Misc. A Tiny Tale - AUGUST DEVLOG

Hello Patreons! We hope you're all doing well. Welcome to the first Patreon developer log for August 2020, updating you on Misc. A Tiny Tale's developments.

Expect these halfway through every month! 

Of course as always, an obvious SPOILER WARNING before we continue. Any discussion post on our development will have minor spoilers. For those who want to experience Misc fully blind going in, please avoid this post.

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Things have been very busy here at Fluminus working on Misc. A Tiny Tale since our Alpha build launch last month.

Apart from working on improving our systems and bugs from the Alpha feedback, we've of course been continuing normal development. 

Today we want to share with you something we've been working hard on for a few weeks now. Misc. A Tiny Tale's intro cinematic, which will play as you begin a new save file. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPykzISQDh4 

This intro cinematic is the first time our team has made CGI quality renders. We've had a ton of fun learning an all new method of visual production for Misc. 

Currently there is no music, since our talented music composer Bernard is still working on it, expect to see (or hear i guess?) the final mix in the next post.

We'd like to hear from you guys what you think of the cinematic? Do you like the higher visual fidelity? or would you rather cinematics run in real time as in-game cutscenes? Let us know bellow.

This month we also focused on blocking out the remaining chapters we plan for the game, bringing the games total chapter count to 10 (with 9 short "interlude" dialogue chapters between each).

Interlude chapters will be short breaks between each chapter in the game, which sits Buddy and Bag Boy down by a camp fire to discuss what they thought of the events taken place in the chapter before, and catches you up on some important character and story progression. It's a chill way to dive into these little robots minds and progress the story! We're currently working on the early phases of these interlude chapters so we hope to bring you more info soon.

We learned through the Alpha that a few of our players needed a bit of an extra guide figuring out mechanics or tips for the game. Because of this, we decided to work on a sign system which lets players read helpful tips and guides along their play through. 

The signs will have their own little story and charm to it too! But of course they're totally optional for those who don't need the help, but there for the players that do.

We also began early work on two of our first enemy designs in the game. Here's a small preview below!

These enemies won't show up until Chapter 2 so it may be a while before you get to experience them in action, but we're excited to hear your thoughts on their design. We're working hard on coming up with a fun and creative 'fighting' system.

We'd also like to give everyone a first look at an all new character you'll come across first in Chapter 2!

Introducing Lena

She's a wacky, weird anxious childs flash light. Some of you who are fans of Chibi-Robo might recognize her colour scheme? Any guesses who she's based off?

Lena is just one of the MANY new characters you'll meet on your journey through each chapter. We've made it so every single character in Misc. A Tiny Tale is non-repeated. Meaning everyone you meet will be a totally unique design!

Last month we launched our first public build of Misc. A Tiny Tale in the form of the very first Alpha of the game. Since then, we've been spending a long time analyzing how you guys play, what suggestions you've given us - and taking it all in to update the game.

One key thing we've been improving is the controls for the game. A lot of people suggested some small adjustments that should make Buddy feel much less floaty, and hopefully more accurate. We've adjusted his jump physics and now require the player to HOLD the jump button after jumping or double jumping to activate his propeller, which will float you down to the ground like before. This means you now have the option to just do normal jumps without the floaty propeller activating during every jump. So far in testing - this has made things feel much snappier. 

We've also fixed ALL noted spelling mistakes and errors, changed up some dialogue lines to better suit the experience and overall improved a whole load of other small things. We've pulled the camera back just a tad further too so you now have an even better view of our beautiful world.

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At the end of this month, we plan to put out some form of large content to you guys here on Patreon. This can be anything from an updated build of the game, to a test build for feedback on mechanics or ideas, or something else.

We plan on keeping to our schedule listed on our pinned post, meaning every mid-month (around the 15th) you'll be getting a post like today's with general updates on development. Then at the end of the month (around the 30th) you'll get a larger (usually playable) release of some kind.

We hope you enjoyed this first dev log! look forward to more soon. Thank you all for your continued support and feedback on Misc. A Tiny Tale. Let us know your thoughts below.

- Fluminus