https://www.tumblr.com/fairygodbomber/747852965031886848/commissions-open-up-to-10-slots?source=share

FairyGodBomber created a character called Ganyah, that I recently added to Nortubel and is a friend who did a lot of cool art.

Show some support if you can.

* Tutorial levels revamp: There’s only 2 books in the first one where they have info related to the Companion’s controls and then you have a lot of illustrations across levels. Most other books were removed. This is my attempt at mixing both presenting enough info and making the tutorials less of a waste of time.

* The world titles that show up at chapters’ first levels have been changed to have stuff behind the latters. Feel free to check l3300n, b00k3r and h0lm3s to see the new versions.

* Because of this, the title disappears a bit sooner.

* It takes 15 coins to get a new life under the limit of now 10 max lives.

* Because of the above, I added extra coins to various levels.

* Some really tiny adjustments to z4r1n4

* b4rn3y/Massag level 4: Added a new basic NPC, a Dalmatian police officer.

* In the same level above, there’s a rope you can pull to hear the train’s horn.

* And an illustration of 3 NPC characters from this world.

* k4rl44/Massag level 5: Art for the cheerleaders.

* An option in the pause and main menu is a text with instructions about the game. It may be reworked better sometime in the future.

* p33tt3/Nort part 1 level 8: Fixed the van so it won’t reactivate again and its sound is in the proper sound channel.

* The "please read" button now says "current issues" so people wouldn't feel the need to read that thing for too long.

* Tutor1 and Krimb level 2/r1c0t0: There’s now moving platforms next to areas where ladders and water are close.

* Tutor3 has a new path that allows you to go back to the start.

The plans post also changed (Specially the Google Doc version, while Rentry version is way behind now).

* HirdrihLevel3/b0rhrr has 4 illustrations of Borhr, NPC’s and enemies.

* And the spider chips in the level above can be killed, classifying them as enemies.

* Some tiles were changed to have less unpleasant colors and a new set of tiles is just black outlines to make it clear some tiles are solid.

* Guest appearance: Ganyah (By FairyGodBomber), a sorceress you can meet if you destroy all targets in Nort part 3 level 3/sh1hr0.

* Guest appearance: Anna Fresser from Dreadhunter (By HemoGlobinWorld); You’ll find her in a new area added to MassagLevel2/mcshry where you press a valve to lower the water to reach a room with health.

I also did a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff for later updates, like art for future characters.

Thanks to Kinsie, my MetaDoom map is finally playable.

https://www.doomworld.com/forum/topic/144019-my-seemingly-finished-but-not-really-metadoom-map/

It's in the Mega link.

Kinsie made the PK3 file actually work but next time, I should do that myself and learn things better.

One reason why I did this is because Github’s desktop app is showing me stuff about “This diff contains a change in line endings from ‘LF’ to 'CRLF’” and I don’t know what that is.

Whatever it is, I imagine a worst case scenario where I delete the Github page and make a new one for the game.

But also because it’s another way to preserve my game, even if not as quick or convinient.

I try to change the version of the game in the folder at least once a day, before going to bed.

https://mega.nz/folder/6EBBAKZL#Dtn2jjtcuaMRdofv03r7eg

Also just remember: Godot version is 3.5.1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=peGDiH8xG9U

I wanted to bring up that I’m currently stuck at an enemy in my game because of 2 factors:

• I wanted to make it jump while it moves but somehow it can’t do both at the same time.
• Even when I make it jump, the physics are a mess and I’ve yet to find proper values or ways to make the physics properly.

It’s like the 2 things wrong with this enemy but the main gimmick itself is at least done, sort of.

Meanwhile, this video shows a properly finished enemy at least.

The point of this post is to both ask for help (Any help is appreciated) and to show off game dev progress.

YT doesn’t let me put links in description yet: So here’s the enemy’s script.

https://github.com/EyeBallTank/PROJECT-NORTUBEL-main-ish/blob/main/src/enemies/greklovick/GrekScalper.gd

Edit: Look at the script now, it's finally fixed thanks to soxxoxsmox.

More Nortubel levels and a new world: Massag-Coav, which includes art deco themes, jazz elements (Still no music lol), sports elements and mainly consists of anthro furry characters.

A lot nicer and happy compared to Krimb-Stone.

While Nort part 3 has 3 levels, Massag-Coav gets 5.

Passwords: st3ll4, z4r1n4, sh1hr0, h0lm3s, mcshry, jol1t4, b4rn3y and k4rl44

* New hazard: Wheels of cheese that roll around the floor.

* Prefab: Floating targets that move in different directions.

* Scene: Special doors that disappear if a number of objects (Floating targets, soccer nets) disappears in a level.

* Scene: Red button that requires someone to stand on it, to keep a door open or else the door closes/stays closed.

* Because one level might seem a bit complicated, there’s a map at the start you can visit (It’s just an image of the map’s layout but still; Not sure if this idea can be visited for other levels but who knows).

* Prefab: Photo booth.

* Enemy: Black chicken with 4 legs that charges at the Player/Companion if you’re in their right and gets dizzy when hitting a wall.

* Scene type: Healing water, which is like an inverse to the health drain scene.

* Nort part 2 level 3/b3rn4d: Now there’s a win/loss thing in this level, even if it’s basic.

* Hirdrih level 2/oott00: Added an art image for Leon, Otto and Avietta.

* Krimb level 3/phn34s: Added a new bit of lore.

* Nort level 8/p33tt3: Fixed a thing where the van wouldn't switch to its "open" sprite when Pete enters it.

* The “screenshot friendly” pause menu toggle now uses comma because using V can affect the password system.

* Game over screen revamped.

As usual, the plan stuff in Google/Rentry forms were edited.

After this, the next world should be a cool sci-fi setting and I plan the last level of both this setting and Nort part 4 to feature boss fights.

I’m also thinking of coming up with another tileset or two for the Nortubel theme, just in case I want to do more (And if the new tiles end up looking better).

This is not the update with the new world and Nort part 3 but it is one with a very big feature: Being able to play as the younger sibling.

This is because people struggle with the command/AI system and suggested me to take a hint from Lost Vikings.

So far the system kinda works but don't be surprised if there's both technical issues (If both characters are (un)playable, press O or P again to go back to just one) or unappealing aspects like all the things built around the Player that the Companion can't do even if playable.

This feature in general exists as an response to the main gameplay format getting a bit too tricky to most people.

But Stella is still a companion and there's at least one more character idea to be like her (Don't worry, in this character's case, she will have no health bar or ladders, so things will be different).

There's also other stuff in this update:

• Press V when gameplay/cutscenes are paused, so the game remains paused but the pause menus are gone, so you can screenshot things better (And press V again to bring back pause menus).
• Z and X allow cutscenes to move either faster or slower (Based on responses to cutscenes either being too fast or slow).
• First level has new texts/images in regards to Companion ladder stuff and some were even edited.
• Player no longer knocks Companion off ladders, with one tutorial book being changed to something else.
• Companion now climbs slower (Because without the knock off, you’d have them vibrate weirdly when catching up with the Player’s climbing speed).
• HUD now has an icon next to Comp’s health bar indicating their follow/avoid/idle state.
• Stella got the same treatment with the 3 points above.
• These changes also lead to some level design tweaks and Companion's ladder detecting Raycast being a bit bigger.
• Cutscene before Krimb level 3 now ends with the same text in that level’s yellow book, to inform players about Stella.
• Added option to turn on/off smooth camera due to responses about some weird jittery stuff going on.
• TEST: There are now individual buttons for the Comp’s states and they’re 1/2/3. I might change inputs but it has to be made with the other buttons in mind because I don’t think I’ll ever do key binding settings (And Stella gets 4/5/6).
• Hirdrih level 2: Sky now has a sun and moon.
• Krimb-Stone level 2: Added a police car scene.
• Added a moving vertical platform at the end of level p33tt3 for backtracking.

This update was mostly tweak/feature implementation stuff and based of feedback.

The next update might be the Massag-Coav/Nort part 3 one with all the new characters and story stuff to introduce, along with new gameplay features and interactive worldbuilding stuff.

Lot of people struggle with the gameplay of Project Nortubel and there’s stuff I can’t do due to my limitations in terms of dev skill/knowledge and the game’s structure created thanks to that.

Changing controls and how the AI works might not happen, but one method could perhaps: Switching between siblings.

But we gotta consider stuff first:

CAMERA

I’d have to make it a seperate scene from the Player, which means considering a bit of code I added recently (Basically, turning on/off camera smoothing) and the overall node tree/structure in ALL levels.

Because otherwise, both characters having a camera and turning on/off one at a time might be both lazy and hacky.

Another thing is the resolution and camera size because I need it to be consistent and I swear Godot has a history of innacurate numbers in certain things.

STATES

Basically, if the player is attached to a ladder, they’d switch to a sort of “IDLE LADDER” state equivalent to an idle non playable state if they were on ground or something.

I guess the code to switch states would be tied to specific states for the sake of that “equivalent state” idea.

With the little siblings, if they went back to their companion role, they’d still have idle states which would be similar to when they enter/quit ladders as idle.

All this just to keep in mind who would be playable and who wouldnt’t because you don’t want both playable or unplayable.

The issue, however, is Stella and at least one more “third companion” character I wanna do, but maybe I could promise to not make that character use ladders.

LEVEL DESIGN

Level K4tr1n starts with Katrin standing on a treadmill floor, while the game expects you to tell Pete to run away, just to activate some switch that causes a blue platform to move.

Maybe even this scenario could work if you just let Katrin reach the floor (And kill the Gecko) while Pete activates the switches but you just don’t know what they did until you switch back to Katrin.

I think I did try making sure most levels have backtracking and barely any softlocks.

Worst case scenario could just be the boredom of going to the same places, but just using a different character.

LIMITED CHARACTER

The game is mostly built with the older siblings in mind: They have combat, pick up keys, use the swingable rod and even interact with NPC’s and some scenes that are just “fun/worldbuilding gimmicks”.

A special feature of the Companion is perhaps crawling to tight spaces but it’s pretty clear they don’t have a lot going on.

This is also because of the spriteset both characters use: I don’t wanna risk either editing the spriteset or making a new spriteset whose sprites are still in the same resources.

At the very least, you’ll realize that Oscar/Pete/Angela being playable is just in case the normal gameplay is that hard.

And even then, Stella and the potential other “third companion” character would still be non-playable.

And the older siblings would also NOT be under the “command/escort” system.

Even I wouldn’t do that.

Again, just in case the traditional gameplay annoys people enough, that they play as the kids to make them use ladders better.

MORE ABOUT STELLA

There are 2 big reasons why she can’t be part of that system.

One being that if the camera is a scene under a certain scene tree, it’d only be built with 2 characters in mind since that’s standard.

Another is the potential script changes being built with 2 characters in mind.

So even if you toggle between Carrie/Katrin/Melvin and Oscar/Pete/Angela, you may get at least 2 levels of “traditional” companion AI stuff.

Notice how the end of KrimbLevel3 needs Stella to use a switch but the actual end level door (Or rather, wall hole) only needs the 2 main characters.

ANYWAY

This is all speculation because I still wanna finish this update before even trying this idea.

Recently, I added icons about current states for Companions on the HUD/UI and made it so you no longer knock them off ladders (At the cost of making them slower because of some speed shakey stuff).

I also added some “simple” inputs as ½/3 even if they could be changed.

There’s probably more stuff to consider as I write this.

https://eyeballtank.itch.io/project-nortubel

At least 1 or 2 people said it worked fine, but I'd like to see more people try it just to make sure the port works even if they don't get very far in the game.

Note: The game doesn't have a lot of sound effects so don't worry about the main menu or cutscenes being complete silence.

If you can hear the main characters landing on the floor, pushable objects, jumppads, the soccer ball etc, then things should work like they should.

Gamedev

Nortubel is good so far (At least to me).

Not only did I reach 18 levels and 6 cutscenes, I also tried tweaking stuff and adding some features to make it more helpful like being able to adjust cutscene speed.

I still have lot of ideas to implement in the game and is why I recently updated the story plan file in both Rentry and Google form.

Art

Didn't do much art this time, besides stuff for the game (Some even posted in art sites).

A dirty trick I fell into is tracing posed models in Blender but maybe I could get back at practicing construction and gesture.

Doom mapping

Made a really weak map for a first map.

Made a better map that is finished but the main project itself isn't (Look up Fore/vr Alone).

And then did a huge MetaDoom map that isn't playable to anyone else because of how PK3 files actually work.

What else?

Hope to make more Doom maps (And maybe try other games) but I still want to primarly focus on Nortubel and if that gets finished/good enough, a new game like a simpler platformer just to relearn Godot.