Games Underliner | lollipops & bullets (OUT NOW)

Make a path of a bullet. Decide positions the bullet should make a turn. Find the perfect angle.

UNDERLINER IS OUT NOW

Steam page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

TRAILER:

"Make a path of a laser"

The core mechanic of this game is hard to explain with text. So I recommend that you watch the gameplay video above. In the game, you have to set up a path by flying through the air. Despite being only able to fly in one direction, colliding with certain objects will stop you so you can choose the next direction.

By repeating this process, you will create a path for something I call "signal". Pressing a certain key makes signal fly on the path you've set. When the signal collides with other objects, each of them will react in their own unique ways. I'll talk more about this later.

Last summer, I released a puzzle game called Nine of Wands. Although people liked the mechanic and puzzles, I wasn't satisfied with its some aspects like its short length, a bit vague tutorial, and too simple art style. That led me to start working on this project. Stay tuned!

 

I don't entirely understand from the video, but it does look interesting. I'll be watching this thread.

 

Thank you! I am planning to improve visual and audio elements to clarify how the game mechanic works. Stay tuned!

 

Underliner Devlog #2 (January 24, 2022)

Hello! It's been more than two weeks since the first devlog. I've been working on the game's core mechanic Since I spent most of the time fixing bugs and improving system, I couldn't work on puzzle design. Hopefully, its core mechanic is almost done and it's working with no problem.



Also, I applied some lighting. I'll work on this later, so the above image does not represent the final game's graphics. Meanwhile, I received some feedbacks that it's difficult to understand how the mechanic really works. So I am planning to improve visual and audio elements to clarify it. Stay tuned!

 

Underliner Devlog #3 (February 10, 2022)

I am happy to announce that the game's official title has been chosen! It's 'Underlining Life'. I am trying to design a puzzle that deals with many things in our life. Not via stories or shallow symbolism, but through its game mechanic.

So I've been designing puzzles for last few weeks.



If i can, I'll build a demo version for playtesting soon Meanwhile, I reworked some of the core mechanic to prevent possible glitches.

Thanks!

 

Underliner Devlog #4 (February 15, 2022)

I implemented one of game mechanics I’ve planned. It’s something that reflects the signal(or laser) in the way that mirrors in real life does. I organize my thoughts on MS Paint so I can implement my idea without too much headache



Since angle and rotation works a little different in video game world, it requires some additional calculations to prevent glitches or bugs. After some trial and error, I succeeded to implement the mirror mechanic!



As you can see, laser reflects when it collides mirror. (The blue cube is mirror. It's just placeholder model) Mirror will be used for many puzzles in the game. If the mirror's angle changes, so does the reflected angle of laser. Check the image below:



As the mirror rotated a little bit, laser reflected wider after collision. Adjusting mirrors' angle will be one of many things players' have to do to solve the puzzle.

Stay tuned!

 

Looks interesting and original.

 

Thank you so much!

 

Underliner Devlog #5 (February 23, 2022)

I decided to change the title again. The new title is 'Underliner', which is cleaner

This week, there were some progress in visual elements. I wanted the game's visual aesthetic to be bright and colorful, like The Witness does. I was inspired by some image of California, which made me use colors like shell pink and surf green to recreate that warm vibe.

Meanwhile, I worked on mirror mechanic for a few days. I thought it was done when I uploaded last devlog, but some bugs emerged unfortunately, so I had to fix these. It works with no problem now. Below gif demonstrates both new visual aesthetic and usage of mirror in puzzle.



The goal of the puzzle shown above is to hit the golden cube with the laser projectile. I added firework effect at the end of the puzzle, but this might be deleted or changed in the future.

Thanks for reading

 

What platform are you planning to release it on? This is the sort of game I would probably play on my phone.

 

I am considering PC(Windows/Mac/Linux) and Android, but I am not sure about iOS

 

I use android so works for me!

 

Awesome! But since I am not that good at porting 1st person game to mobile, I can't assure the quality I'll do my best anyway!

 

Underliner Devlog #6 (March 2, 2022)
There's big news! I decided to release Underliner on Steam. I am planning to create Steam page as soon as I can, but since my account is currently waiting for verification, it might take some time. Now, let's talk about the game.



I am working on puzzle resetting system, which is an important part of the game as players might need to reset a puzzle frequently. However, this doesn't mean that puzzles can only be solved by brute force. Puzzle types other than mirror don't need that much trial and error. Also, with careful calculation and estimation, it's not hard to solve mirror puzzles either.

The white monolith in the image above is something that separates each puzzle. Players can start solving the puzzle after interacting with the monolith. Tt's actually an oversimplification to say this way since there are a lot of things I am planning, which are related to these objects. I'll be back to this subject later.



There was a big improvement in the core mechanic too. One of the problems I was having for last few weeks is the complexity of detecting collision. The projectile uses invisible sphere to detect other object. For instance, if this sphere collides mirror, it will make the projectile reflect. This seemed to work fine at the beginning of the development, but I found a difficult problem when I started working on puzzles. When the projectile passes through narrow areas, the invisible sphere detects nearby wall and stops the projectile. The image above shows that kind of situation. Let's say the light blue circle indicates radius of the invisible sphere. The sphere will hit the pink wall on the right, and stops the projectile, which is not a desired outcome. Some might say changing radius of the sphere or even not using the method would fix the problem, but these alternatives dont't solve the fundamental problem.



Fortunately, when I was on my way home after studying, I suddenly came up with the solution. On each time the projectiles changes its direction, the projectiles checks its path with raycast(Displayed as cyan lines in the image above). Then, the game temporarily stores the object the ray detected, and only enables collision detection on this object. This prevent irrelevant walls from interrupting the projectile, while checking all puzzle objects. Also, If the projectile collides the object that has been stored, it stops. As a result, the projectile ignores objects that shouldn't obstruct itself from traveling.

That's all for today, and thanks for reading! I talked too much about technical things today I'll now start working on puzzles again!

 

Kudos on the solution. Another idea, a bit lower level than fiddling with colliers, is to use layers. Keep everything in a non-collision checked layer and switch items to a collider layer as needed.

I'm guessing here, but it might be more efficient to do this (and maybe easier to understand and debug). The Layer operation is on the GameObject level (higher level, root) rather than the Collider "inside" the game object (finding the Collider incurs overhead).

I'm using this approach to handle game objects of the same type where only some are interactable via collisions (to really confuse the player...).

 

Your method is clever! I think it would make the development and design process straightforward. Thank you

 

Underliner Devlog #8 (March 6, 2022)

Underliner's Steam page is now visible to everyone!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner/

Add Underliner to your wishlist so you can be notified when it's released!

Thanks

 

Underliner Devlog #9 (March 10, 2022)

Hi. Hope you are doing well. Yesterday, I added new lines of code that make puzzle objects change their color when the projectile hit them.



I think this will help players identify the projectile's trajectory. Also, it gives some kind of satisfaction. At the same time, however, I don't want this to be just eye candy. I am hoping that I could turn this into more creative puzzle ideas and mechanics. Let's see how it goes.



One of the goal of this game is to have that california aesthetics. Warm, bright, and colorful. So I placed this palm tree model in my game. This model is just placeholder, so I'll replace this someday. But I could confirm that these trees really give that warm vibe.

That's all for today Like I mentioned a few days ago, Steam page of Underliner is now available:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner
You can add Underliner to your wishlist now!

Thanks for reading.

 

Underliner Devlog #10 (March 12, 2022)

Hi. Hope everything is good. My previous puzzle game, Nine of Wands, was a linear game. So If you're stuck on a puzzle, you can't progress further. Although this wasn't that big problem in Nine of Wands since the puzzles weren't that difficult, this linear structure still made the game a little monotonous.



In Underliner, the game won't force players to solve puzzles. When players stuck on a puzzle, they will be able to skip it and explore other areas. Actually, this is something many games like Braid, The Witness, Stephen's Sausage Roll, and A Monster's Expedition have already implemented. I'd love to see how it goes with my game.

Meanwhile, I've been thinking about how the game will switch between maps. Although Underliner has an open world map, I'll be divided into 3 to 5 different maps. Not only this allows me to create different atmosphere for each map, but also players won't have to run around too much.



Players will be able to switch between maps through a car. This car is not a working vehicle, but instead it functions as a tiny hub world. Solving puzzles will open shortcuts to the car, like the image above vaguely shows. This feature is not yet developed, so I'll talk more about this later.

That's all for today! Thanks.

 

Underliner Devlog #11 (March 22, 2022)

Hello again I made a new title design for the game.



I think it fits the game's aesthetics more. This is still a draft version, so I might make some change later.

Last time, I said I'd divide the game's map into five different levels. But I changed my mind. When it comes to exploring level, one big map would be much better than a few different maps.



I also removed ramps and added stairs. Ramps were too steep(35 degrees!), which made them very unrealistic. I love ramps, but it seems stairs are way more pleasant to look at in this case!



I redesigned some existing puzzles, while adding new puzzles with mechanic that was implemented lately. Stay tuned for more information!

Don't forget that you can add Underliner to your Steam wishlist
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

Bye.

 

Underliner Devlog #12 (March 25, 2022)

Hi. I hope you're doing well Today, I'd like to show you the current state of the whole map in one image:



It may look like a complicated maze from a distance, but it's quite simple and easy to navigate. When I get lost in other video games, I get really frustrated. It feels like I am a lot of wasting time, unless it's a game intentionally designed to give players that "getting lost" feeling. But in most games, struggling to find the right path to progress the game is not that cool. Since I don't like this kind of situation to happen in my own game, I am trying my best to find the balance between the sense of exploration and straightforward composition.



Meanwhile, I've been designing new puzzles too. I am using my phone's notes app to write down new ideas as soon as I come up with them. Implementing these ideas into the game doesn't take that much time actually.



Wishlist Underliner on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

Thanks.

​

 

Underliner Devlog #13 (April 1, 2022)

Hello. I am sorry about not uploading any devlog for one week



I changed some composition of the areas, added some puzzles, and fixed some bugs. The large empty space on the right will be filled with new puzzles. I've already designed some of it, and I think it's going to be more diverse and unique than puzzles in other areas.



This is an area where relatively hard puzzles are located. But players can skip these temporarily.

Currently, puzzle objects are dull cubes, but I am planning to change it to other model soon.

Wishlist Underliner on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

Thanks.

 

First trailer!

 

Underliner Devlog #14 (April 8, 2022)

Hi. I released a trailer one week ago as you know. It's a bit late, but I'd like to talk about things I did last week to prepare for recording clips for the trailer.



You might remember the puzzle objects were dull cubes. I finally changed them to lollipops! I’ve been procrastinating this for quite a while now, so It feels good that I finished it.



Since 95% of puzzles are done, I started polishing the map. I always skipped polishing on my previous projects, resulting in bad looking maps. I want to create something much better than those this time!

Wishlist Underliner on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

Thanks.

 

Underliner Devlog #15 (April 12, 2022)

Hello! Let me start the post with a map snapshot.



I finished working on an exterior of the house on the right. Despite there being no puzzles in the house, you will still be able to find a lot of interesting things inside it! The empty area on the left of the house is a yard. I have to add some objects there, but it's already a little cozy space

Palm trees were added behind the house, but sadly, they don't really match the whole art style. I'll make a new model as soon as I can.

One of the criticism my previous games received is the art styles looked too monotonous. I am definitely going to do something about that this time. I have not much experiences with doing art things, but I'll do my best.



Some parts of the puzzle system have been fixed too! I guess the game's main system will be finished in a few days.

You can wishlist Underliner on Steam!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

Thanks

 

Underliner Devlog #16 (April 22, 2022)

Hello. There were tremendous progress for last ten days! I'll show them over the next few posts.



Let's begin with a snapshot! I slightly revised the entry area.



I finally revised this stairs. It was weird looking slope before revision. It's much cleaner than the previous one!



Visual elements related puzzles are all done! Cables were added, lollipops were mapped, and some of the materials were improved.



I also revised this area. You can see the rock models are improved. (Yes. the snapshot image is a bit outdated )

I still have a lot of things to share! Stay tuned

You can wishlist Underliner on Steam!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

 

New trailer is now available on YouTube! Check it out

 

Underliner Devlog #17 (May 1, 2022)

If you haven't wishlisted Underliner yet, do it now!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

The game development is officially done, so this post would be more like a post-mortem than a devlog.



In the beginning of the development, which is around January this year, It felt really really hard to design puzzles. But interesting thing is, it got so much easier at some point. Maybe around early March. I don't know the exact reason, but it's probably because of the change in goals of the puzzles.

Early in the development, the puzzles' goals were "hitting a certain object". But when I design puzzles that requires this goal, They always ended up too confusing to solve. Even if it was an easy puzzle. Then, I was playing with some code changing colors of puzzle objects, and I suddenly thought the puzzles could be better to have a new goal: Hitting all the puzzle objects.

Designing puzzles became much easier after that decision. It's really interesting because I came up with this idea thanks to my experiment with some codes. I remember Jonathan Blow saying that he created some of the core rules of Braid while he was programming. He often uses this anecdote to explain his view about the importance of being able to program when it comes to game design.



Underliner will be released on May 4, 2022 at 7pm PDT. I think you might like it if you liked puzzles game like The Witness or Stephen's Sausage Roll. Even if you didn't like these game, I suggest you to give it a try!

Wishlist Underliner on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

Thank you.

 

Underliner Devlog #18 (May 3, 2022)

Underliner will be released two days later! Wishlist now
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

As I've told you last time, the game's development is done. So I'll share some things I haven't showed you before.



This is another kind of obelisk you'll see several times in the game. If you get close to these, a phrase will show up. This could be a spoiler, so I won't say too much about it. All I can say is that these obelisks are really important to understand the hidden meanings of the game.



Also, I added a lot of new UIs in the game. The reset key indicator above is one of them. I didn't put in that much time into it, but I am satisfied with the result.

Wishlist Underliner on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

Thank you.

 

14 hours until release! Are you ready?

 

14 minutes until release

 

Hello! I am happy to notify you that Underliner is out now. Thanks for your support
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

 

Hi! Underliner is out now Sadly, I canceled my plan to release the game on Google Play... I am sorry!
But you can play on Steam! https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

 

Hello. Underliner is out now on Steam. Your advices were really helpful. Thank you!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

 

Reviews from curators and players

“Interesting and extremely unique.”
-Review Prizm

“A creative 3D puzzle game that makes great use of bouncing mechanics.”
-Puzzling Puzzles

“Nice, short and unique puzzle game. I had good time playing this.”
-Kimbapp

—————

Underliner is out now on Steam:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1927220/Underliner

 

Awesome! Nice job taking it all the way to Steam release! Must be a good feeling

 

Thanks for your kind words!