Hello everyone!
It’s been a few months since our last update here on the blog, although we’ve been posting all kinds of content on our social channels. (Check them out if you haven’t :P)
As I’m writing this Samuele, the Art Director, is taking some time home due to a particularly annoying flu; hopefully he’ll be back in the studio next week ready to finish Enkindled’s First Act. So I took the opportunity to write a little update on what we’re currently doing. I did mention we’re using the three-act structure for the game, right?
When we first started discussing the backbone of the story we wanted to tell with Vittorio, he couldn’t but approach it through his cinematographic background. It then came natural to divide the game into four total macro sections: Prologue, First Act, Second Act and Third Act. This fundamental structure also greatly helped us define when and where to place cutscenes; from simple interactions to relevant points of the plot. At the speed we’re going, and if no serious problems arise, we should be able to complete the First Act in slightly more than a couple of weeks (Prologue already done).
Navigating through the Sea of Work
As you could probably tell from the title, I wanted to spend a few words today to talk about the incredibly nonlinear journey that is making any sort of videogame. What I truly mean by that is: there will be days where you go home in the evening feeling like the project is going very poorly. Maybe you weren’t able to solve an issue even though you tried all day; or there was a burning argument at the studio to make a decision on something important for the game. In some other days, instead, things seem to automatically fit together so nicely. Progress is being made, design decisions flow smoothly and find everyone’s agreement; it’s all so good that your mind can finally get some peaceful rest. But you know it’s a temporary truce, and eventually more problems will surface.
From what we’ve gathered during these first few months of game development ever in our careers, what gets the team going in the best possible way is, to put it in a few words, to work on attachment. Attachment towards the assets you’re creating. Towards the design decisions you’re taking. Towards the project itself and the game that is slowly coming to life right in front of your eyes. It’s easy to spot it. People become stubborn and unreasonable. They’re too focused on work and neglect all the other aspects of life which, in turn, makes their minds clouded.
Final Notes
So, this is just our experience. Still, I hope this could be of use even in fields that are not strictly game development: try to always pay attention to how “intertwined” you’re becoming with the game. When too much negativity arises and it seems you can’t just bear it any longer, invest time and energy in what makes up your life – work aside.
I’m also happy to announce we’ll be showcasing Enkindled at Svilupparty 2020. It’s a small B2B oriented game development event set in Bologna; starting Friday morning, 15th May, through Sunday evening, 17th May. Check their website out:
https://www.svilupparty.it/
Thank you all again for the attention. We’re looking forward to post more updates/news on Enkindled as soon as we’re ready to share them.
-LF