Hi everyone,
It's been a while and a lot has changed since then. So I thought I'd share with you what I've been doing, the direction I'm hoping to take DPS, where the project is at, and how I've gained more experience over the years through making games and participating in other projects.
So with that said, let's get started!
The Plan
I've been planning a complete overhaul for quite some time now. However, there were a few key areas, such as design and mechanics, where there were still gaps in my capabilities.
Fortunately, many of those gaps were answered through the development and Early Access of Dinosaurs Dominion. That experience helped me better understand what worked, what didn't, and ultimately led me to the current concept for the remake.
A New Direction
The original DPS tried to be a bit of everything: an open-world dinosaur survival simulator, an RPG, a linear combat experience, and a cozy nature walking sim. And although this all sounds nice on paper, it also dilutes the game's identity.
Which is why the remake aims to unify these ideas into a single mode focused on one core experience:
Survive as a dinosaur in nature.
A New Design Philosophy
Less is more, and do more with less.
With the fantasy in check, the next step for me was to trim the bloat and deepen the core experience.
The original game featured a large number of dinosaurs, biomes, and other content. While that's great in theory, as a solo developer it quickly becomes an unnecessary time sink. So instead, I've opted for fewer dinosaurs while greatly increasing the differentiation between them: how they play, what they require from the player, and how they feel to experience.
Aside from the dinosaurs, I've also opted to reduce the overall biome count down to a single biome with multiple unique sites.
Unlike the original game, which featured several biomes, this recraft focuses on a single biome: the Conifer Forest, giving the game a more cohesive mountainous atmosphere. This will be coupled with several unique sites that act as anchors throughout the map.
I do this to maintain visual consistency and preserve the feeling of wandering through a vast forest, where players can get lost in the world without feeling aimless.
Having fewer elements in the game also allows me to spend more time enhancing the quality of the experience rather than simply ticking checkboxes on a feature list.
To give a quick rundown, the remake aims to focus on:
1 Gameplay Mode
6 Dinosaur Classes
1 Biome with Multiple Sites
Greater Focus on Progression and Class Differentiation
What's Next and Where Are We?
Right now, I'm in between projects, and this remake is still in the exploration or early prototyping phase. However, I feel that I've reached enough milestones to finally share the concept and direction I'm hoping to take DPS.
This is a huge departure from what the game originally was, and I wanted to make sure this is something that resonates with you before I fully commit to it.
If this direction does resonate with players, then the remake is planned to be delivered as a Free Update to the base game. Note that The original version of DPS will still remain available through a legacy branch.
I want to make sure that regardless of where the project goes or which direction I take it in, you'll always have access to the version of the game that you originally purchased.
So that's about it!
Let me know your thoughts, and I'll keep you updated if I cross another milestone or if some of my other projects begin to take shape.
Thanks again for all the support, and more updates coming soon!