Blogs - HxC_Hermit

Hello Urban Harvesters!

It's been a few weeks since my last update, and I’ve missed sharing the journey with you all. Life has been a whirlwind, juggling game development and being a dad to a spirited three-year-old girl, but I’m back with some exciting news and a sneak peek into the story we've been crafting.

The Art Struggle

Let's address the elephant in the room – art. If you've been following my updates, you know that while I love coding and storytelling, my art skills leave much to be desired. My attempts at creating game assets could generously be described as "abstract" – a polite way of saying they look like the abominations from a child's nightmare.

But here’s the silver lining: I recently received a message from a talented artist who shares my passion for games like Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, and Stardew Valley. They have experience in pixel art and various other art mediums. We’re currently in discussions, and I’m hopeful they’ll join the team to transform my artistic monstrosities into something truly beautiful. Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting development!

Introducing the Story of "Urban Harvest"

Now, onto the part I've been pouring my heart and soul into – the story. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working tirelessly to create a captivating narrative for "Urban Harvest." I’m thrilled to share a sneak peek into the world we’re building.

Setting:

A few decades before the present events of the game, a cutting-edge research facility in a bustling metropolis embarked on an ambitious project. The goal? To combat global food shortages by accelerating plant growth. But as with all great ambitions, unforeseen consequences lurked in the shadows.

Key Characters:

• Dr. Eleanor Grant: The brilliant lead scientist driven by a desire to solve world hunger.
• Dr. Marcus Hayes: The government liaison with hidden agendas, pushing the project for military uses.
• Dr. Rebecca Morgan: A geneticist specializing in human-plant hybridization.
• Eva and Liam: Human-plant hybrids created to explore and manage areas affected by The Bloom. Eva, compassionate and nurturing. Liam, aggressive and conflicted.

The Beginnings of PhytoGenesis Serum:

Dr. Eleanor Grant and her team, including geneticist Dr. Rebecca Morgan, developed the PhytoGenesis Serum, a groundbreaking formula designed to accelerate plant growth. The project was initially focused on addressing global food shortages by enhancing crop yields and making barren lands fertile.

Military Involvement:

As the project's potential became evident, the military, represented by Dr. Marcus Hayes, took an interest. Seeing the serum's power, Hayes envisioned applications far beyond agriculture – he saw potential military uses. Under his influence, the project's scope expanded to include creating human-plant hybrids, resulting in the birth of Eva and Liam.

The Catastrophe:

Intense experiments pushed Liam to instability. Dr. Hayes' careless revelation that Liam was merely a weapon led him to madness. Consumed by rage and confusion, Liam used his powers to weaponize plants and convinced Eva, who was initially meant to cultivate plant life for humanity's benefit, to join him. They combined their abilities with the PhytoGenesis Serum, unleashing uncontrollable growth and mutations. This act of desperation triggered the catastrophic event known as The Bloom. Dr. Grant’s attempt to use a defoliant to stop the spread backfired spectacularly when Liam tampered with it, replacing it with more PhytoGenesis Serum, which only accelerated the disaster.

The Aftermath:

The city was quickly overrun by mutated plants, creatures, and hybrids, leading survivors to form isolated communities. This wild and dangerous landscape sets the stage for our protagonist, Alex.

The Game’s Beginning:

The game opens with Alex, a resilient member of a caravan of survivors. The caravan picks up a faint, crackling radio transmission from within the city, hinting at a possible cure for The Bloom. This message ignites hope and urgency, prompting the caravan leaders to send Alex on a mission to uncover the truth and find the cure.

What’s Next?

As we move forward, I’m excited to integrate the artwork of our potential new team member and bring this story to life visually. The journey has its challenges, but with your support and the growing team, I’m confident we can create something truly special.

Early Development Stage

Please note that Urban Harvest is still in the very early stages of development. Elements such as names, story details, and designs may evolve over time as the project progresses and as I receive valuable feedback from the community.

Thank you for sticking with me through this journey. Your encouragement and feedback mean the world to me. Keep an eye out for more updates, and feel free to reach out with any thoughts or questions.

Until next time, happy harvesting!

Hey there, fellow gamers and developers! It's HxC_Hermit, back with the second entry of our development diary for Urban Harvest. This past period has been all about diving deeper into the story and refining the game's visual style. Let's get into what I've been working on.

Expanding the Story

The World of Urban Harvest: In the near-future dystopian city of New Arbor, "The Bloom" has transformed the environment, causing plants and animals to mutate rapidly. You will step into the shoes of Alex, a former botanist and survivalist sent by a caravan of survivors to uncover the secrets behind The Bloom. Your mission is to gather crucial resources, build and defend a base, and navigate the challenges posed by this perilous new world.

Plot Developments: Alex's journey begins with a mysterious radio transmission hinting at a potential cure for The Bloom. This leads Alex into the heart of New Arbor, where you'll encounter various factions, uncover hidden truths, and face off against the hostile creatures known as The Blighted. One of the key story elements is Alex's discovery of a hidden lab where experiments on human-plant hybrids were conducted, leading to the disaster now known as The Bloom. More details on this will be revealed in future updates.

Art Progress

Character Sprites: While most of my time has been focused on the story, I've also been working on improving my pixel art skills. Creating character sprites has been a challenging yet rewarding experience. Here’s a look at the front-facing sprite of our protagonist:

This sprite is a work in progress, but I'm happy with how it's coming along and excited to continue improving.

Future Art Plans: My goal is to create simple, yet charming tiles that will form the foundation of our game's environments. I’m still working on making the grass, flowers, and trees look more alive and vibrant. Although I don’t have these assets ready to show just yet, I'm eager to share them in future updates.

Next Steps

Immediate Goals: In the coming weeks, I'll focus on refining my art skills and integrating these assets into the game. Additionally, I plan to start writing the core code for Urban Harvest, particularly on movement, collisions, and basic enemy AI. This is an exciting phase, and I can't wait to see these elements come together.

Early Development Stage

Please note that Urban Harvest is still in the very early stages of development. Elements such as names, story details, and designs may evolve over time as the project progresses and as I receive valuable feedback from the community.

I invite you to join me on this exciting journey. Your feedback and suggestions are invaluable, and I look forward to building a vibrant community around Urban Harvest.

Follow our IndieDB page for the latest updates, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. Your support and feedback mean the world to me!

Thank you for being a part of this adventure. Let's create something amazing together!

Hey there, fellow gamers, and developers! Welcome to the very first entry of our development diary for Urban Harvest. I'm hxc_hermit, a new indie game developer on a mission to create a unique and engaging experience that blends tactical combat, farming, and base-building. Today, I'm thrilled to share the early stages of our journey with you.

Designing the Look:

Before diving into coding, I've been focusing on designing the overall look of the game and improving my pixel art skills. As someone who’s confident in coding but new to pixel art, this process has been both challenging and incredibly rewarding. I'm dedicated to mastering these skills to ensure the visuals of Urban Harvest complement the gameplay.

The Story So Far:

Set in the near-future dystopian city of New Arbor, Urban Harvest revolves around a mysterious event known as "The Bloom." This event has accelerated the growth of plants and animals, creating a beautiful yet perilous environment. You will step into the shoes of Alex, a former botanist and survivalist sent by a caravan of survivors to explore the city, uncover the secrets behind The Bloom, and gather crucial resources. Throughout your journey, you'll build and defend a base, cultivate mutated plants, and battle against hostile creatures known as The Blighted.

Art Progress:

Here are some of the early assets I've been working on. I'm excited to share these with you and hope they give you a glimpse of the vibrant world we're building:

Grass, Flowers and Trees: I’m trying to go for simple, yet charming tiles that will form the starting foundation of our game's environments, I'm still working on making the grass look more alive.

Character and enemy sprites: This is going to be a work in progress but here’s the front of the sprites I have made so far.

Challenges and Learning:

One of the biggest challenges so far has been balancing my time between designing and learning pixel art. It's a steep learning curve, but with the support and feedback from the community and with practice and perseverance, I believe I can create assets that truly bring the game's vision to life.

Next Steps:

My immediate goal is to continue refining my art skills and start integrating these assets into the game. In the coming weeks, I'll begin writing the core code for Urban Harvest, focusing on the movement, collisions and the basic enemy A.I. I'm eager to share more updates with you as I make progress.

Early Development Stage:

Please note that I'm still in the very early stages of development. Elements such as names, story details, and designs may evolve over time as the project progresses and as I receive valuable feedback from the community.

I invite you to join me on this exciting journey. Your feedback and suggestions are invaluable, and I look forward to building a vibrant community around Urban Harvest.

Follow our IndieDB page for the latest updates, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. Your support and feedback means the world to me!

Thank you for being a part of this adventure. Let's create something amazing together!