Firstly, I want to say that this is a note for the last dev entry for this game, There are no news about the game, this is more about the dev blog, summarizing thoughts on this project and alike.
I can't believe much that this day is now here, four years in the making, I started this when I was about fourteen, throughout the development of this game lot's of things have happened in my life, I started this as a small project in high school, originally, this game was focused on being small, and now looking at it, I just can't believe nor feel what this moment really means, a big chunk of my growth and life has been imparted in this game, I am overconfident in saying I would be a completely different person if were not by this project. And the most special part, is that I really don't feel this like the end of the road, today, kinda feels more like another day really, I suppose that's just how life is, even if something ends, there will happen a next day after.
I have a special bond with this game, not only because it's my first game done, but because this was just... so ambitious... I even made several games in the same time I was creating my firs game. You know, a big and popular tip told by game devs is to never ever make your first game a big one, to always keep it small... And well... I think it's pretty obvious that I didn't listen heh.
Right now I'm searching and listening to songs I played at the start of this game development, just to bring out this nostalgia, and... well, my tastes have surely grown better, but... I still feel some charm inside the nostalgia. It made me realize how much of time has passes, what many things changed, while making this game, I've had friends, I've lost some, I've gained some... It's pretty odd, all of this in such a small track of time, and it's... messy, just how many things have changed about me and the people who surround me, just thinking about them... listing them... it's messy... But... Isn't life messy? and... Isn't that ok?
I can remember still the people who have helped me to bring this project to this end stage, although, I'm pretty sure most of them had absolutely no clue of how they've helped me, I can remember still who inspired me into create stuff, as well as who even introduced me into game dev. I think none of them know Destinata to this day. And most certainly, probably never will... and I will never get the chance to thank them. It's a bit sad really, but I still hold a good faith on them.
I've learned so much trough this journey, or more of it... an odyssey, I had many experiences some where funny and new for me, some were straight torture and complete pain like most of the development when I had my old crappy computer alone to program it all. I've lost months of work while developing this, files were corrupted blackouts happened while saving, I've lost files, ideas, sprites, codes, all of them that are so long lost that I cannot retrieve them any more, maybe they were good ideas, maybe even so that would be game changers, who knows? But looking back, man... I would freak out if you showed my past myself at the start of the game just what and how many things I can do now. How I've learned animation, how I learned drawing, storytelling, design, programming, sound design, video editing, and who knows how many other things. I knew nothing from the start. And... It wasn't easy, this project was a personal crucifixion to me, I've had so many hard times, feeling like clinging into it, feeling like not good enough, feeling stressed, burned out, naive. Such terrible emotions had to be shared with the many joys I had as well, not every one has original characters, and not everyone has the honour to have people drawing them, colouring them, giving them life. Now Destinata didn't really had much of a fanbase, and at this point I don't hope to, but Dieclick, my mascot, was created just after this project, and I had some sweet drawing about it. I'ts an incredibly joyful sentiment. rare, for sure, but still incredible. And for that I'm amazed.
Gamedev has its wonders, its ups and downs, and for sure I won't take out anyone's chance to make their own fiction, creative process is sweet for some people, and a hidden talent for others as well. I've trying to take care of this game, it surely has taken care of me as well, I have absolutely no idea how many hours have been poured, probably more than hundred, hell, maybe even five hundred. This game was my life for a hard time in my life, I had not much more to do that to sit in my desktop and to just... work on it... until one day it's done. and... well, it isn't as perfect as I would like to, aside from it's many technical issues, it has a lot of flaws on it's design. but is a bit charming either way. I'll end up working my way around it.
Since starting the game, I always thought it was kinda cool that one artist had all their works in the same continuous world, now, of course many people don't do that, usually one is tired from working on a big successful work, and will just try a new tangent, with it a whole new direction. but the idea stuck with me. I will continue the story of Destinata, as to right now, I have around more than thirteen stories pending now, and to tell myself that this game was supposed to be small hah! But i'ts true, I want to complete the saga of destinata colours, I am drawing right now the prequel of this game called Destinata Green, and probably in some future when I get a hold of a studio I could design the sequel of Destinata Blue, finishing this saga once and for all. Although there is plenty much of story outside of Destinata as well, the anthology is called Analogica, and besides Destinata is Aleph-1, a saga I've been working on as well, I have a series of illustrations called TROUBLE SPOT, a story about mercenary aviary girls that fight lovecraftians and such, it's fun, but not finished yet, the same way there will be a game about skeletons fighting in a war, a game about a knight with a handgun a Gothic Aztec soldier and a plague doctor fighting monstrous vore entities in co-op, and a lonely space boy travelling at the end of times being the last human to walk to earth and finally fight against its author..
In a sense I don't want this letter to end, the moment I type the last key, I read the last word, and the last time this pops up in someone's screen, that will really be the end of it. the true death of this game... And I think I've grown kind fondly of this, I've... become much attached to it. And a small wall of text at 2 am will not make justice for the amount of experiences the making of this had. It's... a weird perspective to be on this side of the game... and most of it, to say good bye to it.
I am a sinner for I have weaknesses in these type of stuffs, but I do like traditions. So, at all the very end of the making of any project I would like to have an image of Dieclick sitting right to all the characters involved, however, I've drawn all of them myself many times already, making them myself is to egocentric. So I'd like to have anyone else to draw them. But right now... I don't have the luxury of any fans.
Player... thank you.