Quite Unusual Newsletter #31

Instead of having issues focusing on Alta or Switch we are alternating between art and programming. So the report on Alta's Blendering will be in the next issue, but if you check the SubscribeStar you'll find a full article on the development of the sex minigame.

Alta amaginated the following work the past 4 weeks

An idea for testing the integrity of a voxel structure popped into his head as he lay in bed and it was keeping him from sleeping so he:

-Impled it -Found out it worked for the example problem but not in the general case. -Coded up another idea after the first idea didn't work

Some other miscellaneous things Alta did:

-Made the basics of a Discord bot to handle voting -Developed so operating docs for the studio -Put the prologue image we have done into the Pharaoh Demo

On the bookkeeping side, Alta did the following:

-Used nom to create a parser for our bookkeeping files -Created a program to check for any mistakes in our bookkeeping -Created a function to write a transaction to the appropriate files -Created a Godot scene to display an account

A summary of Alta's work on the sex mini-game:

-Coded the basic trick-taking mechanic -Made an AI that plays random moves -Implemented keeping track of which cards have been played from the player's deck -Had the AI play itself and played around with how to generate the cards

Some other things Alta did were:

-Made a viewport that wraps things around to the opposite side -Moved all of my geometry code into one place -Made my fraction crate correctly handle Negative zero -Fix a bug in my fraction crate when adding a negative number and a positive number

TeaserTuesday

Amidst the echoes of memory, Lium navigates the corridors of change with hope and a heavy heart; a somber journey to visit the mentor who once illuminated his path.

Inital coding of the sex minigame

As I delve into the world of game development, I wanted to share the progress and lessons learned along the way. So I'm now doing a more detailed journal of my journy developing my games.

I just embarked on the exciting adventure of developing my sex card game and it has already been a rollercoaster of challenges and creative decisions.

The foundation of the game revolves around players taking turns playing cards that deal pleasure, each with specific thresholds for each type of pleasure. If the total pleasure dealt by a player's cards surpasses the threshold of an opponent's cards, they are 'eclipsed' and removed from the field. However, I encountered various challenges during the development process.

Graphic Design Dilemmas

To kick things off, I initiated a Godot 4 project and began creating the card's graphical representation. Struggling without icons for pleasure types, I considered using traditional playing card suits but there are 5 types of pleasure. I tried drawing inspiration from foreign card suits, but in the end I added a star to the French suits and assigned distinct colors to each type.

Crafting the Pleasure Mechanics

After successfully crafting the card's design, I delved into the game logic: Players take turns playing cards on the field. Each card provides a specific amount of pleasure of a certain type. Each card has its own threshold for the type of pleasure it can withstand. Players add up the pleasure from their cards on the field. Cards with a threshold for a certain type of pleasure lower than the opponent's total pleasure for that type are removed. The goal is to strategically manage pleasure, taking into account the different thresholds for each card, and to eclipse opponent's cards efficiently.

Testing and Tweaking in Rust

To streamline testing, I coded a command-line version of the game in Rust. Then, to test the game balance, I developed an AI player that randomly played cards and generated some synthetic player data. However, an initial hiccup arose – one player ended up with an abundance of the same cards. Initially thinking it was due to card duplication, I realized the problem stemmed from duplicating a random card from the player's deck when drawing, prompting me to implement a tracking system for drawn cards.

Shaping Dynamic Gameplay

A more significant challenge emerged when positive feedback skewed the game dynamics. Removing an opponent's cards led to unforeseen consequences, as the next card played would be wiped out by the leftover cards. To address this, I modified the game so that when all opponent cards were removed, the field was cleared, and the cards were transferred to the discard pile, which then served as the draw pile.

Balancing Act and Field Management

The balancing act became my next hurdle, striving to design cards that cleared the field efficiently without dragging the game on endlessly. To refine this, I modified the game so that only cards played after the pleasure-dealing card contributed to the field clearing. Another issue surfaced, with players running out of cards around the same time they cycled through their deck once. After diligent investigation, I identified the root cause: cards exceeding their threshold were being removed from the game instead of being placed in the discard pile. Correcting this misunderstanding between eclipsing cards and clearing the field, I implemented a system to keep eclipsed cards on the field without dealing pleasure.

Looking Ahead

The journey of developing my sex card game has been a series of discoveries, adjustments, and creative breakthroughs. As I continue refining and expanding upon the game, the lessons learned in the initial stages will undoubtedly guide me towards a polished and enjoyable final product. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting game development adventure!