Spyra June Update news - Shavra - Renaissance

This update even has consistently sized screenshots! Hooray!

Oddly enough, the software does not trouble me lately. All the builds work without sudden crashes, the scripts seem to activate what I want, when I want it, and the memorycap doesn't ruin my plans either. It seems I've finally slain that beast.

The only thing that causes me trouble is level 3 where chains come out of the wall and harm you when you misstep. The traps work fine its just that I can't get that level to look good. I always have that one level that just keeps on looking like an fpscreator game. But I digress:

With fpsc not secretly plotting against me, developing this game goes quite well at a slow, relaxing pace. I do also have a full worldmap of spyra now and a few notes about its lore and how the world works...

I'm kidding but the lore of my games has always been important for me. Thats why I dont just make pretty levels and throw puzzles in I just made up... I want it to be consistent and make sense in its own realm.
This is far harder of course because its less convenient.

While few cared about it at first, the game seems to raise some interest on the webs now. I get mails and questions again and there seems to be a far better resonance than before. There even is this little article here.

So what have I done recently? Not as much as I could have...I had a lot of free time on my hands but also a lot of nice weather and I just didnt get home early enough to bring up the energy to work on this. It is calming but still work.

However, here are some shots of more recent levels. Just scenery this time

King Renrash's grave. The only symarian king ever to be despised by his people. His greed led to the death of thousands and he has been buried with his tainted riches together with his courtsmen.

Greed and a lust for posession is less present in spyra than it is on earth which is why the symarian empire decided to bury the wealth gathered by an unworthy ruler with him rather than redistribute it. It is also a plotpoint as the female lead is a tombraider.

The tomb has been sealed off to be forgotten. They respected their king enough to give him a proper burial for tradition is important to the symarian desert people but the chapter of his reign was too dark to be honored so it was sentenced to be forgotten.

Look guys! I had a few vodka earlier on so endulge my rambling here.

You'll find that out later in the game anyway. The entire level is a setpiece to set up the magic-powers anyway.

The waterfalls dont really show on the shots. They own the scene in realtime

The open grave in this room has a gameplay function. You'll find out Also: blue potions are usually health related.

This is part of a puzzle where the wrong choice will be fatal.

Instant deaths! Instant frustration! Its a bad designchoice...I only have it here because the riddle is easy that anyone who doesnt get it deserves it!

Alright guys! Keeping it fresh and alive here! The next update will have a little more meat on its bones and maybe some screenshots of that demo I keep referring to.