The Singapore trip was barely planned, only booked because I would’ve had a long layover in Singapore anyway — so why not step out of the airport for a few days? Giddy to explore what everyone had called “the city of the future”, I even booked a capsule hostel — tiny beds inside individual tubes. This one was space-themed. Very Neuromancer!
With only two full days in Singapore, I mostly followed guidebooks and hugged the tourist attractions. I can’t give you much insider knowledge, but I still had a great time. Skyscrapers, gardens, and the varied districts of this tiny city-state are all spectacular — most places showing you something (a view, a plant, a culture) that you’ve probably never seen before. The stereotypes that I’d heard coming in — tall, clean, and green — are all true. For the gamers, I’d compare it to the Mass Effect Citadel, or your ideal town in SimCity. If anything, the place felt a bit sterile — a little too clean, too proper, and too new — but it’s quite possible that complaint would disappear with more time to discover hidden gems.
Of course, my favourite tourist attraction will always be food, and Singapore — with cuisine closely mirroring Malaysian — is one of the best. Laska, Nasi Lemak, Curry Mee, Roti, Teh Tarik, Chicken Rice, Kaya Toast, Dosa Plates… my head is spinning, I didn’t realize quite how much I missed it all, and how I’ll continue to dream of these dishes for the rest of my life. If you have a love of food and one place to travel, it’s hard to argue against this part of the world.
My trip wasn’t nearly long enough to get a full sense of Singapore. But my short time there was an adventure. I’d love to come back and see more! Anyone wanna join?
This morning I finished the first scene of my game! Well. “Finished”. I’m sure I’ll have a lot more edits before all the wrinkles are gone. But, the point is, the first scene, of the actual game, that you’ll actually see, is now playable for the first time! Woohoo! I’m so ecstatic I’m treating myself to a Diet Coke!
You can see a screenshot of that scene on my devlog and on Twitter. I’ll mirror those devlog posts on this blog — eventually. But, for now, head over there for the latest game updates.
Also last week, Rock Paper Shotgun posted an article about my demo! I had no idea, they didn’t even contact me. It was incredible to just browse that website only to see my own work featured. Hopefully interest keeps building from here!
What’s next? If the timeline goes to plan, I’ll have implemented the first half of the first mystery by the middle of September. Why is the first half important? It will give me a good sense of how everything fits together — think of it like a larger vertical slice — is this fun for more than a few minutes? Once polished, it’ll also be a good demo to make the rounds at trade shows. I foresee many trade shows in my near future. First stop: Steam Dev Days in October. See you Seattleites soon!