Devlog #1 - Hello!

Hi,

Welcome to the first devlog for Sunsear: Avian Combat! Hopefully it will be the first of many. I have found these logs to be a great way to structure my thoughts and explain some of my decisions behind how the game looks, feels, and runs. 

So, what is this game anyway? Sunsear is a top-down shoot 'em up game which stars a cybernetically enhanced macaw named Xander Fyre as the main protagonist. Your avian mech (not to be confused with airplane) has cannons and blasters that can be upgraded throughout its 7 stages.  The 7 stages take places in various biomes across the continent of South America, some of them horribly altered by an evil band of conquerors. Xander's task is to help push these forces out and help the humans on the ground (as well as the many animals) reclaim their land.

Xander is assisted by Tempest Skyler,  the lead engineer in the Avian Cybernetics Division, configuring and firing cannons and lasers on Xander's behalf (yes, you technically play as two characters in this game). Both Xander and Tempest work for Commander Remington Frost, a battle-tested curmudgeon who coordinates the missions of Xander's team.  

Development first started in early 2017. Because I wanted to release this to Android devices, I looked to Unity since it was advertised that it could easily publish to that platform.  Since that time, I've had to completely overhaul the core system twice, and there was about an 18-month break from 2018 to 2019. Ever since I started back up in Oct 2019, development has been ramping up, and I am getting close to finishing this game. The "go gold" date is February 27, 2021, with release to Google Play Store hopefully not long after.  

Working on this game has both been very challenging and very rewarding.  I've made games since I was 13 (thanks RPG Maker!), but releasing a game like this, on a mobile device, is on a different level.  The journey has been great so far. 

Please enjoy this video showing off the gameplay so far. Thanks for stopping by!