

i forgot to mention this, but the duo that will be composing music for the game are the incredibly talented aivi&surasshu !! you might know them from Steven Universe, or Cryamore.

their involvement is one of the most exciting things, and their music really really fits the vision i have for the game.

[waytothewoods]

Hey my dude, are you still developing the game? Will we really have it this spring? I hope you havent given up because i believe in you!

hey thanks for the ask ! yeah i’m still making it, shits just been takin a minute. recently, i had a small demo playable at Day Of The Devs. in the meantime, what kind of things would you guys like to see in the game???!?!

[waytothewoods]

was thinking of ways to communicate health to the player without UI in Way To The Woods. in this case, i lower the intensity of all the lights in the level except for the antlers so the world becomes literally darker. you heal by returning to your fawn's light

[waytothewoods]

its been so long guys remember my game Way To The Woods?? sorry ive been so quiet! im an old, old 18 year old man now but at least i have trailer and new screenshots for you guys.

watch the trailer!!

[waytothewoods]

audhfghghhhh i finally got a trailer out for my game Way To The Woods! please watch it! thank you ;__;

[waytothewoods]

y’all mind if i drop a trailer real quick?

[waytothewoods]

damn its been a while my dudes...