Instruments of Destruction version 1.1 is finally here. It's been much longer than I originally anticipated to release this update, and I want to apologize for the longer-than-expected delay. It arrives with a new trailer to showcase both the update and the announcement of the console versions' release date:

[previewyoutube=6co43ZJFkKc;full][/previewyoutube]

The console version is nearly done, but is coming in late March mostly because I'm unsure how long the certification process will take. I'll talk about the console versions in more detail another time, but the console porting process for Instruments has been fairly intense. Alan handled a lot of the optimization work (he's handling the PS5 port), while I did a bit more once I finally got my Xbox dev kit fully functional.

Too Many Projects

The console version isn't the only reason why it's taken so long to get version 1.1 done. Working on Fireball 2 took some time, and a new Speed Demons game took even more. That project is a story for another day. I haven't even mentioned Rhythm Storm, which has received the least amount of attention. But I did work on it a bit recently. In December, I worked on all 4 games to get them running on Xbox.

It's obvious now, but 4 projects is 2 projects too many to juggle. I wanted to release all four in 2024, but got burnt out by finishing Instruments 1.0 on PC. Then Fireball 2 bloated a bit, the SD project got WAY bigger than originally planned, and I never focused on finishing anything. Having two projects to work on still makes sense to me, particularly when one is a "side project", but 3 or more is where I've felt overwhelmed. I'll continue writing up my ideas for new games, but no more prototyping them until I'm ready to handle them ballooning into a side project.

And all of my recent projects have had a common problem: Feeling uncertainty about the art style.

Which Bear (Art Style) is Best?

The art style in Instruments of Destruction evolved quite a bit from where it started in 2020. But the improvement since then doesn't reflect the excessive amount of time I've spent on the visuals. I've tried a lot of different values and variations of nearly every art element and visual effect. And that has continued with version 1.1, which brings not one but two "new" art style presets.

If I had to choose, I'm not sure which of the 3 art style presets I prefer. "Classic" is what version 1.0 launched with, plus a few minor changes. "Normal" is the new default, and adds a lot more saturation and black outlines around most objects, making it look similar to cel-shaded graphics. "Comic" is like Normal with a new full-screen filter and tweaks to particles. The trailer above shows the game almost exclusively with the Normal art style.

There's some sort of style-fatigue at play in my brain, as I seem to always prefer the "new" style when I change the preset in Instruments. And when I check out old versions of my games that have had multiple art styles, I rarely feel like there's a big improvement once the basic elements are set. I don't mind working on the art of my games, but it's rarely an efficient use of my time.

Aside from realizing I'm spending too much time tweaking art to be different (rather than better), I think my most important realization of the last year is that aiming for a more "realistic" art style takes quite a bit more time than stylized visuals, and that my art skills/workflow don't lend themselves to realism. I can get close to realism, but not close enough to actually look real. And when I take a step back and compare my games' realism to other games that do it well, it's never a favorable comparison.

On the other hand, cel-shaded/comic style visuals are more timeless in nature, and I think I can achieve them relatively well, and in a more efficient manner. The style seems to work well in both Instruments of Destruction and the new Speed Demons game. So I feel good about finally figuring this out (even if it seems obvious now).

Character Portraits

On the other hand, one feature that absorbed way too much time and didn't have a clear resolution is the new character portraits. This idea was suggested to me back in May when the game came out to make the game "more appealing". Basically the new feature shows a picture of the characters when they speak. There are only 3 images, and they're not animated. I also found a contract artist to do them. So it seems like that's a fairly small feature.

But I'd estimate it took over 2 weeks of my time to get them in-game, which included finding the artist, creating the reference board, sending feedback, updating the UI to display the portraits (and fit the current art style). I also spent multiple days refining the art myself, as the original versions didn't quite fit once they were actually in-game, and it took quite a few iterations to create versions that fit well enough to ship. In the end, portraits don't show when Outlines are disabled, and I thought about cutting the feature entirely after it was done. So 2D character art is probably not something you'll see much of in my future games...

That's enough about my struggles with art. Let's take a look at the changelist, then talk about future plans and Instruments of Destruction.

VERSION 1.1 CHANGES
* Added art style presets: Normal, Comic, Classic
* Added subtle textures on world geometry and structures
* Added outlines option around structures, objects, and player vehicles
* Added new fireball particle for the center of explosions
* Added optional full-screen comic filter
* Added new character portraits (shown when Outlines are enabled)
* Re-enabled 60hz physics option (intended for consoles, but low end PCs can also use)
* Added motion trail option for blades and wing parts (for rotational motion)
* Added two sandbox levels, based on older ones (Test Island and Sandbox Resort)
* Made vehicle/level thumbnails adjust to the art style (kind of)
* Tweaked a few vehicles/etc so they work better with 60hz physics
* Changed shadow rendering to be sharper
* Fixed a few minor mission balance issues
* Fixed a few minor bugs and tweaked a couple interface things

2025 and Beyond Plans

Version 1.1 will not be the final update for Instruments of Destruction. I'll be fixing any significant bugs that slipped through in the next few days, and taking requests for minor tasks/tweaks/etc that would make the game/editors/etc better. I might also refine the two new revitalized Sandbox maps. Finishing up the Xbox and Playstation version for release is my other main priority.

Let me reiterate the important part:

Now (end of January 2025) is the ideal time to submit bug reports/suggestions/etc for things you want fixed/tweaked. Just comment down below with the relevant info. I'm not going to change anything major or risky, but this will be one of the last round of feedback-based changes to the game. I'll also be perusing the Steam forums and Discord bug-reports and suggestion channels for the first time in a while, but I don't mind seeing the same suggestion/report again.

After 1.1's follow-up updates and the console versions, my plans are less certain, but do include the following tasks:

1) Finishing and releasing Fireball 2 on Steam and consoles. Aside from achievements/leaderboards and a little UI work, there's not much left to do.

2) A new update for Instruments of Destruction with a few refinements to build mode (some of which may be PC-only).

3) Simplifying, refining, and finishing Rhythm Storm. There's a lot to do here, but I'm looking forward to working on it. This won't happen until both #1 and #2 are finished.

4) Finishing and releasing the new Speed Demons project. This might happen sooner than later, or it might be a while.

Beyond those four things, I don't know for sure what's next. I have plenty of ideas for future projects, and I want to work with Alan on a new project too, but that's not set in stone.

Yet I am fairly certain of one thing: I don't plan to work on Instruments of Destruction after the first half of this year. That doesn't mean it'll never have more updates beyond that, just that I probably won't be the one working on them.