Dev Logs: 1 - The Lore | 2 - Follow the Fun | 3 - The Generation System

This is the second dev log sharing the process that brought you 'Dragua' -- a short rogue-like inspired by Balkan mythology. In this log, I'll be talking about the inspiration that sparked a significant design pivot (and we think for the better).

The Original Idea

Our initial design was for a "rogue-like" adventure, with a procedurally generated forest which the player must hack their way through against a growing web of vines in order to find better and better weapons. If the vines reach the player's home, they lose.

The Integrated MVP

When we began laying down design features after the initial brainstorming, we knew we had to get to an integrated "minimum viable product" by sometime Saturday evening in order to leave enough time for testing and polishing on Sunday. For us, this meant the map generation system, vine propagation, and weapon inventory was complete.

We were a little behind the mark, but we had a well integrated product--albeit with some omissions--by the time we signed off for the night. The following day, I planned to start working on an introduction and tutorial.

Something was Missing

Throughout the implementation process, even though things were functionally working, we felt like some element of fun was missing. The player was meant to be motivated by the encroaching vines to venture further away to find more effective weapons. However, we were worried that we didn't have the time to really implement the quantity or variety of weapons that would motivate the player to leave home. At that point, it seemed like the game would involve hacking at vines without any true objective other than staying within 5m of home.

"Follow the Fun"

With the thought of "what else could motivate the player?" in the back of our minds, we continued our work. Sunday morning, I was working on artwork for the player's home--a little hut, a fence, and a campfire. That's when the spark hit me.

What if the player had to keep the fire alive?

(Throwback to LD46) If they needed to feed the fire using some element they found while exploring, that would give the player a reason to explore, but also an immediate reason to return. The vines still posed a threat, but now the cost would be more relevant to the player's action.

For me, this was a prime example of pivoting from initial design and 'following the fun'. While our bigger design for updates to the game might not keep this feature, we feel it was the right choice to inject a strong objective within the scope of the weekend.

Next Up ... The Generation System

In the next log, our lead developer (@tempest-smh) plans to talk about the map generation system. If you're interested in that, give us a follow!

In the meantime, if any of this intrigued you, we'd love for you to stop by and enjoy our entry 'Dragua'! https://ldjam.com/events/ludum-dare/51/dragua

- Hawkin

Dev Logs: 1 - The Lore | 2 - Follow the Fun | 3 - The Generation System