Hey everyone!
It’s Nikita, and this is my very first devlog.
I have wanted to share this story with everyone for quite some time now, and today, I’m finally able to do it.
To give you a brief overview of what the video is about, this devlog is dedicated to a few things:
- A look back at my six-year journey in this wonderful world of game development, how I achieve my goals while being a solo developer, and making VOIN the game it is today.
- The Hub - a new location I'm working on right now. I talk about why this location is a centrepiece for the player, its features, and how I created this giant citadel.
- A brief overview of VOIN’s lore and a quick look at the protagonist. Don’t worry, I’ll have dedicated devlogs about lore and characters in the future, so we can delve into all the details!
So with that said, please sit back, relax and enjoy this meticulously crafted VOIN Devlog #0!
In case you are not a fan of videos longer than 8 seconds (hi Twit…I mean, X), you can find the text-based version (with GIFs, of course) of the devlog below.
Watch The Devlog
Let me tell you a story…
It took me six years to get from my original game concepts to where I currently am - developing VOIN, a first-person action RPG with open-world-like levels.
Throughout my gamedev journey, I’ve tried completing seven different projects but ended up abandoning all of them due to the lack of skill and scope creep, but mainly because I just wanted to make something big and was playing compromises with myself instead of working on simple roguelikes. But after countless prototypes, I realized that it was not going to work and went all in with making my dream game a real game.
Now, In video games, I value just a few things: Freedom of exploration, deep character customization, and some good first-person combat. I realized there are not that many games that provide that. So I went on a journey to create one myself!
Please welcome VOIN. The game I’ve been working on for the past 3 years, which I’m really excited to share with you!
What is VOIN?
VOIN is all about freely exploring an intricately crafted world, slaying hundreds of monsters and bosses, building your character with various items and abilities, and completing quests on your journey to defeating the evil that has plagued these sacred lands.
Our hero, Lightning, is a being that embodies the power of… lightning.
When he was tasked with coming to this realm in an endeavour to stop the necromancer that toyed with nature’s laws, he found out that the armour that was built for him by an elemental mage is a prison which he cannot escape.
Not only that, the mage can now control Lightning’s will and command him to do whatever nefarious things he wants him to do.
The Hub
This area will act as a place of respite, where the player would be able to manage and upgrade acquired items, level up and learn new abilities, trade or get new quests.
Behold: Amarict.
Built by an elemental mage in the middle of a frozen ocean, right on top of a long-dormant underwater volcano, now reawakened. Amarict is a place where water, fire, earth and all other elements and aspects of them collide, allowing for a greater connection to nature.
The tower is built with obsidian, which was commanded to take the required shape using elemental magic, which is the reason why there are a lot of weird shapes and fractal structures because magic leaves an imprint of its nature on the things that it touches.
The Amarict looks grim and menacing from the outside, and you would imagine that its interiors would also be gloomy and uninviting, but, I didn’t want that to be the case, so I decided to push further the idea of a tower that encapsulates different elements.
Exploring the Amarict
The Hall of Reflection
I needed to have one room for the player to level up in, so first of all, I thought about the element that represented self-development more than others and ended up with The Hall of Reflection. I found this to be pretty fun because self-reflection has a different meaning from actual physical reflections, for example, but this room has both.
Nature spirits of all the different elements can come to this place to reflect and rest, walking slowly through the starry waters and gazing into the infinite, while Lightning, our protagonist, can use the Reflection Portal in the center of this room to level up and gain new powers.
Molten Forge
Aside from levelling up, Lightning should also be able to cleanse any items and artefacts that he finds on his journeys, and what other element can be better at cleansing things than fire?
The idea of having a lava room naturally loops to the initial lore bit, that the whole tower was built on top of a volcano.
For the actual cleansing mechanic, I initially thought about a HUGE lava rock that just smashes the anvil that you put your items on, which was pretty much inspired by The Forge from Astral Ascent. But I felt that it might be a little too copy-pasty, so I ended up with an equally huge BELL that cleanses the items with its powerful resonating sound.
It doesn’t really connect with the whole fire theme, though, so if you have any other ideas for that, let me know in the comments!
Wishlist and Follow
The Hub is still in development, and I am currently working on a few other rooms and debating whether adding a few NPCs to converse with would be a good idea, knowing that it might end up being A LOT of work. In fact, it will end up being a lot of work, but oh well.
Anyway, I think I’ll wrap it up here. If you enjoyed this devlog, like and comment below, as well as wishlist the game, which I will greatly appreciate!
Let me know what you would like to see in the next devlog.
Until then, take care, and stay safe!
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