Sapphu Dreams of Game Dev

hi!! I've decided to record my forays into the world of indie game dev, right from the beginning. Either its a disaster and I GHOST tf out in a week or I'll be able to look back on my first big game project with lots of nostalgia. Follow if you're into watching an art nerd with no idea what she's doing struggle with trying to make A Game(TM) in Unity and/or like concept art!! of stuff!!

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first look at a barebones battle mechanic system. right now its just bootleg beat saber with an enemy sprite/damage system (that..doesn’t work. the UI right now is completely static)  but it will evolve!

the basic idea is that the enemy will ‘attack’ first with a beat combo, and you must counterattack (by successfully completing the combo) to break their guard; once broken, for a time your attacks (successful swings) will deal damage.

theres a lot more to it thats gonna come, but..baby steps!

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After sleeping on it, I decided I didn’t like the Bratz-doll look I was giving her in the last sketch. I think this is getting closer to how I envision her in this style! I just need to decide if I want to make her look more adventurous, or more cutesy/cozy. I think that will come with visually developing the world, though, so I’m going to put Saphs actual final design on hold for now.

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I’m too tired to do an update on Unity progress ( i started on the fight mechanics!) so I’ll do that tomorrow or so. Instead, have a preliminary character design/style test of Saph (or maybe I’ll rename her Kumi..) 

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!!!NOTE: THIS IS JUST FOR UNITY TESTING PURPOSES!!!

 In case you are one of the few people who doesn’t recognize the art, this is the work of the incredible @temmiechang, and is a scene in the videogame Undertale! I did not draw this!

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just a proof of concept test for a 2D game with VR capabilities - my first! so like...I began my adventures in Unity with the craziest ideas. 3D!! low-poly but amazing atmosphere!! Adventure!! Cutscenes!! drama!! AAA graphics!!! and so my very first few forays into Unity included much time staring at the screen, being completely confused, watching youtube tutorials, failing at them, and then wondering why the motorcycle asset I got for free off the store kept falling off the map whenever I hit Play.

It’s not so much that I gave up, then it is that I realized my aspirations were obviously beyond the scope of my capabilities as a single aspiring developer/artist. I have all of 0 experience in 3D animation, let alone modeling. I can do 2D though, right? And, having recently purchased an Oculus Rift S, I am currently infatuated with the idea of virtual reality immersion. So...you take the two concepts, you make them kiss, and...?

I just wanted to see if it was possible, or would even look good. I am sick right now, and I didn’t have time to make a scene, so after re-watching Undertale playthroughs I decided to recreate one of the shopkeep screens. It was incredibly easy. Of course, these are static 2d sprites; the dialogue box isn’t functional.

But maybe I can make it functional. And maybe I can add some atmospheric lighting..like around the candles! and maybe I can create a cube ‘space’ around the spite to really make it feel like an environment.

I’m actually really happy with this test, because it was super easy, and to my mind - looked really good! so...hopefully, this is a first step among many on my little game dev journey.

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Caphri. I make a lot of sweet cinnamon roll babies, apparantly.

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An unnamed character I’ve always been fond of. I have ideas for her. One day.

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defining Mikhail. old work, again. look at this unicorn cinnamon roll. done on pchat, hence the weird comments on the side (I promise I don’t talk to myself when I draw.)

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The Kids(tm), Saph and Raz. look at these babies. ugh. I miss drawing them. its been so long. I’ll refresh your designs, I promise.

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baby boy Andrej. This is one of the first (and only...) fully fleshed out portraits of him.

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aaaaaaaaaa

So I’m starting a blog.

Hello everyone. My name is Sapphu. I’m a Brand Designer based in NYC, but I primarily - throughout post of my life, really - considered myself an artist and illustrator. I’ve always dreamed of bringing my creations to life, and while I’ve always sort of half-heartedly started game projects in the past...I’m really inspired to really make something this time?? Maybe. Sweats.

I don’t have a lot of free time. But in the past few years, my muse has all but disappeared; art has been sporadic, mostly done to supplement my current income. So...mostly art for others. But I want something more. I want to feel inspired, and productive, and like I have something to share with the world again.

oh man. this is getting ramble-y. In any case, right now I’m super inspired to make a 2D game with VR elements; something narrative and character/character-relationship focused. I want to tell a story.

I have a few characters already, that I’ve drawn (and loved) over the years that I may dust off for this project. I’ll post some old work here and there, sporadically, until I make new concepts specific to this unnamed project. My beginning content will likely be about my journey into actually learning how to use Unity, and figuring out how to make basic game mechanics work.

I hope you’ll go on this journey with me!! even if it’s to laugh at my ineptitude sweats;;