End of Summer Infinity Updates
over 3 years ago
– Sat, Sep 24, 2022 at 01:10:35 AM
The summer might be winding down, but development for Infinity is still running hot! Here’s a quick summary on some new developments as we continue towards the long awaited release of Infinity!
Music from Yuzo Koshiro
Yuzo Koshiro has provided us with a wonderful composition for the Infinity soundtrack, made possible by one of our later stretch goals. Mathew had the opportunity to hop on a YouTube livestream to give an informal debut to this composition, while working to transfer it to the Paragon 5 tracker so that it would be compatible in the Game Boy Color environment.
In case you missed it and you’re curious about the behind-the-scenes process for preparing a piece of music for the GBC – or you simply want to hear this newest addition to the Infinity soundtrack for yourself – you can rewatch the original livestream on our YouTube channel below!
Preparing for Battle
On the development side of things, we’ve been working hard to refine how the battle system is programmed. Previously, the battles in game had been programmed as was typical for the time: that is to say, a lot of numbers and variables containing all the data needed, from player and enemy position, to stats and enemy formations. As a result, designing and programming battles can be a tedious and time consuming task, with a high overhead for understanding how all those numbers translate into a battle – especially on a project that is twenty years old.
Now, we’ve developed an external tool that makes battle design easier than it has ever been! Using this tool, we can design battle encounters in a more visual way, giving immediate feedback on how the programmed battle might appear in game. This change not only makes in-game battles fast and easy to design, but it also allows anyone to work on the process without needing to have a grasp on which nondescript numbers do what, bringing a whole new level of efficiency to the development process.
Refreshing the Look
Furthermore, we have been at work updating the pixel art throughout the game, as well as refining some of the map layouts. Below, you’ll find a conceptual render showing a before and after of the layout for Selera (with the original pixel art); you’ll see, we’ve been making small but impactful adjustments to fill out a lot of empty space, to make the world of Infinity feel a little more organic and “lived in”, while still retaining the original feel.
Here’s the same view of the “revised” Selera, as it might appear in the final game with the updated pixel art! Note that the sprites are still a work in progress, but we feel this nonetheless gives good insight into our goal with updating the sprites. Important elements, such as pathways and buildings, stand out better against the background, and in a similar pursuit of an “organic” feel, these elements feel a little less “blocky” with the edging on the paths and the texturing of the rooftops.
Finally, we’ve also made progress on preparing the art stills for inclusion in the game. We’ve shown off some of the concept sketches of the first scene; but of course, when it appears in game, it will be as pixel art as opposed to a hand-drawn sketch! If you want to get a sense of what this will look like, take a peek below, where you can see the journey this concept sketch has taken to becoming the pixel art masterpiece that will await you in-game!
Finalizing some Extras
Before we go, it’s also worth mentioning that we’ve been finalizing a lot on the manufacturing side of things. First of all, the custom Infinity console sleeves we had teased in the previous update have been produced, and are now waiting patiently in our office for the opportunity to make their way to any backers that have pledges for one!
Finally, we’ve also received what we hope to be the final sample for the cartridges, before we go through with getting them manufactured to feature the Infinity logo. We’re at the point now where the visual differences from version to version aren’t particularly noticeable, as we fine tune the mold to be as close to the original as possible.
That’s everything for now! As you can see, we’re continuing to make progress on all fronts, from the visuals and sounds of the game to how the final physical product will appear. Stay tuned for the next update, in about a month's time!
