Down the Hellevator 2.0

So, kind of hard to say, but as of last week I've pretty much officially restarted Down the Hellevator. Blank project file, no scripts, the whole nine-yards. Most if not all of the art is staying the same though. This decision came with a lot of hesitation, but in the end, it's kind of a necessity for a few reasons. Mostly because with how the project was before, it had become almost impossible to bugfix or add new things because of how cluttered it was. In the end after running through everything, it basically would have taken longer to refactor it and organize it than to start over.

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My biggest issues with the old version  (aka Basic rundown of why I made this decision)

- Game was not the standard 16:9 ratio or had resolution changing functionality, meaning it scaled awkwardly (Entire game built around awkward ratio)  

- Still had janky Game Jam code  

- Was put together haphazardly, adding new things broke stuff  

- Lots of unnecessary fluff still in files from abandoned features  

- Started out with no distinct vision and was improperly designed

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... I've learned so much about the engine as a whole since I started Down the Hellevator.

Now, the good thing is, 99% of the art made is completely usable. The main issue is the programming, and backend side of things, as well as how mismanaged it all was. My goals for Down the Hellevator 2.0 (It's still called Down the Hellevator though lol) is this:

- Playtest religiously the original version was not playtested a lot, meaning, there were a lot of problems never found.

- Make sure it's fun. The original version excelled in a lot of things, but the fun factor was never one of them. Later, far too late playtesting proved this.

- Design it properly. Down the Hellevator was never properly designed, this led to nightmarish balancing and almost no preparation. I'm talking with a few designer friends to try and rectify this. (edited)

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Long story short, I want this game to be something I'm happy with. It's never going to be perfect, but I want it to be a fun and polished experience which the old version wasn't building up to be. Still really happy with the visuals, but, the gameplay will have a bit of an overhaul. Sorry if this is a let down at all, but, in the end, I believe it'll lead to a more fun experience. The game will come out! And hopefully still soon, but I want to be happy with it when it does. Thanks for sticking with me through all of this craziness and I'll have a lot more to show soon! Expect more frequent DevLogs