#1 Devlog - Level Editor and Backstory

Hi there!

It's been a month since the Weekly Game Jam 118 has ended and the prototype of the game has been published
But I've been still working on this project even after that
I want to continue this project until the actual launch which I have no idea when will happen, I only know that it will be 2020 or never

Before I will move to the actual devlog, I want to share a story with you
I started programming in the September 2015, and I was using C# then, but sadly the tutorial series I was watching on youtube did not mention the Console.ReadLine() for a very long time. I got bored with programming because there was nothing to do here, without knowing the ReadLine command which allows user to input his own text or numbers, which can be turned into the simple controls system for a game
So I left programming after around a month, but then I decided I will give it one last chance but this time I will start using C++
On the same day I learned about cin>> command which works the same as Console.ReadLine in C#
That was like discovering fire or electricity for me
I immediately jumped into making my first game which was a console game called "Lotto Simulator C" where C stood for Console, not for the language as many could think

The game was an expanded program that I made from the tutorial
In this tutorial guy was making a program that could randomize numbers in the specific range, in the lottery theme
And I turned it into the game with save files, prizes, and game overs when you lose all your money

Quickly I left the console applications and started making graphical games, this time using C++ Builder (or something like that)
I also named myself "Blue Ears Game Developer"
Here I wanted to make a Survival RPG game, but the furthest I got was the movement, lives, inventory, basic crafting and building system, day and night cycle and one AI enemy which was a bat

And then after many months of strugling with the C++ Builder which couldn't handle this game I switched to Unity and started to make games here
I also made my name shorter "Blue Ears Dev"
On the second day of having Unity in my hands I already released a game which was a strange top view shooter game in the closed arena with you and your enemy constantly respawning
The game was called This Game Does Not Deserve For a Title or in short "TGDNDFaT"
The game even made it into the UltraShooterJam and I discovered it like 3 years later that GameJolt decided to put my game into the GameJam without me knowing

You can find the game here
https://gamejolt.com/games/TGDNDFaT/278215

Few days later I released another game, which was a strange platform game called BoxForm 
https://gamejolt.com/games/boxform/280613
I don't know what I could tell you about it, other than it had only one level, but it was my last game that will see the public release for a long time
At this point, my games stopped surviving into their public releases, they did not even reach the playability, or it was so basic that you could get bored within 2 minutes of being entertained mostly by glitches

I wanted to release a game, but not just as I was doing it previously. I wanted to release a full, completed game, that could make some money
That never happened, even to this day

The first game to have realistic chances of getting released was Outline Echo
It was a puzzle game where you have to reach the exit, seeing only outlines of the objects and only if nothing is behind them
I wanted to release the game within 2 months but I failed, and the game never saw a public release
Sadly, I cannot find any pictures or videos of it but you could find some if you try hard enough, using google or youtube
I suppose

Then I changed my name into Claood Games Where "Claood" was a derpy way to write "Cloud" while keeping the pronunciation the same
And I decided that this time I will release the game that I was working on right now, which was called Blacksmith Shop Simulator
Guess what
Not even a public release

You can find two videos of it on this channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe4TPp2ZM7ZBMgmee1yTkTg

(I don't know where did the third video disappear)

Then I started participating in Weekly Game Jam which thank to that, I made a public release of my game after 2 years of not doing so

https://claood-games.itch.io/fireplantguard

The Fireplant Guard was a game where you were shooting coulds  with a raygun
Clouds that try to extinguish your Fireplants
The game had also a pretty wide upgrade shop
It was also the longest game because it required 30 to 120 minutes to finish it
And it was really enjoyable in my opinion
That was really surprising to finish the game and see that over 40 minutes have passed

And that's how we come to the Space More

Originaly the game was not suppose to participate in the Weekly Game Jam
I just started making it because I had an idea
And then, the next day I saw that the new theme for the WGJ is "Spaceship"

But there is something special with this game
Because Space More is my last game

I'm very frustrated that after over 4 years I never finished any game and none of them made any money, while I'm trying to
My parents are complaining about me sitting non stop on the PC and "pretend" that I'm working
I cannot count how much time I already wasted on making games that never were released, and I don't even have access to anymore
They just slowly fade out in my memory
Instead of doing all of this, I could go to the actual job and start making actual money. This could improve my quality of life a lot

So I decided that I will make one last game
If it will succeed, I will stay in the game development, and continue making games, this time (hopefully) with budget, which I never had chance to
But if not, then I'm throwing all of this away, and starting a typical life

That's what I wanted to say

Now to the Devlog

After I released the prototype on the Itch.io for the WGJ, I immediately started making a Level Editor for the game
The point of doing this, is to increase the lifespan of the game, because after you finish the main game, you can start making your own levels or playing the levels of other players

You can already build the level since everything that is necessary to do it, is already implemented to this editor
You just cannot compile or play it, and you cannot manage the paths that enemies will follow in the Explore Mode and in the Hunt Mode
But you can export the level,  import it for example on another PC and continue making it