Hello! This is my first DevLog (ever). These will probably be quite sporadic, just a way of putting all my thoughts together about a project at time of writing. Hopefully a way of looking back and seeing what does (and doesn't work), showing inspirations and hopefully gaining some discussion and feedback from anyone reading :)

Intro

Back in university we had to pitch a game project from a design stage, no demo necessary. This was probably their way of showing us what we were capable of without allowing the various technical abilities to set us all apart. I ran with "QTE" - a typing game in a rundown spaceship I pitched as a mash-up of Typing of the Dead and FTL: Faster than Light. I never ended up making the game as in Uni I jumped from idea to idea and eventually realised I had to stick with whatever I thought may be doable for my final year project, as well as what would best show off what I'd learned - and I didn't think QTE was that...

That said! I've always imagined it as a small game that you could beat in an few hours, with a emphasis around building a typing challenge system that works, then making a few levels that show how far we can run with that idea. So i've come back to it with new ideas, and I'm excited to see how it turns out! 

Overview

Here is the (artless) main screen of QTE:

A lot going on there, so here's a rundown of how this all works:

Progression

The main goal and drive for the player is the concept of exploring undiscovered planets and their inhabitants, and teaching them about humanity and specific aspects of language. Each level will be either travelling to the planet, or orbiting around it - and each planet will have their own request of an aspect of human life they wish to learn about, which in turn will be the words you'll be spelling on that particular level.

For instance, once planet wants to know about food on Earth, so you'll be given words like Apple, Orange, Bread etc to spell.

I also plan on having perks and rewards specific to particular planets that customise the systems on your ship, maybe giving you a bonus for particular letters, or upgrading  a system to have a stronger effect. 

Features

All of the above is what i'm currently working on fitting together and making sure it all works, but here's what i'm looking at adding once the game is at a playable state:

- Short little stories from each planet

- An overarching story about a new mysterious planet

- Perks and Rewards from orbiting a planet

-Different modes: Anagrams and Alphabetical

Finally...

Here's my current concept of what I want some of the art in the game to look like:

This could all change! I'm currently still seeing if this all works together and things may change dramatically, but i'll be using these devlogs as a frank and open way of letting people know how its progressing :) So i'd love to hear some feedback, ideas or any questions you have!

Thanks for reading!

Andrew