My weeks 2 - 3 in Game Development: A Stardew Valley Inspired Game - Weekly Devlog #2

Embarking on an indie game dev journey is a thrilling adventure, but it’s not without its challenges, especially when juggling a full-time job. These past two weeks have been a testament to that, pushing the limits of dedication and passion. As I continue to shape my Stardew Valley inspired world within the Unity game engine, every small step forward feels like a monumental achievement. Despite the hurdles, progress has been made, and I’m excited to share the updates from weeks 2 and 3 of this exciting devlog!

Here’s a breakdown of what I’ve been up to:

  1. Balancing Act: My full-time job was particularly demanding recently, which, as any indie dev knows, can make finding the time and energy for game development a real challenge. Progress was slower than I’d like, but every little bit counts!
  2. Blog Tune-up: I spent a little time tweaking the blog itself, making some minor adjustments to improve the overall user experience and ensure everything is running smoothly.
  3. Unity Fundamentals Deep Dive: To solidify my Unity game development skills, I dived into some video lessons focusing on core concepts. I focused on getting a better grip on how fundamental Unity concepts like GameObjects and Components work together. I also refreshed some basics of C# scripting within the Unity environment.
  4. Amazing Game Assets Discovery: I stumbled upon a fantastic pixel art asset pack that I’m super excited about! It includes a great variety of tilesets for environments, some character sprites, and UI elements that feel like a perfect fit for the cozy, Stardew Valley inspired aesthetic I’m aiming for. Having quality game assets greatly helps bring the vision to life.
  5. Mastering Tilemaps: A significant step was figuring out how to effectively work with Unity’s tilemap feature. For those unfamiliar, a tilemap is a powerful tool in Unity. It’s essentially a grid that allows you to ‘paint’ levels using 2D tiles. This technique is fundamental for 2D game development, especially when it comes to building the kind of expansive and detailed worlds seen in games like Stardew Valley.
  6. First Foray into Worldbuilding: With new knowledge and game assets in hand, I started the practical work of worldbuilding. I prepared some of the tiles from the asset bundle and used Unity’s tilemap tools to create a simple lake. It’s a small beginning, but seeing that first piece of the game world take shape was incredibly rewarding!

So, that wraps up weeks two and three of this adventure! Despite the constant juggling act with my full-time job, it’s been rewarding to dive deeper into Unity game development, discover some amazing pixel art assets, and take those crucial first steps with tilemaps to begin shaping the game world. My passion for this Stardew Valley inspired project is burning brighter than ever!

For the next devlog, I’m hoping to spend more time on level design, maybe start experimenting with character sprites and animations, and perhaps even begin to outline some basic gameplay mechanics. We’ll see how much ground can be covered!

Thanks for following along with my indie game dev journey. Stay tuned for more updates, and feel free to leave a comment with any thoughts or features you’re most excited to see in a cozy farming and life sim!