That's the "codename" for this project. I've been working on it again lately. This is probably what most of my hobby coding attention is going to start being on.
If you don't know what this is you can read about it on the blog.
most recent update: https://goeshard.org/2025/07/22/a-summer-of-gamedev-burn-out/
first post about project: https://goeshard.org/2025/04/30/untitled-adventure-in-cute-fantasy-farm/
>>0x000005
> Do you have a design document for the game?
No. Originally I was modeling the game after UFO 50's Pilot Quest, so I felt like I had a good idea of what the game needed to function. But the closer I got to that goal, the more I felt like the game isn't a game I want to play or work on. So I started increasing scope to make it more interesting again and yeah, the truth is I only have a vague idea where I'm going with it. Different ideas are starting to blend together and I'm not sure what I'm making.
All my other games were so small that it felt silly to do it. Maybe it's time to do that.
>>0x000006
If you set a target for Advent, then maybe it will become easier to work on since you'll know what you want to turn it into. It could be something simple, like maybe a short dialogue-based game with some light action elements, or even simpler with something like the game Melon Journey. You can always go back and tweak the engine for a different game later too. But really, it sounds like you just need to make a decision about what this should turn into. Otherwise it will be an endless sandbox with no rules and no ending. Or in other words: Purgatory. And nobody is fond of Purgatory
>>0x000007
yeah I think you're right. I'll think about a GDD before I go further.
Although I've never made a GDD before and I don't want to become one of those people on r/gamedev with 500 page design doc lol
>>0x000008
> I've never made a GDD before and I don't want to become one of those people on r/gamedev with 500 page design doc lol
It shouldn't need much. I mean, Grim Fandango's puzzle document was 72 pages:
https://grimfandango.network/downloads/puzzle-document
And that required a lot of detail for an entire team. Just follow the KISS principle
>>0x000009
> Grim Fandango's puzzle document was 72 pages:
That amount of info in a GDD doesn't seem like it makes sense unless you have to communicate your ideas to a team. In my case it's just me.
Also you have to be really confident in your idea. I find that how I imagine something will play and feel doesn't line up to how it actually plays and feels, so I have to pivot with every game to get it into something playable, and I don't want to plan too far ahead because of that. Maybe that is just inexperience at game design.
In any case, I've been working towards a more traditional health system, like Zelda. The energy charges are derived from food resources, and used like health recharges in Hollow Knight, or flasks in Dark Souls.