Sorry for the lack of updates, etc. etc. I'm going to be open and honest about where Luminesca is at the moment.
The donations the project received via IndieGoGo were incredibly generous and allowed me to spend time developing an actual working prototype, which has helped me more than I could have possibly imagined. But the funding only lasted for so long and I've had to return to full-time work so I can pay the bills. Unfortunately, progress on Luminesca has slowed down quite a bit as a result.But it hasn't stopped completely! Luminesca is incredibly important to me and has been slowly simmering for several years in one form or another. Developing a working version of the game has opened my eyes to a lot of realities about the project, from high-level project management issues (e.g. it takes a lot of time and effort to make a game on your own) right down to the nitty-gritty quibbles (this camera is too close, and that move speed is too slow).
Ultimately, I decided that I wasn't happy with the direction that the game was heading in and that it had grown into something quite unmanageable taking my budget and time constraints into account. So I've taken a step back from the game, looked at what wasn't working and now I have gone back to the drawing board. Here's what I've come up with:
As you can see I've gone back to 2D, this time using a plugin for Unity called Orthello. I came to the conclusion that 3D art is not my forté, and implementing it has a tendency to increase the number of bugs and graphical oddities tenfold. 2D art is simple, clean and (most importantly) quick and easy to create. This means it's way more manageable for a one-man team and I have a much greater chance of actually finishing the game!
I'm not showing off the game in motion just yet as there are still some kinks to iron out, but I'm already feeling much more confident about development and I'm progressing much quicker than before.
What do you think? Do you like the new style based on this early look?
I like it. I liked the other style too, but if you can make your development way easier with a style you still dig, then it seems like a no-brainer. Although I wonder how you're gonna do the lighting effects without the 3d...
I'll probably ditch the lighting effects and replace them with something more simple. They didn't have a massive impact on gameplay, except for communicating the strength of your light (but this can be done with sprites anyway).
i think U don't need 3D, this game can look verry nice nice in 2D (look at Aquaria game)
Thanks!
Good art job!
I agree with mxtomek in his comment. Being practical doesn't necessarily mean a sacrifice in the games quality or artistic appeal.