GameMaker Studio 2 engine

This was a long time coming due to the difficulties I've been having, mainly financially, but also in life in general. So much has changed and I'm going to take my time to explain things.

Currently, the wide-screen first-person mode is only available for Arcade mode. The versus mode will remain as split-screen. I do plan on adding the first-person assets to the versus screen so look forward to that in the next update.

As far as gameplay changes go, other than what is featured in the change log on the Steam store page, it's pretty much the same. The only addition to this mode from the previous is that your character's outline is in the upper corner. This is for balance purposes as the reason why I wanted the split-screen since the very beginning is to show that the player behind the camera isn't pulling any moves that the opponent doesn't know about. That has been my concern and why I was hesitant to put a wide-screen mode before. But simply adding the outline has remedied this. There are also plenty of minor adjustments and additions, all listed in the change log on the Steam store page.

So what's been going on that this update could not come sooner? I'm sure I've explained it in my previous logs but my life has drastically changed. I moved to a new state and my financial situation has squandered. I figured it was time to find out how to become financially independent. A job could only sustain me for so long and now I'm barely getting by. That means no budget for Child Arms, and development on the game could not continue. I had to figure out a business venture to get into and that was what I was concentrating on.

Since September of last year, I have been studying animation and even made my first animated trailer for Child Arms. In trying to figure out what to do next, I created a new YouTube channel and to my surprise, it is growing. I have now received 1000 subscribers in 2 months' time. I can't predict what is going to happen next but good things are to come for sure.

When I decided upon the new wide-screen view, that was a decision made as a change for not just the game but for myself as well. I stuck to my guns about keeping it split-screen as that was a decision that I personally wanted. I have been working on this game for so long, and have had it in my mind for even longer, I have this attachment that makes me reluctant about changing it.

I would eventually come to the conclusion that I have not been taking care of it as I should. What I mean is that during development, my main priority was on the gameplay. I've always had this belief that players only want the gameplay when it comes to new IPs, but now I realize how wrong I was. I should have put as much attention to other aspects of this game rather than just bet on the gameplay. Particularly the story and lore. There's a stereotype that indie devs spend more time on backstory than actual gameplay. I guess I'm the opposite and that doesn't work either. Both need to be developed equally.

But I'm afraid altering the game at this time is not possible. The game's foundation has already been set and it's already on its way. The demo pretty much shows what the final game is going to be like. Adding anything like a story mode is not possible this far into development. Again, this comes from my personal wants from this game. I didn't want to add a story mode, I wanted to build this game like it was an old-school arcade game, hence why it has an arcade mode and will have character endings. That goes for parts 2 and 3, which will also have that arcade feel. But now, after so much has happened, I can't really do that anymore. Maybe part 1 has to proceed as it was intended, but for parts 2 and 3, I'm certain I'm going to have to expand it from its arcade inspiration. Of course, that's for another time as I still need to develop part 1.

The game will resume as planned. Its arcade-style roots will remain, but what I will change is how Child Arms is presented. This game truly is a passion project as it appears that the only audience the game appeals to is myself, and that has cost me. Had I known then what I know now, I would have definitely looked up who could be interested in this game and changed things accordingly. The game would end up drastically different for sure but that would have been the right choice.

I don't feel like the game is ready to be promoted at this time. That's not to say that I don't believe the demo is insufficient. It is a demo after all and it's supposed to show you what is to come, but when I was updating the promotional material, mainly making a new trailer to show off the wide-screen mode, I realized I didn't have much to work with. That current trailer, I don't really care for it. It's just too banal for a gameplay trailer. It doesn't make people excited to play the game. But that was all I could do because I lacked content for promotional purposes. That is why I have made a decision to not promote the game at this time.

I want to have the majority of the cast, if not all of them, available before I really start pushing the game to the public. There should be enough content to create better trailers to get players excited. There are also plans for animated trailers. I'm still practicing and improving my skills and my goal is to make a trailer for every character. I want to create awesome fight scenes that will get people really excited about the characters. Other ideas include video logs and live streams for the Child Arms YouTube channel. That was originally just a place to upload random videos but now I'm transforming it into a Child Arms development channel. Expect to see more content from me in the future.

As of this writing, it's been four years since I began development, a decade since this version of the game was planned, and two decades since the very idea of Child Arms was conceived. This game has been a long time coming and I can't give up now. Times are rough for sure and the journey will get even tougher as time goes on. Yet, still, after all this time, my desire to see this project through has not diminished. If there is any reason why I should continue is merely to fulfill the dreams of that young man who once thought of this world where children take up arms. At the very least, I should do it for him.