INTRO:

Hello everyone,

My name is Sergiu Lupse. I am a solo developer, storyteller, game designer, and animator from Cluj-Napoca, Romania. I enjoy wearing many creative hats and experimenting with different mediums, which allows me to take on various roles to bring stories to life. My background in filmmaking and art is particularly useful for my narrative adventure game, Solitary Ash. I would like to begin a proper developer log to document the progress and updates about the game.

HOW IT STARTED:

Solitary Ash began in 2018 as a project for the DreamHack Jam under the name "Apocrypha," and it was developed using Unity.

Unfortunately, the game jam didn't go as planned; I couldn't finish my project by the deadline. At that time, I was still learning Unity while also creating 3D assets for the game and writing the story, which proved to be too much for me. However, the lessons I learned during the game jam opened up new possibilities for this dream project, set in a post-apocalyptic world—a theme that has fascinated me for a long time, as I've been a fan of both Dune and Mad Max.

Since its initial greybox experiments in 2018, Solitary Ash has transformed from a collection of bold prototypes into a focused narrative adventure. In the beginning, I explored multiple characters, mechanics, and visual styles. However, I sometimes struggled with feature creep and had to remove less essential elements, such as the survival mechanics, to prioritize exploration, environmental storytelling, and morally driven gameplay. The game was originally conceived as a narrative experience with survival mechanics, but the scope has been refined to center on exploration, environmental storytelling, and moral choices. This shift has allowed for a tighter focus on the protagonist, Joltuk, and the richly detailed world around him.

The migration from Unity 2020 to Unity 2022, along with a deep dive into Game Creator 2, introduced new tools and a fresh workflow. This transition streamlined features such as NPC behaviors, dialogues, and inventory management. I focused on careful world-building and character development to create a truly immersive experience.

I decided to change the game setting from daytime to nighttime, a choice motivated by my constraints, as well as a desire to create mystery and use light and shadow cinematically. Additionally, I redesigned [www.artstation.com]the main character Joltuk, multiple times to better align with the story’s tone, and I dedicated my efforts to crafting visually striking props and environments.

Balancing my freelance projects with my passion project, Solitary Ash, proved to be quite challenging. More than a few times, I had to pause work on it. It required a lot of motivation to keep going and to discover new ideas, such as a dynamic Moral Status system that reflects every choice the player makes.

In 2023, I managed to create a 30-minute demo and test it with a lot of people. The feedback was very positive; people praised how polished the demo was, and the narrative was one of the strong points. However, taking time away from freelancing to focus on making the demo for 6 months, took its toll on me and my family. After experiencing burnout and depression, I had to take a long hiatus from game development.

The support from the gaming community, along with gamedev meetings and going to game conventions, meeting other talented game developers that went beyond failed attempts, motivated me and restored my faith in this project. I returned to it with renewed energy and fresh perspectives. Less is more.

HOW IT'S GOING:
Currently, I am focused on completing a new demo, I'm trying to balance home-life-work with a healthy mindset, I'm setting up the environment and refining the interactive stories for all the characters you will encounter.

The assets for the demo are nearly 70% complete. I still need to work on the logic and variables. I am implementing the Moral Status system, which will work in conjunction with the Moral Choices that the player will make throughout the game.

Additionally, I have been in talks with a sound designer and a band of experimental musicians to create the soundtrack for Solitary Ash's demo.


A montage of the latest year of development:
Talk soon!