Hello newcomers! Welcome to the first official Steam page announcement!
Over Many Waters Demo Release Notes
In the next few months, I’ll be dedicated to the release of a playable demo. I’m aiming for 1-2 hours of content. That’s a tall order to fill. Especially since I currently only have about 10 minutes of gameplay.
Here’s my plan:
- Refine my newly implemented Save System
- Create 20 NPCs, each with dialogue using the Dialogue System by Pixel Crushers
- Create a wip Aztec city complete with adobe homes and temples
- Revisit and refine the Sailing mechanic, allowing basic seafaring
But, what does all of this mean?
Saving
To be brief, the Save System will allow the player to transition between scenes and keep their data. We often play games and gloss over considerations for how games store our info. How much HP did the player have when they stopped playing or when moving to a new location? Did the player have all unique items unlocked or just a select number of those items?
With the implementation of saving, my game is starting to feel more engaging. Before this, I couldn’t exit the temple without erasing data and spawning back at the beginning of level 1. That just didn’t make sense, but now you keep your HP and you spawn at the temple door when you leave the temple.
NPCs
I’m honestly very excited about adding NPCs. My goal to add 20 NPCs is fairly high for this stage of the game, but I always aim high. These NPCs will include Captain Gonzalo, The Storyteller, Aluxe, JP, Go’ra, Samuel, the Warrior Guard, and about 13 additional characters. Those six characters may be recurring and some might be VIP characters. So far, they each have a background and general persona. The rest of the characters may serve to fill the world and be forced to face south only. Eventually, I want to give more depth and uniqueness to each NPC, similar to what you get from Stardew Valley.
Seafaring
Are you ready to set sail and explore the vastness of Azuria in the world of Over Many Waters? I’ll let you in on a little secret: This game was originally codenamed “Pirate Game,” then it was “Azuria.” In early development, I set out to create an open-world pirate game. I soon decided to layer a story behind it after researching more on the history of pirates. Somewhere along the line, I began tossing a bunch of assets into Unity and discovered what I really wanted to create: An Aztec-themed Stardew/LOZ crossover.
Seafaring was one of the first key features I implemented into the game. Upon adding more new features, I eventually broke seafaring. I’ll be revisiting that feature soon. It shouldn’t take me more than a few days to get that back in order and expandable. For now, expect the ability to sail around on a basic raft/boat to coast along shores and shallow waters. In future versions of the game, you can anticipate an upgrade in the form of a canoe, sailboat, and possibly a small ship.
Featuring left to right: original Leo, Leo 2.0, 3.0, 4.0, and Leo – the final form!
Game Demo Release Date
The demo intends to provide players with a full hour of gameplay. The demo release will include a tutorial level, an explorable island, several enemies to smack around, seafaring (lite version), a complete dungeon, a boss battle, an Aztec city, and about 20 NPCs. *Phew*
I plan on making this deadline by this year, December 24th, 2023, and the final game release almost exactly one year later on December 12th, 2024. Rooting for me? I hope so. If you’re even remotely paying attention to the development of Over Many Waters, pretty please leave a comment. It can be as simple as “looks interesting” or “hi”. Just drop a little nugget to let me know you care. If you’re even more willing to help me boost interest, I hope you will copy the URL or click the share button and post this to your social media. It’s easy and it goes a long way to help generate interest. I’ll give you the biggest virtual high five!
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