The dev made a new post that I'll post below. TLDR, the game is getting remade in Godot from scratch, with a new artstyle. Post below:
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Venture Seas is not Dead!
I'll start this out with a simple and upfront apology,
I am genuinely extremely sorry for my lack of communication about Venture Seas.
This was a shitty reaction to stress on my part, which I made worse and worse the longer I was absent.
For those interested in the 'why' of my silence, or more details on my personal situation, feel free to continue reading
at the link below.
Otherwise, I hope ya'll can get excited again with me about the
new direction for Venture Seas!
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The Future of Venture Seas
One of the
biggest issues with Venture Seas has always been that it was
coded using Java - a language I feel was not suited for my own experience, and the task at hand.
This is a large part of why things that
should be simple (bug fixes or small alterations) can become extremely complex, and tedious, whilst also breaking other systems and code.
It also meant that it was extremely difficult to find anyone who could even attempt to assist with the coding - and would want to.
We have done a lot of thinking and planning for the future of venture seas regarding the best way to improve the game and address key areas such as: The Gameplay Loop, Implementing new systems, Providing an overall better user experience
The current
Java implementation has been the biggest roadblock for achieving this.
What is our Solution?
Initially I had been looking into Unity, and planning to make that switch however due to events surrounding Unity we have decided the best path forward is to port Venture Seas from
Java LibGDX to
Godot.
This means that
the entire game will be rebuilt in a new coding language/environment, giving us ample opportunity to fix glaring issues in the game.
I cannot overstate enough just how big an improvement this will be for reducing bugs and allowing for much quicker changes and alterations to the game based on feedback.
Originally, Venture Seas was an impulsive, unplanned
mess... Each new 'feature' I added was fueled primarily by my novelty-seeking excitement, which resulted in a bunch of systems which barely integrated together to form a coherent gameplay loop. With this new opportunity, as a team, we have undergone detailed planning for how to improve Venture Seas, with extensive design documentation on everything.
You can expect a more sensible 'gameplay loop', refined user-interface, improved character development/story revisions, and consistent artwork throughout.
I've already been hammering away at the code and recreating the essential systems in Godot.
What are the Changes Going Forward?
Here is a summary of our plans going forward:
Venture Seas on a modern game engine (Godot).
Easier bug removal, faster development, and overall better experience for all.
An expanded dev team, with better flexibility.
The project will no longer stall if I am less available, and the coding will no longer be reliant on myself solely.
Our publisher,
CriticalBliss will be providing access to their resources such as skilled artists to help out on the project (supervised by Toxxy's creative direction).
Gameplay reworks to fit my original intended vision for the game More user friendly mod support capabilities (you can use the Godot application itself for mod creation)
Improved/extended character development & rewrites. Less linear main story mode / exploration.
Consistent artwork/quality throughout the adventure.
We have a lot of info to cover, so we'll be splitting detailed explanations over time, as all that info can be overwhelming all at once.
