Sometimes, I feel like this journey into video game development may lead to broken pockets and worse… broken hearts as I read countless stories of failed ideas. The Steam marketplace is flooded with indie games displaying dismal sales. I realize BEER CHEER can only hope to create a market where one did not exist. Maybe it will find a few fans here and there that help propel the property in new directions. Maybe… just maybe there is a niche for beer games with substance.
Well, welcome to week four of the dev log as I hurl myself into destinies unknown stopping for an occasional beer from the locals. Last week was huge and if you’re playing the alpha you have seen the new locations being worked on. Please be aware these are early prototypes of scenes to come so much is likely to change. Being able to add local breweries to the game is a goal we take passionately as this will amp up the game’s flavor tremendously. A big thank you to Bend Brewing for being the guinea pig for now! Ever since my wife and I first started dating in Bend they have been one of our favs. So much so that the year before our wedding we visited the pub every Tuesday for locals day. We actually ended up serving Hop Head, Elk Lake, and Ching Ching KEGS at our wedding. Needless to say the dance floor was popping and the good times rolled! We created lifetime memories where upon sipping a delicious Ching Ching are brought back with vivid detail. I hope to deliver something the brewery’s fans can appreciate while perhaps waiting on their beer or on the plane to their favorite beer festival.
Beyond the major updates, I also tackled a lot of bugs plaguing the scene completion order and the home screen play button’s function. I’ve decided to stick with the button displaying “Play” at all times versus saying “Continue” once the player has gone through at least one scene.
Another big addition last week was the addition of bottle recyclers provided by Bend’s one and only The Broomsmen. So, the game gets a little bit harder now as players are now responsible for cleaning up unfilled bottles before they hit the end of the line. Previously, if players passed an unfilled bottle there were no consequences other than not being able to cheers. Tap the empty beer bottle into the recycler or players will lose progress. Fortunately, The Broomsmen have provided our first bins and will safely deliver the bottles to the best facility for recycling.
That was a pretty good update and a wrap for last week. This week I’ll be adding in another game mechanic for controlling the conveyor belts. And stay tuned as we may have another big addition in the works! Thank you for stopping by. See you next week!
Dilly Dilly,
Auzzzy