Inspiration
The inspiration for this game came from seeing how much my kids enjoyed playing quirky themed games similar to this, where the gameplay difficulty was relatively easy, and wild things would happen in the game along the way. Thus the game Embers & Oak was born, a cozy and aesthetically pleasing mobile game that both adults and kids can enjoy and feel good about playing.
About the game
In Embers & Oak, your main mission is to survive on an expansive island that is abundant with various resources, each with their own rarity and point values. Collect these resources to work your way up the leaderboard and become the Ultimate Island Survivalist.
The journey to the top won't be an easy one though. A very Angry Squirrel God oversees the island, and he isn't too happy you are on it. At random points in the game, he will rise up from the sea and reign fiery attacks down upon you. It's your job to quickly get to safety under any number of shelters placed around the island. Survival is key!
There are also slime creatures that will hide in the grass and sneak up to attack you as well. Find a nearby spear to get rid of these troublesome creatures and continue your journey around the island.
If you're ever injured, nearby Squirrel Shrines can be visited to restore your health much faster.
In addition to the game's built in player health system, there is also a separate fatigue system as well. At some point, you will get hungry, lose your energy and begin to slow down. It's important to quickly find some food to replenish your energy/speed. You don't want to be fatigued when another attack gets launched on you!
Collect resources. Dodge Attacks. Survive. Become the Ultimate Survivalist!
How it was built
Embers & Oak was built with several different tools and software programs including 3dsMax, Blender, Visual Code Studio, BING Image Creator, Adobe Creative Suite, and Meta Horizon's Desktop Editor. The game utilizes a blend of typescript code, code blocks and NoesisUI. Meta's GenAI was also utilized to help complete many aspects of the game.
Challenges that were ran into
A few challenges did come up during the creation process. There were initial plans to import a squirrel rig and animation attached to the squirrel using the desktop editor's Animation Import feature to give more life to his attacks, however this feature is currently labeled as experimental, and with it came some experimental-like results. I think with a little more time and in the next update to the game, this will be resolved. Other minor issues came up in regards to scripts not working as planned, but most of them were able to be addressed and fixed just in time for launch.
Accomplishments to be proud of
The game really looks amazing on mobile! A lot of time was spent to make the visuals, graphics and models all work with each other to give a very consistent, polished and professional look to the game. The game also has its own unique soundtrack and sfx. Pairing these with fun game vfx and crisp UI elements really makes the game feel whole. Overall, very proud of the experience you get with the game on mobile, as it's fun and easy to play, but also looks and sounds great too!
What was learned
I learned that creating a game compatible and ideal for mobile is quite different from creating an ideal game for VR. I've created VR games in the past, and so with this game I quickly realized that taking the same approach to mobile wasn't the way to go. Each have their own set of unique things to make note of and consider, and so it was great to learn all of that during this process. Now I have some great new knowledge and expertise in creating games individually for both mobile and VR!
What's next for Embers & Oak
Very happy with the initial launch of this game, but definitely have a few things planned for it! New dangers to look out for, side quests, player inventory, various rewards, caverns, and much more are listed to be done for this game. Also I will be looking to fix a few minor bugs that still exist, and optimize a few of the physics currently running in the game. More importantly, I'll be eager to hear the feedback coming in from players of how their experience was, what could be improved and hearing their suggestions to make the game even better. I'll also be looking to do seasonal updates to the game as well, rewarding players to come back again and again!
WorldID: 10163380710060446
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