infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities infelicities

6/11/26

by //

It’s time for another VYCE devlog! Today’s entry is a special occasion because exactly one year ago is when I made the first sprite for the current iteration of VYCE. The sprite I made that day sucks and isn’t currently in the project in any form, but it is the spark that ignited the fire which is still burning strong to this day.

The first sprite for the current iteration of VYCE

I mentioned in a previous blog post that the first sprite that was ever made for VYCE was back in 2019, but it’s since been lost — miraculously, I actually found it thanks to my friend Alp who also made the new key art for the game on Steam. Alp is also working on art for the manual and other promotional materials, utilizing an oil-painted aesthetic that fills in details missing from the minimalist pixel art in-game. He also makes an appearance in-game as the character YLP, who you can chat with over the phone or battle with in multiplayer.

Original VYCE sprite from June 3, 2019Original VYCE sprite from June 3, 2019Original VYCE sprite from June 3, 2019

Pictured above are some of the original sprites created on June 3rd, 2019. The one all the way to the left is actually a depiction of my friend Brendan, who ended up making the daytime theme for Vanilla Plains a year later. Isn’t friendship awesome? Anyways, it just goes to show that even before I started programming the game on June 24th of last year, it had been fermenting for a minute. Either way, I have been steadily working on the game for 365 days now, and have something much more tangible than a few ideas and shoddy sprites to show off.

So, what’s new? Well, in the last entry I talked extensively about the multiplayer mode. Over the last month I have tested it even more rigorously and added several features, such as a budget mode where players have a budget to select their VYCE along with various new maps and selectable characters. I would even go as far as saying that the multiplayer is basically complete except for some VYCE I haven’t added in yet, which are currently 71/99.

As for the campaign, I’ve been working on a lot of quality of life features that have been suggested by the first round of playtesters. Even simple things such as the way a map is laid out or control hints make the game more accessible for a much wider audience. The xPhone feature has been revamped to have a battery life and an “Envyclopedia” app that gives players more information about their VYCE that was previously only visible on the backend.

VYCE xPhone with Envyclopedia app

With the release of the demo coming up in exactly 3 months, it feels a bit overwhelming but I have no doubt in my mind that I’m ready. Currently, I think I have more than enough for a demo but I still need to finish up a few areas and improve upon what I’ve already established before it’s out there and the precedent is set. There is so much more I want to add to the final game but I don’t want to get too far ahead of myself. On top of that, I still need to market the game which posting about it on this website doesn’t really contribute to. I have a few tricks up my sleeve planned for promotional content, so keep posted for that. Otherwise, thank you for reading and I’m looking forward to another summer of VYCE!

Also, thank you for 1000 visitors on the NEW infelicities.com!

–infelicities