Over the last year we did not post any entries on our website. The lack of any signs of life was due to the fact that we changed meaningfully the system of our game. There was lots of work and the results were often modified. Consequently, there was no sense in providing information about something that was to be changed.

For the time being, the game is 85% complete. Everything is stable and we do not assume introducing any major modifications, in fact, what left is only the last land.

Why did we decide to modify the whole game’s system?

At first, we created a really simple platform game with particularly simple mechanics.Additionally, there was not a possibility to upgrade one’s records, we did not store game statistics and the difficulty level was not a great challenge for an average player. We wanted something more.  We decided to think what precisely should be added to the game and which elements need improving.

Below there is a list of changes and improvements we have implemented to Stonerid.

1. Unconventional style of play. Instead of one world, the game proposes two parallel worlds of different construction.

2. High level of difficulty. We decided that the game will be relatively simple in the beginning but continually more difficult with the progress of play. Further levels of the game make a meaningful challenge even for experienced players.

3. NPCs. They may prompt or direct us.

4. Possibility of getting achievements. Due to this, one may set one’s records and moving back to already visited levels does not have to be pointless.

5. Toxic substances are everywhere. The previous version of the game offered toxins in barrels and there were only few of them for a level. Now toxins are everywhere. All in all, we clean the world from toxic substances.

6. Main hero’s diary. Our hero, after completing some levels, makes notes of the most important information in the diary.

7. Bonuses. Not extensive but very hard levels, prepared especially for hardcore players.

8. Profile statistics.

They are the most important modifications regarding the old version. And what about the old version? It may be seen in the film with the first gameplay or it may be summarized in three points:

1. One-world levels.

2. Low level of difficulty.

3. Few elements to collect.

Was it worth implementing changes?

We believe it was. The changes have made our game much better. The only problem is building the levels. It requires much more time than previously, as creating a satisfying level made of two parallel worlds causes lots of problems and difficulties. Nevertheless, the effect is outstanding. Besides, we hope you will have an opportunity to judge it soon.

Don’t forget to watch the last Stonerid gameplay,  you can also see the newest screenshots at Media page.

Last time I wrote that we planned to release the first Stonerid gameplay sample. There were a lot of other things to do. That’s why we didn’t release it earlier. However, now the gameplay work is finished, so you can see what Stonerid really looks like. In the gameplay sample we show you some interesting things available on the first few levels.

When you finish watching the video, please leave a comment here or on Youtube, underneath the video. Your opinion is very important for us, because Stonerid is our first game. As soon as we create further levels you can expect a new gameplay sample, but it’s really hard to give an accurate date now.

Today I will show you the new version of the game menu (on the right), which will appear in the full version of Stonerid. You can compare it with the old design. Our graphic artist has changed almost all of the elements and now the new menu looks totally different. In my opinion, it looks much, much better than the previous version. Do you agree?

When we started working on Stonerid, we didn’t know what a good editor should look like or what kind of functions it should provide. After a few months of work, we created a very good editor, which enables us to easily design new levels. It has a lot of useful features that make the whole process of creating a game run much faster. Of course, you should know that creating a single level can take a few days. For now I’ve got few screenshots of the level editor, so you can see them in the  gallery.

In a few days we are also going to put the first gameplay sample for Stonerid on Youtube , so you can see exactly what this game looks like.

On this rather warm February night, I’m writing about a platform game which we have named Stonerid. I’m going to show you our progress in game development. We’re using Microsoft XNA and so far we’ve created the engine, game editor and a few basic levels. There are still a lot of things to do, but the most important are finished and now we can concentrate on details.

For the next few months we will be designing levels, creating new graphics and adding some new elements and improvements. We’ve got many things to share with you, so stay tuned.