Fester's Torment Version 2.0 Beta Release
This game started as a clone of Halls of Torment but transmogrified into a Shoot 'Em Up style hybrid. It features a day and night cycle, in which waves of enemies are more aggressive during the day, and at night you have time to prepare for the next wave. The goal is to survive for 5 minutes.
Play the Game on itch.io
I'll talk more about the release if you're interested.
Surprise Desktop Release
It's been a while since I wrote about this game on here. I realized pretty quickly that writing an article about every update to the game was going to prevent me from getting any work done. It's a nice diversion from development to have a space to go and collect your thoughts, ground yourself, and figure out what to do. But the obligation to maintain a dev blog is absurd so I simply haven't bothered.
I could describe everything I've done but it would be easier to just try it yourself. The game is available on Windows, MacOS, and Linux.
What Happened to the Web Version?
If you didn’t know, this game was originally designed to be a web game — something simple to pass the time at work or school. Unfortunately, the web build has run into some serious performance issues. It’s borderline unplayable, with problems that just don’t occur on the desktop build.
I want to figure out how to fix it, but honestly, I need a break from this project. It’s been taking up so much of my time and energy that I feel completely drained. So, for now, I’m putting it on pause.
Looking back, I realize I made a mistake by not testing the web builds earlier in development. I didn’t really stop to think about potential challenges with the web and just assumed everything would work fine. Since I haven’t investigated the issues yet, I don’t know how difficult they’ll be to fix. For now, I’ve decided to take a break and simply release the desktop version for anyone who is willing to try it.
I’ve discovered how other developers using Defold test their web builds. Some run debug builds for every commit to the main branch. Meanwhile, I hadn’t even attempted to try mine until I was pushing to reach a stopping point. That’s on me.
What is the problem exactly?
Around the point when the game begins to spawn larger quantities of enemies, the sound quality starts to give out. There is noticed slow down. Sounds become distant, tinny, and sometimes skip. Because the audio experience is such an important part of the game, it can't just be ignored.
What is the solution?
I have not even investigated. I need a break.
If I ever revisit the web build (and I’m sure I will after I’ve had some time to recharge), the first step will probably be profiling to figure out where the bottlenecks are. It could be a simple fix, or it might mean rewriting performance-critical sections in C++ or something equally tedious. I also need to test it across multiple browsers, which could reveal even more problems I don’t want to deal with right now.
The truth is, I just can’t face all that yet. I’ve been pushing so hard to finish something presentable that the thought of opening the door to a whole new set of issues makes me sick. And even though I’m telling myself not to think about it, it’s still in the back of my mind.
But for now, I’m choosing to step away. The web build will still be there when I’m ready to come back to it.