The name's Demetrius Dixon. I'm a multiplayer game designer, founder of Wackshop Games, and creator of Monkanics: Monkanics (monkey + mechanics) is a D-I-Why, FOSS arena shooter that’s serious monke...

YouTube video by Demetrius Dixon (Monkanics Dev)

Hey Demetrius, your game idea is unique and definitely fun. I can tell you have put some creative effort into it. If you are able to pull it off I would definitely like to play it.

Alright, devlog #3, and I have a LOT to say… and a lot to change. But before that, here’s what I got done: * Base movement feel: Via acceleration, deceleration, and a configured movement speed. Although, still not final. * Improved jumping mechanics: Via splitting the jump function into starting and stopping. Still not fully finished. * Misc movement netcode improvements: Not fully optimized yet. So as for those changes… development is going at a pretty good pace. However, these devlogs (and where I post them) haven’t. I’ve been doing a lot of personal things outside of game development. And I’ve come to the realization that I’m marketing myself (and by extension, Monkanics) un-optimally. I need to be more personal and actually talk to people. Form connections. Not just post some videos/text and hope for the best. This issue of my social skills and isolation goes **WAY** beyond game development, and is something I’m actively getting better at over time. Also, I find making long-form devlogs far too taxing. It takes me away from development for too long and isn’t that enjoyable to make. Also also, 2 weeks is **FAR** too long for status updates at this stage of development. It leaves a ton of dead air where nothing happens, both for my _currently_ non-existent audience and myself. So, I’m going to pivot to short form content via YouTube Shorts whenever I make progress. This allows me to post more frequently, avoid the headache of long editing sessions, and supports the more rapid iterative state of Monkanics’ prototype. One last thing, one of those un-optimizations is posting devlogs on the forum. _Frankly, this forum is NOT where I’ll find personal connection or Monkanics’ audience_. But I had to write this post for posterity. **So, I will not be posting devlogs or updates on this thread any longer.** _**I am still very much developing Monkanics**_. I’m just shifting my communication methods. If you want to follow me somewhere else, here are my other socials: YouTube: (Where I post mini-devlogs and updates via shorts, posts, and videos) * https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQESOWmhfeaHGhnEXeTDr2A Discord: (Where you can talk to me personally) * demetriusdixon (My username) I want to quickly thank the Godot forum members for their support while I got started. It really means a lot to me. I will absolutely see you again, but not here though. Best regards – Demetrius Dixon

pauldrewett: > Personally I am really looking forward to trying to do a multiplayer game in the future like @Demetrius_Dixon is doing with his Monkanics idea, but I suspect the multiplayer bits would be beyond me. @pauldrewett I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it. I took me **MONTHS** just to grasp Godot’s API. Let alone the raw nitty-gritty of network programming. Even still, I’m not a master, just learning as I go.

dasguptan: > It (The AI image) looks WAY too much like subway surfers You’re right it does! That was just me being silly really, and although I do not use AI art directly, it is often a good source for inspiration. But I do like the name Banana Bandits! Personally I am really looking forward to trying to do a multiplayer game in the future like @Demetrius_Dixon is doing with his Monkanics idea, but I suspect the multiplayer bits would be beyond me.

No thanks. AI really can’t convey the vision I have in mind. (Plus those AI generated names, and especially the “art”, are so generic, it hurts) I’m going to hand craft the art direction and character designs myself and/or with the help of another artist. Also, Monkanics is very likely the final name.

I have a video version of this devlog on my channel. Feel free to watch: Monkanics Devlog #2: Core Gameplay and Development Roadmap Hey there, 2 weeks no see. I’m glad to be writing/recording this again on time. Since devlog #1, I’ve been tracking my overall productivity and doing what I can. I didn’t run into any “issues” per say, but I did plan a little haphazardly and wasn’t as focused as I could be. I didn’t get what I wanted to get done in the 2 week period. Speaking of: 1 week was definitely not enough time to get anything substantial done. So, I will now be dedicated to making devlogs every 2 weeks. Meaning the next devlog will be on March 24th. Since I didn’t get a lot of showcaseable features implemented, I’ve decided to use this devlog to set the stage for what’s coming next and have a more concrete plan. Firstly, what DID I get done: 1. I started on implementing Monkanics’ combat systems. More specifically, melee combat. 2. I got the design doc for Monkanics’ gameplay done. Meaning I can actually explain the core game loop concisely and have a guide for what to develop. 3. I did a bunch of misc things, like upgrade the project to Godot 4.4 and such. Yikes. Now that I’ve typed that out, it doesn’t seem like a whole lot does it? Nope. It isn’t. I said last time I wanted to get the networked gunplay systems finished, but instead, most of the growth happened within me instead of the actual game itself. But this was actually the best time to make this mistake. Now, I know exactly what to do to NOT be inefficient and make tangible progress. Firstly, I spent WAY too much time thinking and WAY too little time doing. I have to actually be at my computer and get into the flow of working. And I have to do that EVERY SINGLE DAY! There’s a lot of personal nitty-gritty factors that go into this, but that’s the gist of it. Secondly, this has to be routine. I have to wake up, do my hygiene, and start working. This also includes readers/viewers like you. Making a devlog every 2 weeks consistently is a lot better than making a devlog when I feel like it. Keeps me accountable, y’know? Ok ok, enough about that. I do have more to say in regards to Monkanics itself. As I said earlier, I got Monkanics’ game design doc done. So I can share what you actually do in the game and have a concrete development roadmap. ### Monkanics’ Core Gameplay: Monkanics is a PvP arena shooter about crafting, moving, and fighting like a mechanical monkey. With the main goal being to collect more Bean-anas (intentional name) than the other team. In the game, you will be Crafting, Collecting, Moving, and Fighting: * Crafting/Repairing weapons and/or utility items known as inventions. * Collecting important resources like scrap, objective items, upgrades, and power-ups around the map to boost chances of survival and victory. * Moving around via a freeform climbing/movement system. Allowing seamless vertical and horizontal map traversal and interaction with diverse arenas. * Fighting enemies with all of the above to collect more Bean-anas. That’s how I would summarize the core game. Monkanics’ goal is also to fulfill the “Monkey Mechanic” fantasy. It’s less about a singular mechanic, but a unified experience: * Crafty, but crummy mechanical skills. * Items and objects are cobbled together with trash and stolen goods. * Fast and agile movement. * Chaotic fun with methods to the madness. (I’m leaning into a fun game rather than a competitive game) I wish I had some way to illustrate this. However, I have no actual prototype gameplay ready yet. There’s a lot of nitty-gritty I have to work through as for how these mechanics actually work in game. Great news is, now that you and I know this, I can go over the development roadmap! Essentially, what features and core systems I will develop first. These plans may change, but this is the general gist of it. ### Monkanics’ Development Roadmap: _Step 1: Movement and Core Player Systems_ This is where I’ll create the base movement systems and core player functions that’s used in the rest of the game. * Replace the development placeholders of walking and jumping with their in-game feel. Acceleration, deceleration, momentum, movement speed, etc. * Add core player functions. What specifically? I’ll have to confirm that with testing. * Add advanced movement systems, like climbing. * Other systems like health, UI, etc. _Step 2: Gunplay Systems_ Once the movement’s done, I can make Monkanics’ gunplay systems. This includes: * Foundational Networked Gunplay: Making melee and projectile combat work over the network and intersect with my established netcode system. * The Monkanic Wrench: The universal melee weapon you have at all times with a few unique traits. * Inventions and the Invention Creation System: A completely modular weapon crafting system. Allowing the player to create the weapon of their dreams (or nightmares). Fitted within a toolkit (equivalent to a loadout) of 4 inventions. * Scrap and Durability: The core resource of Monkanics. Used to repair invention durability (equivalent to ammo) and regen health. _Step 3: Game Mode, Map, and Collectables_ Once the movement and gunplay are squared away, there’s actually a game to play here. However, it needs a game mode to tie it together. * Monkanics’ core game mode. * A map to play on. * Collectables and resources on the map _Step 4: ???_ Any essential feature not listed here. Could be anything. _Step 5: Releasing the prototype for public playtesting._ This is the most exciting step. My main goal is to reach this point so I can get real feedback by really playing the game loop in full. Whether that feedback is good or bad doesn’t really matter to me. The point is that it’s real. Not in theory, but in practice. I can use all the feedback I’ll gain to make improvements and additions. Then, release a new version. We’ll play that, get feedback, I’ll make changes, release a new version, repeat. This is a live-service dev cycle. This is where I want to be. I can iterate and add to Monkanics until it’s a fully complete game. However long that takes. ### Closing Thoughts So, that’s it for now. My first objective after I finish the devlog is to start on player movement and core inputs. Hopefully, I’ll make some significant and showcaseable progress on that front. My next devlog will be on March 24th. I also want to mention the amount of support I got from posting my first devlog and showing Monkanics to the world. It was small, but very meaningful to me. I hope I can grow further from here. Thank you. If you’d like to see me and Monkanics grow, make sure to like/subscribe and share devlog #2. With that, I’ll see you in the next devlog. (Or maybe sooner, I might have some shorts up my sleeve) Stay tuned. – Demetrius Dixon

Hey, to add a bit of closure to this thread (and for posterity), I wanted to point out that I’m actually making that multiplayer shooter. It’s called Monkanics. (Monkey + Mechanics) It’s about being a cyborg lab monkey escapee that blur the line between smart and stupid while building weapons of mass misconstruction. In the game, the main goal is to collect more Bean-anas (intentional name) than the other team. The pillars of Monkanics’ game design are crafting, collecting, moving, and fighting: * Crafting/Repairing weapons and/or utility items known as inventions. * Collecting important resources like scrap, objective items, upgrades, and power-ups around the map to boost chances of survival and victory. * Moving around via a freeform climbing/movement system. Allowing seamless vertical and horizontal map traversal and interaction with diverse arenas. * Fighting enemies with all of the above to collect more Bean-anas. At the time of this reply, I’ve just made devlog #2. In it, I discuss what I got done in my first 2 week period, Monkanics’ core gameplay, and a solid development roadmap for future devlogs. Here’s the forum thread for the devlogs: Monkanics - A Third-Person, PvP, Arena Shooter in the Making - Devlogs In Development > Hello there. The name’s Demetrius Dixon. (You’ve probably seen me before on this forum) I’m a game designer and programmer who’s been on a mission for my vision over the past 6 years and only now has the balls to attempt it publicly. This is not my first rodeo, for game development AND content creation. I enjoy playing PvP arena shooters, and I’ve always wanted to develop my own project. Monkanics is that project. Note: I’m also making video devlogs that detail the same info here. Check it ou… Here’s the link to the YouTube channel where I post my devlogs as well: https://www.youtube.com/@DIX_ON_DEV

Thanks. I’ve got a whole lot to do, but thankfully, I have spent the past year+ to build my lifestyle to support development and I have a crystal clear roadmap of features to implement + how to do them. This isn’t my first rodeo. I also plan to network with other developers/artists to get the much needed help. Eventually having other team members, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it. Thanks again for your support.

Good luck with your project Demetrius, I hope it goes well. Don’t be too harsh on yourself with timetabling though, especially for YT. That can become quite a grind otherwise, and just making a game is a tough enough challenge by itself. Especially one that is an online multiplayer. That is a very long journey. I don’t think I would be brave enough to embark on that journey alone. About as difficult as it gets when it comes to gaming. I look forward to seeing your devlogs and progress. Best wishes, Paul.