Welcome back, friend.
A week ago, I embarked on a new chapter in the development of Sentinel, inviting you all to join me as I live-stream the entire process. This decision, driven by a philosophy of "developing in the open", has transformed game development into a shared adventure, complete with its ups, downs, and everything in between.
The streams have provided an opportunity not just to watch code take shape, but also to delve into the journey behind it — the planning, the challenges, the breakthroughs, and the continuous refining of our project.
For more on the philosophy that inspired this journey and the initial steps we took together, I invite you to revisit my announcement from last week. Now, let's reflect on our first week's milestones and look ahead to what's coming.
Celebrating Progress
Since the launch, we've accomplished an exciting number of milestones. With three successful streams under our belt and the fourth happening tonight, we're steadily creating a space for transparency, learning, and communal development.
Our follower count has been steadily rising and I am humbled by the response we've been receiving. The progress is palpable and we're moving ever closer to our goal of becoming a Twitch Affiliate. The only requirement left is to continue streaming and that's exactly what we plan to do.
Community engagement has been nothing short of phenomenal. Every stream feels like a dialogue — a genuine conversation with those who have become as invested in the development of Sentinel as I am. Every question, every suggestion, every shared laugh — it all contributes to an atmosphere of collective creativity and camaraderie. I can't wait to engage with all of you every time I go live.
Finally, I want to acknowledge the personal growth that this journey has stimulated. Being on camera, narrating my process and my thoughts, engaging with the community — it's been a learning curve. It's an aspect of the process I continue to adapt to and improve upon, but I am embracing the challenge and am eager to evolve alongside Sentinel.
These achievements are not just mine, but ours as a community. Here's to many more milestones ahead!
Turning Obstacles into Opportunities
This journey has brought with it its fair share of obstacles, but each of these challenges has been an opportunity for growth and learning.
Our maiden stream was a crash course in adapting on the fly. We encountered a few technical problems, but rather than getting bogged down, we used this as a chance to demonstrate real-world problem-solving. It was an unexpected opportunity to showcase the less glamorous, yet equally important, aspects of development — troubleshooting and resilience.
Balancing time and energy among various commitments has been another significant challenge. Aligning streaming times, development hours, and personal commitments is not an easy task. But this has spurred me towards a more mindful approach to scheduling and the prioritization of tasks. I'm continually learning how to better manage my time to create a harmonious balance that benefits everyone, myself included.
Unfortunately, health reasons led to the cancellation of one of our streams. However, the understanding and support I received from all of you was overwhelming and incredibly heartening. It served as a reminder of the importance of taking care of oneself and how integral rest is to the creative process. We resumed right where we left off, and this only strengthened our resolve to continue this exciting journey.
These obstacles have not been setbacks, but stepping stones towards bettering myself and improving the live stream experience for all of you.
What's on the Horizon
As we continue, our immediate focus is to continue pushing forward towards completing our minimum core gameplay loop for Sentinel.
For those unfamiliar with game development jargon, a "core gameplay loop" refers to the primary sequence of activities a player does repeatedly — in essence, the main actions and interactions that define the game. Establishing this fundamental structure allows us to have a solid foundation upon which we can then iterate, refine and expand.
Iterating on the core gameplay loop is where the magic happens — this is when we'll test, tweak, and refine elements of the game, from balance and pacing to player engagement and satisfaction. Each iteration gives us the chance to improve Sentinel, ensuring it's not just functional, but also fun, immersive and compelling.
While it's hard to provide specifics at this stage without spoiling the surprise, you can expect continued development in various game mechanics, AI behaviors, level design, player abilities and more. I'm eager to tackle these areas in upcoming streams and engage you all in the process.
This is just the start of our journey, and there's so much more to look forward to. I hope you're as excited about the future of Sentinel as I am!
Striking the Balance: Organizing Time for Better Harmony
Life, like any good game, is about balance. The way we manage our time, distribute our energy, and align our priorities forms a complex, evolving equilibrium that influences our overall well-being and effectiveness. Many call this "work-life balance", but I prefer to think of it as "life equilibrium" or "time harmony".
The term "work-life balance" suggests an inherent opposition between work and life — as though work isn't a part of our lives, but rather something that takes away from it. This viewpoint can foster a sense of tension and dissatisfaction, as we may feel that our work hours are somehow 'lost' or 'wasted' time. In contrast, the concepts of "life equilibrium" and "time harmony" offer a healthier, more holistic perspective. They acknowledge that work is indeed a part of our lives, and emphasize the importance of distributing our time in ways that enable us to live fully and authentically.
In this spirit, I've decided to adjust my streaming and work schedule. The new schedule not only accommodates my various commitments, but also aligns with my natural rhythms and preferences for focus and rest. I believe it will allow me to bring you more engaging, energetic streams, without compromising my other responsibilities or my personal well-being.
Here's what the new schedule looks like:
- Monday: Stream at 1 PM CT / 6 PM UTC
- Tuesday: Stream at 1 PM CT / 6 PM UTC
- Wednesday: No stream. New blog post published.
- Thursday: Day off.
- Friday: Stream at 1 PM CT / 6 PM UTC
- Saturday: Stream at 1 PM CT / 6 PM UTC
- Sunday: No stream. New highlights video published.
I invite you all to join me as I navigate this new schedule. Your support and engagement in the live streams is not just appreciated — it's invaluable. You can get notified about when I go live by following me on Twitch, Twitter, Mastodon, and Discord. Let's continue to learn and grow together!