Domo Yoro posts
Posts: 36
Files: 68
???: Mechanic Preview 5
This is one of the most original and unique mechanics in the game.
Cherry Carry Cascade is done! Go play it!
https://domoyoro.itch.io/soda-powered-penguin-cherry-cascade-flavor/patreon-access
A Whole Game's Worth of Bottlecaps
Heyo! This is just a quick post on some of the updates we’ve made to bottlecaps, as well as the bottlecap collection screen.Firstly- there’s now over 200 unique bottlecap designs! All of the bottlecaps for the entire game now have sprites & visual data.Well, kind of- 200 is just an estimate of how many bottlecaps the final game will have. This estimate is based on three collectables: Pikmin 2’s treasures (201), Celeste’s strawberries (202), and The End Is Nigh’s unique tumors (202). (I...
Development Update: July 2024
Hey everyone!Thank you for your patience as I continue working on the game- sometimes in silence, as it can be a little difficult to put a formal post together. I’ve realized that it’s been 9 weeks since the last post, so I want to detail how development is progressing.40%Firstly, and most importantly, I should announce that the upcoming Cherry Carry Cascade build will only feature 2 out of the 5 branches. Each branch is a full-sized level, and I think I bit off a little more than I could ch...
Shapes, Like You've Never Seen Before
The New Bonus Level VisualsWe’re both really happy with how this level turned out visually, and I’m glad that we now have a second final-game-ready level visual style nailed down. This visual style is intended for all bonus levels going forward.(But it will look fairly different from level to level!)This visual style also has additional effects associated with it, but we’re keeping those a secret until you play the level for yourself.Note: the colors with the .gif format are a little wonky...
Development Update: April 2024
Hey everyone! Development is still going super well. I’ve been meaning to make a new post for a while, but the posts I want to make just can’t be done in a timely manner. So, at this point, I just want to put out an update so that people know what’s going on.Firstly, let me explain the two posts I’ve been working on:The Design of “DemoCarry”This is a long post, covering the entire creative process behind Cherry Carry Flavor… and it’s been a long time coming too. I started writing...
Development Is Going Very Very Well, Actually
Firstly- thank you for your support. I wouldn't have been able to make it this far into development otherwise!Magi Officially Joins Development!Magi, the artist behind the new logo, the key art, and the tileset, background and decorations for Big Beginning, has officially joined development! He enjoyed working on the game so much that, despite a lack of publisher funding, he’d still like to work on the game.He’ll be taking care of static art, while I’ll be tackling the animations. It...
Cherry Carry Cascade: Coming Soon
New effects and new interactions!Cherry Carry Cascade is almost ready! This build features a new bonus level centered around mechanical interactions that didn't make it into the already-pretty-long junkyard level. Plus some entirely new surprises as well.This level already has over 40 rooms- so it's already a full-length level! I'm also going to be experimenting with a new level structure for this one. Playtesting hasn't begun yet for this level, so I'm not ready to lock down...
Randomberry Rush is out now! (Update: V1.1)
Go play it here!Here's an incomplete changelog:New Stuff Bottlecap collection screen (accessed from hub) (Note: names & descriptions are incomplete) Stats screen (accessed from hub) Flavor screen Best bottlecap chain per level is now tracked Can now set file icon Last checkpoint is now saved and loaded New high res icons New door spritesFlavor Screen Mirror mode Bottlecap label shuffling Game speed increase InvisibilityQoL: Options Reworded several options New option: display bottlecap total...
Sick x2
Hey everyone,The next patreon build will have to wait a little while longer. I'm currently writing this from my phone since I'm quarantined away from my computer, but the jist of it is that I got sick, recovered, and then the illness rebounded. I didn't even know that was possible until it happened.Hopefully I'm not out for too long!
Announcing Randomberry Rush Flavor + Submit Your Bottlecaps!
Today, I’ll go over the next Patreon build- and talk about custom patron bottlecaps!The Next Patreon Build: Randomberry Rush FlavorNotice anything different here?This next patreon build is going to be a bit different- instead of showcasing a new level / bonus level, the new build will instead have new modes & UI.(Screen has not been stylized yet- visuals are a placeholder)Introducing the flavor screen: change the flavor of your gameplay! These gameplay modifiers allow you to replay SPP in new ...
It's All About Presentation
Hey everyone!Normally I'd embed the actual content further into the post, but GIF compression absolutely destroys the background in this one. Apparently I can only embed videos as a dedicated video post, so here we are.Let me backup a little and talk about the first new screen I designed: the bottlecap collection screen!Bottlecap Collection ScreenThis screen will display all of the unique bottlecap labels you've found throughout the game. Every bottlecap has a name, description, location...
Round Robin: Mechanic Preview 4
Further extending two core gameplay systems for even crazier scenarios.As always, this was lovingly made with placeholder sprites. The textures will be updated in the future to make it easier to understand the rotation speed, even in a 30fps gif.Of course, you can do more than just pin these rotating solids. Why not drill through them?This works with any shape you can throw at it, but circles eliminate any need to wait for cycles.With the essentials done, I'm now starting work on the next bo...
Why The Demo Was So Polished
The secret ingredient is playtesting!The Playtest ProcessFor Soda-Powered Penguin, there’s an important point in the development of a level wherein I start the playtesting process: right after the first draft of a level is done. This is when I'll start reaching out to playtesters, one at a time, to schedule stream-calls on Discord. From there I'll watch them play, listen, and take notes on just about everything.In playtesting, the most valuable data comes from watching a player’s act...
What Is Going On With SPP Right Now?
Hey, so I've been working on a few different patreon posts to put out there- one on the playtesting process, and another on the development of the latest level- but they just aren't coming together as well as I had hoped.So instead, I'm opting to write this post: a general update on the state of things.Level 5, "Junkyard", Is Finally "Done"This is definitely the most ambitious level so far- and it's playable in the newest Patreon build right now! Of course, the le...
Go play the new level! (Update: V1.1)
https://domoyoro.itch.io/soda-powered-penguin-cherry-carry-flavor/patreon-access(Level visuals are a placeholder.)Edit: I accidentally made it so that only the Super Soda tier could see this post, and not the Premium Soda Pop tier. My bad!Update: V1.1 ChangelogNew: New throw indicator when holding objects New penguin fast fall particle effect New missile idle animationUpdated: Updated missile explosion animation Updated penguin throwing animations (the band was missing) Updated toll currency ani...
SPP: Cherry Carry Flavor Needs a Bit More Time!
Hey all, I'm pushing the release date of the next build back to July 7th in order to fix some issues- some programming bugs and level design snags, as well as finish up a few visual effects.Of course, if your sub expires or drops down a tier, I'll send you the new build via DM. Thank you for your patience!
How Bottlecaps Became One of the Most Complex Systems in the Game
A post about a very long journey to animate infinite bottlecaps.Note: this will have some spoilers for bottlecaps in the upcoming build.The Bottlecap ConceptFollowing the theming of a penguin strapped to a soda bottle, bottlecaps immediately made sense as a collectible. This mirrors the real-world hobby of bottlecap collecting: countless logos and brands and designs stamped on uniform metal crowns.My own bottlecap collection. I only started collecting in September 2024, well after this post was ...
The Summer 2023 Patreon Build
Thank you everyone for your continued support! I do recognize that these past two months have been a bit slow, but things are finally looking to be on track again.I'd like to announce that the next Patreon build will feature a level tentatively named DemoCarry. As you can guess, this is the level that revolves around the carry and throw mechanics shown off in Mechanic Preview 2- as well as a number of complementary mechanics.(Every level in SPP starts with a mechanical focus, and the theming...
Tilting Away: Mechanic Preview 3
This one appears in a few other platformers, but probably not quite like this.I don't really have much to say here- tilting platforms and scale platforms are pretty self-explanatory.Please note that the platform sprites for these are placeholders; the angle range of the platforms will also be communicated in the future. I hope you'll enjoy these in the full game!
Schedule Adjustment
Back in January, I built up a buffer of posts for both here and Twitter. This worked pretty well for a consistent schedule! Unfortunately, game development is unpredictable; the entire past month has largely been unplanned work. This means that the features I had been planning on recording earlier this month to show off around now haven't been finished. We've also reached the end of the post buffer...So, realistically, the best option is to slow down the post schedule a bit- both here an...
SPP Build: April 8th, 2020 (The Prototype)
Penguin Game? Penguin Game.I had tried recording and commentating on my own, but I had a hard time doing both and keeping it interesting... which is why I invited collaborator and friend Sdace to play! This build predates Sdace's involvement with the project.I apologize for the cropped Discord call view- I completely forgot that the stream could be maximized until halfway through the video. I would opt to re-record, but then the reactions to certain parts of the build wouldn't be as fun....
Design Problems: Hard Light Bridges
This post was originally going to be a fun mechanic preview like the Toxic Gas post, but it turns out that this mechanic just... isn't that interesting?When I was working on the Factory level, I was making a bunch of rooms with lasers when I remembered the hard light bridge from Portal 2. With a simple code edit, I was able to get the hard light bridge working, and I made a short room to prove the concept.The issue is, this is basically the only thing I can do with the hard light bridge in l...
The Original Penguin Designs
When the game concept was still just an idea, it was originally a cross between Super Mario Sunshine and Plague Knight- both in terms of gameplay, and character design. This was supposed to be a small game that could be completed in under a year, so I wasn't terribly concerned with originality.The character of this game would've been a crow that couldn't fly, but when equipped with a pressurized water gun, could get some serious height. Spraying the ground with water would also enabl...
Mechanic Preview 2
Super Mario World is one of the sources of inspiration for this game, and that probably shines the most through this mechanic.I have wanted to experiment with carry and throw for years now, even before starting development on Soda-Powered Penguin. In Super Mario World, it feels wonderful to kick shells both forwards and up. I wanted to extend this for a hypothetical Mario fangame by enabling throwing shells downwards for a small vertical boost. (I'm told that this aspect is reminecent of Klo...
Steam keys are now a reward!
For the Super Soda tier, as well as any patron that contributes more than $15 during the development of the game, Steam keys will be sent out when the game releases!The reason this was not offered as a benefit at the start of the Patreon campaign was due to the amiguity of whether or not it was ok to sell Steam keys outside of Steam. After looking into it, it seems that it's a-ok as long as the campaign has a set end date... which would be the game's release date, of course!
The development of "BonusDrill"
This level was definitely a lot less straightforward than I expected, for a variety of reasons. Here are some of those reasons!What Even Is A Bonus Level?I'm still figuring that out! Main levels focus on two or more mechanics and the interesting combinations they have, whereas the two bonus levels so far have focused on different applications of a single mechanic. For this first Patreon build, I wanted to leave a good impression, but I overestimated how flexible the drilling mechanic was on ...
The first patreon build is out!
Go grab the build here:https://domoyoro.itch.io/soda-powered-penguin-patreon1/patreon-accessThank you for your patience and support! I will be posting a postmortem on the development of the new drill-centric level shortly.
Patreon Build Delay; Submit your bottlecap designs!
For the sake of my mental health, I'm officially calling it: the Patreon build will be delayed to mid-to-late January. To make up for the delay, I'd like to offer a different reward: implementing your own bottlecap design in the game!Here are some examples of requested bottlecaps:Since the bottlecap sprite is so small- a 14x14px circle, to be exact- the designs can't be 1:1 with the originals. That said, I do find squeezing these designs into such a tiny space to be a fun challenge, ...
Cut Content: Enemies
Okay, so this is a pretty broad category of features, so it wouldn't be right to say that enemies are completely cut. Really, it's just this specific approach to enemy design that didn't work out very well- and so these placeholder green moving blocks were removed from Antarctic Alcove and replaced by bomb blocks. The two GIFs above were recorded in the summer of 2021, while the GIFs below were all recorded in January 2022.Originally, this Antarctic Alcove had three focal mechanics: ...
