Hello, humaaaaaans! 

This is PlayerXT, and this is none other than...

◇ Day 18 of Demo 4 Production ◇

And today, I'm completely recovered and ready to continue...

"SUFFER"

I mean, developing Demo 4, but first, let me tell you about my experience creating the game's first "central" cutscene.

First of all, one thing that really caught my attention is the fact that...

"Script is not the same as Cutscene"

When I wrote the script for this scene a few months ago, I had in mind cinematic cuts, an epic environment, etc...

Then I created this scene and...

It wasn't all that I imagined, which isn't a bad thing, just different from what I imagined.

In other words, what I'm trying to say is that the script is the idea in its purest form, but when you put that idea into practice, many other factors come into play, the main one being the dialogue between the script and the game's structure.

It's extremely important to know your game when telling a story! Example:

- Be Cube is a:

▪︎ Platform/action/exploration game.

▪︎ It's 2D.

▪︎ It has a linear story.

▪︎ It uses expressions and text boxes for dialogue (i.e., no voices).

In other words...

▪︎ Gameplay impediments must be quick and minimal.

▪︎ Minimal camera play.

▪︎ Text boxes and the way they reveal text are extremely important.

▪︎ Lack of full character expression.

So, knowing the game's limitations and strengths in this area, I can finally focus on solutions and strategies, which in the case of my cutscene were:

▪︎ Use music and art to their fullest.

▪︎ Reduce unnecessary text as much as possible.

▪︎ Include small character movements to compensate for the lack of camera work.

▪︎ And use images of the expressions next to the text box to say things that would take up lines of text if written.

It might not be the best way to handle the situation, but in my case, it works.

So, here's a tip: know your game's limits and strengths so you can tell your story.

Now, another factor I found interesting is...

Expressions...

Aamn... expressions...

You know, it's one thing to say in the script "Willy gives an ironic look," but it's another to draw that ironic look, because, guess what?

THERE'S MORE THAN ONE IRONIC LOOK!!

So, here comes the interesting part: you can only know the right expression for a character if you put yourself in their shoes, or at least, that's how it worked for me. Because it's not just an ironic look. You know when they say "the eyes are a window to the soul." That's not just a saying, it's a reality. A look says a lot that a text couldn't describe, and when you understand the characters, their motivations, their thoughts, you can know exactly how each expression should be.

Of course, there are still many expressions in the cutscene that, in my opinion, don't quite describe what the character is thinking. But I also have to understand that I'm not a master in this area yet; there's still a lot I have to learn, and I know that when I'm more in-depth in this area, I'll be able to create better expressions.

And finally...

The importance of a connected team.

Many areas have to be adapted and adjusted so that everyone can get in sync: music, art, script, design. It's like a band; if someone plays a different rhythm, it affects the whole song! And if I, working alone (yes, I ruined the team joke, right? Just this once), had difficulty connecting everyone, did I imagine a team with different minds? It's necessary for everyone to be open to adjusting their work to have a common ground and keep everything organized.

And, besides these things, I also learned that:

▪︎ The text in English is much more direct and shorter than in Portuguese. While one fits perfectly within the text box, the other insists on going beyond it!

▪︎ Apparently, the game maker doesn't like me... OTHERWISE, HE WOULDN'T KEEP BUGGING THE OPTION TO SEE THE SPRITE "VISUALLY" WHEN I MOUSE OVER THE SPRITE'S NAME WHEN I WRITE THE SCRIPT!

▪︎ There's nothing better than forgetting a single number in your script and seeing Willy fly off the screen while you can't do anything about it... other than cry...

▪︎ Did you know that continue in Portuguese means continue... now you can't say you don't know any Portuguese...

And that was my experience with my first main story cutscene...

(I can't wait to do the other 30...)

Now, let's continue our journey to finish this demo, and today I'll be straying slightly from any aspect involving story...

(or CUTSCENES...)

And I'll focus on expanding the introductory level of the combustion center, the space avenue, and if time allows, adding new areas to the spherical warehouse (launched stage in demo 3).

So, without further ado, let's get started!

Starting with the combustion center...

I had already built the staircase and started the level's intro, now it's time to continue building the intro.

In this section, the grappling mechanic was introduced, so I just need to continue exploring it in the level design while giving the player a good dose of pure platforming.

(A dose of pure platforming later)

Okay, I made some tweaks to the level and added an extra section to the area where the player jumps between gear-like platforms above the lava. I even think I could create a new mechanic with this, like a gear that falls after the player touches it, but maybe later! Because now it's time to expand Space Avenue a little more!

A few multi-path charges here, some enemies here, and...

(More than half an hour of placing charges later)

There you go!

Now to beat the level you don't need more than 1 minute! It's 1 minute and 5 seconds!

(Now I understand the suffering of the guys who work on level design for Sonic games.)

And that's it for today! In the next devlog I'll do... something (lol)

With that said...

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