UPDATE #5 (Regarding Playtest) (12.4.20)
Hey guys! We are nearing the end of the Niko Playtest. In about 24 hours from now, the playtest will go offline. I wanted to give an update on how this experience has impacted development of the game and what plans are moving into 2021.
First off, I received a lot of feedback, private and public. I did hear a lot of positive feedback, and some negative too. I think the biggest issue right now is combat not being fun or satisfying. I need to find a solution to do that and is currently my number one priority.
Second, I am rethinking what this final product is going to look like realistically. I want to have this game finished and released by Summer 2021, but I am not going to say that is for sure happening. I mainly want to finish this game by then so I can start a new project when I start college. In order to do that though, I need to focus a lot more time into the game, which is very difficult when I am busy going on college tours, working, stuff like that. My life is very hectic and I don't have nearly as much free time as I hoped. As of right now, it's tough to say what is likely to happen and what isn't. It might end up being that this game doesn't release til late 2021 or even into 2022. We will just have to wait and see.
Lastly, I have nothing to announce for Niko releasing on platforms other than Windows and MacOS via Steam, but I am looking into more platforms to launch the game on. I have a dev kit for the Xbox One I have been messing with, and I am looking into getting a Nintendo Switch dev kit as well. Console ports are something I really want to do, but it may or may not happen.
And lastly, thank you to everyone supporting the development of Niko and the Cubic Curse. This is my first big game I plan to self publish. I am doing everything in my power to bring you guys the best game I possibly can. More info is coming early 2021, so stay tuned!
- Josh Rieg
First off, I received a lot of feedback, private and public. I did hear a lot of positive feedback, and some negative too. I think the biggest issue right now is combat not being fun or satisfying. I need to find a solution to do that and is currently my number one priority.
Second, I am rethinking what this final product is going to look like realistically. I want to have this game finished and released by Summer 2021, but I am not going to say that is for sure happening. I mainly want to finish this game by then so I can start a new project when I start college. In order to do that though, I need to focus a lot more time into the game, which is very difficult when I am busy going on college tours, working, stuff like that. My life is very hectic and I don't have nearly as much free time as I hoped. As of right now, it's tough to say what is likely to happen and what isn't. It might end up being that this game doesn't release til late 2021 or even into 2022. We will just have to wait and see.
Lastly, I have nothing to announce for Niko releasing on platforms other than Windows and MacOS via Steam, but I am looking into more platforms to launch the game on. I have a dev kit for the Xbox One I have been messing with, and I am looking into getting a Nintendo Switch dev kit as well. Console ports are something I really want to do, but it may or may not happen.
And lastly, thank you to everyone supporting the development of Niko and the Cubic Curse. This is my first big game I plan to self publish. I am doing everything in my power to bring you guys the best game I possibly can. More info is coming early 2021, so stay tuned!
- Josh Rieg
UPDATE #4 (11.21.20)
Woah! It's been almost a month since the last Niko Blog update. Let's talk about that.
First off, I want to apologize for the extended break from blog updates. It was not intentional, just time slipped by me through the past few weeks. I am going to try harder at making sure these updates without any delays. With that said, I think these updates need more space between each other, so these will become bi-weekly updates.
Now onto better news:
Today was the launch of Niko and the Cubic Curse - Steam Playtest Edition. This playtest includes the first full world of the game, including the new boss fight! This is free for everyone to play from now until December 5th, so make sure to play it while you can!
Today has been very busy with bug testing and recieving feedback. If you want to send me feedback, please send it in the Steam Community Hub for Niko, or @CubicCurse on Twitter.
See you guys in the next few weeks!
- Josh Rieg
First off, I want to apologize for the extended break from blog updates. It was not intentional, just time slipped by me through the past few weeks. I am going to try harder at making sure these updates without any delays. With that said, I think these updates need more space between each other, so these will become bi-weekly updates.
Now onto better news:
Today was the launch of Niko and the Cubic Curse - Steam Playtest Edition. This playtest includes the first full world of the game, including the new boss fight! This is free for everyone to play from now until December 5th, so make sure to play it while you can!
Today has been very busy with bug testing and recieving feedback. If you want to send me feedback, please send it in the Steam Community Hub for Niko, or @CubicCurse on Twitter.
See you guys in the next few weeks!
- Josh Rieg
UPDATE #3 (10.29.20)
Hey guys! Just like that, another week has passed. What have I gotten done? Well quite a bit.
First, I completed the boss fight I began last week. I did a lot of different things with the fight to make it feel more satisfying yet fair to fight. I have been playtesting the boss and adjusting the game based on feedback.
I have also started working on implementing Steam Achievements into the game. Currently, there is only one available to collect, which is for defeating the boss. I am planning to add around 20 - 30 different achievements to the game by the end of development, and I can't wait to share that list with everyone!
I am working to complete the first world of Niko by the end of November, possibly sooner. I am trying to make sure I hit deadlines I set for myself, while not dropping quality on the way. I began replaying some of my favorite 2D Platformers for inspiration, and i'm looking into new ones to grab inspiration from. If you have any suggestions, please contact me @DaNovaFRFX or @CubicCurse, both on Twitter.
Now just a heads up, development may slow down over the coming weeks due to college searches. I am a solo dev and a senior in High School. Hopefully this will be the only time development slows down though! For sure by the end of November, Niko will be kicking back into full on development and getting more progress done.
Thanks for reading this week's update. Sorry for no new image this week, but a lot of areas are still being polished. Probably by next week they will be polished enough that I can show a new level off. See y'all next week!
- Josh Rieg
First, I completed the boss fight I began last week. I did a lot of different things with the fight to make it feel more satisfying yet fair to fight. I have been playtesting the boss and adjusting the game based on feedback.
I have also started working on implementing Steam Achievements into the game. Currently, there is only one available to collect, which is for defeating the boss. I am planning to add around 20 - 30 different achievements to the game by the end of development, and I can't wait to share that list with everyone!
I am working to complete the first world of Niko by the end of November, possibly sooner. I am trying to make sure I hit deadlines I set for myself, while not dropping quality on the way. I began replaying some of my favorite 2D Platformers for inspiration, and i'm looking into new ones to grab inspiration from. If you have any suggestions, please contact me @DaNovaFRFX or @CubicCurse, both on Twitter.
Now just a heads up, development may slow down over the coming weeks due to college searches. I am a solo dev and a senior in High School. Hopefully this will be the only time development slows down though! For sure by the end of November, Niko will be kicking back into full on development and getting more progress done.
Thanks for reading this week's update. Sorry for no new image this week, but a lot of areas are still being polished. Probably by next week they will be polished enough that I can show a new level off. See y'all next week!
- Josh Rieg
Update #2 (10.22.20)
Hey guys! Another week of development has passed and a LOT of work has been done!
This past week, I have begun developing the game's first boss fight! Enemies have always been something I have struggled to program in past projects, so a boss fight sounded like a really intimidating task. Luckily though, it has been a lot of fun and has progressed with no issues! I am including an image of the boss in this update! I hope you guys like the design. I am hoping that by the next trailer I can show you guys the boss in action. (Currently fighting him is one of my favorite parts of the entire game lol). That's all for this week! See you all next week! - Josh Rieg |
update #1 (10.15.20)
Hey guys! It has been a full month since the official reveal of Niko and the Cubic Curse! I wanted to first say thank you to everyone who has reached out and is supporting my first major project. It really means a lot to me.
Development has been continuing smoothly. The game got some visual updates recently to help with clutter and I think it looks really good. I have also added more mechanics and working on more enemies to fill this world up more. I've gotten more and more ideas for level design and I really can't wait to start implementing them. These blog updates are going to be weekly on every Thursday. I do plan to start showing more footage and images of the game in these updates, but for right now I just wanted to reach out and give a small progress update. There is currently no target release date for the game, but I will be sure to update when I do. See y'all next week! - Josh Rieg |