It's been a while

Let's start off with the good news and recent update:

Save & Loading

This highly requested feature is now available: you can save your game progress and resume anytime. The game autosaves every few minutes and also saves when you quit. To reload your saved game, just press 'Continue' on the main menu.

Building on Bridges

The second most requested feature, building on bridges, is now part of the main gameplay mechanic. To progress to another island, you'll need to construct bridges and place buildings to reach the other side, enhancing both gameplay and aesthetics.

Ocean Wildlife

There are now new whales and dolphins populating the world of Tiny Atolls. This is a nice transition to what I want to talk to you next!

World Ocean Steam Sale

Tiny Atolls is part of the World Ocean Day Steam Sale for a week. To help protect dolphins and whales, I'll be donating 50% of all event sales revenue to the WDC. This is a great opportunity to support a cause and continue developing Tiny Atolls. Speaking of development, here's an updated roadmap.

New Roadmap

I've added a lot of requested features, updated the dates to fit the current timeline.
Now onto what's been happening the last months of development

What Happened?

In the beginning, Tiny Atolls was developed by two developers, including myself. We soon added another programmer as I had too many other professional and personal commitments, and he was expected to take over after the Early Access release. The Early Access launched on September 29, 2023, with positive reception and sales.

I had planned to leave the project to the other two developers, investing my own money into the development and agreeing not to take any profits so they could benefit and manage their time. However, once I stopped actively working on the project, they halted development and delayed roadmap updates. The Save & Load system, for example, was deemed too difficult by the previous programmer because it had both my code and his.

In January 2024, they informed me they wanted to quit the project. This was a significant setback and a hard moral hit, especially as I had a lot of work and personal commitments at the time. Despite this, I am determined to finish and fully release Tiny Atolls. I believe it can become a unique game with a strong identity.

I was responsible for most of the game's art, code, and design and have the skills to complete it. This update is not a criticism of the former developers; they have their reasons. I believe honesty is the best way to keep you updated on the project.

Now, as the solo developer of Tiny Atolls, I will do my best to deliver the promised updates and a finished game, starting with the current Save system and building on bridges!

What's next?

As you can see on the roadmap, new elements have been added. These include a new visual art direction; I want to move away from the current sterilized look and improve it to a more stylized aesthetic that better fits my vision, so nearly every asset will be reworked.

Additionally, I'm introducing a Roguelite progression element to enhance the game's replay value and exploration mechanics.

Another significant change is the removal of the color-puzzle element, as it doesn't add much depth and conflicts with the exploration focus.

I'll keep updating you with news and design decisions in the coming months. Take care.
Matthieu Houllier

[ 2024-06-08 17:15:04 CET ] [Original Post]