Meet LyzLdy!
The creator of upcoming survival game SurvivEscape, you can often find LyzLdy livestreaming their development process on their Twitch channel. Here, we get to know a little more about the person behind the Logic mastery!
What do you like to do in the Dreamiverse?
Building systems from the ground up fascinates me. I don't know why. The visual coding language in Dreams has made designing complex logic more accessible than any program or language I have tried. I can't get enough of Logic! Sculpting and animation are so overrated, anyway.
Curation is something I love in Dreams, too. There are so many fantastic Dreamshaping creations that often get overlooked in favour of the more polished work found when Dreamsurfing. Which is great! Those surfable dreams had to get shaped somehow though, right? Besides helping me keep track of useful build-stuffs, sorting remixable gems is also a great activity for when my brain is dead-tired from logicking. Of course... nothing whittles my time away quite like SurvivEscape. Based on a real-life hike gone awry, developing it has been - as my therapist calls it - a "positive addiction"! My ambition with SurvivEscape is to create a complex gameplay experience, and I require it to be: easy to pick up, difficult to master, and dripping with replay-ability. I want to spend years and years rounding out this game prototype! You can keep an eye on the bits and bobs that trickle into the Dreamiverse by following this collection.
If you could give other members of the CoMmunity a piece of advice for their time in Dreams, what would it be?
Start big. No, start humongous! Absolutely gargantuan, even! What are the creative projects you have always dreamed of starting? Start them!
I also like saying to prioritize the *process* of development over the *progress* of it. Or, the journey is more important than the destination. So go big. Then start over if you have to.
Now take it in a new direction! Try letting whatever you do become a low-stakes opportunity to try out your big vision. Complex ideas are made up of simple parts, so starting big can work if we break it down into small chunks. Try designing small, standalone components that can be used in the big projects you have planned. And consider making them remixable, so others can use them too!
If you would rather start small, okay - do that. And remember that we can start small while still keeping the big picture in focus.
Logic-wise: For anyone who wants to learn logic in Dreams (or anywhere), I have always found value in deconstructing something that I admire, or am impressed by. Maybe I'll reverse-engineer it a little too. Try this, if you are new to coding or logic: Go to "Dreamshaping", and search for a component that will be necessary for your project. Let's say, a "3rd-person puppet". Try out different ones, and pick something that could fit with your vision. When you settle on a favourite, remix it, and break it to pieces. How? Well, I like to just open up some microchips and start deleting stuff. Then give it a test.
What stopped working? Now undo what got deleted, and look more closely into what you removed. Ask yourself: Why was that component so important? Try to recreate it side-by-side with the original version. Maybe eventually try replacing it with yours. Does it work the same? Worse? Better, even?
Hey, tutorials *are* great sometimes, but my advice is essentially this: take a hands-on, feet-first approach. Get dirty and make a mess of things. Then, if you find yourself stuck on making something work right, go check out a tutorial on that specific topic.
What was the first thing you created in Dreams?
My first creation was an attempt at bringing "Sophie" to life, who is a character from my play and novella, which are based on that woodland misadventure. She looked... interesting... haha! Not quite human, but certainly... interesting. I've since become a proud asker-for-help when it comes to visual arts design. Brilliant creators like IansaneArtist and Ted_Rainbow have helped me bring the big SurvivEscape vision closer to reality.
Favourite food, movie and song, in that order. GO!
Favorite food! It's ice cream. Sorry to my dental hygienists.
Favorite Movie! Despite watching and re-watching, I haven't gotten tired of "The Warriors" yet. In Dreams... DREAM FLIX from KeldBjones and his community - is just a wonderful series I love to revisit.
Favorite song? According to Spotify, "Anti-American Graffiti" by J Dilla. In Dreams... ghostfruit64's You Do You is something I listen to at least once a day. The feels!
Which creations are currently your Top 10 in Dreams?
Devs and designers, this list is for you! I'm going to focus on stampable and remixable creations in Dreams. Shout-out to the Stampiverse!
Skybox Collection - Start your scene off on a high note with a pretty (or bizarre) sun and sky filter.
Imp Lamp - Sculpting Aid - Find yourself in need of some extra light when designing assets? VYZiUM-'s Imp Lamp has you covered.
Player Character Collection (for Devs) - Ready to make your first game but need a puppet to get things started? This collection could be a great starting point.
Prinz_Laser Remixables - The prolific, Impy-nominated Prinz_Laser has made wonderful games in a variety of genres. A year after releasing them as Dreams, they made them publicly available as remixable components.
STANDOFF Template Collection - Intrattackout made this collection of totally remixable party games that can be such fabulous starting points for your own ideas.
Pixel Art & Games Toolkit - Not all great games exist in three dimensions - that's why I give you this collection of tutorials and assets that will help you make brilliant pixel art and pixel-based games in Dreams! Look no further than the incredible, remixable art of La_Tortue_Chauve to see what's possible when designing pixel games in Dreams.
Examples to Learn From - You didn't think I'd make a top 10 Dreamshaping list without mentioning TAPgiles (aka Supposer), did you? Have a dig through this collection of remixables, and you're sure to find something useful, or learn a new trick you might not have known before.
Pathfinding Kits - Want enemies that chase you around semi-intelligently? Maybe a map that has smart waypoint-seeking AI? This collection has some pretty advanced stuff, but some of it can be less complex than it seems!
Og's Stuff - Living up to their name, this enigmatic creator really knows how to make unlikely contraptions work. Within this collection you will find a trove of remixable logic elements that will take your gameplay mechanics beyond what you may have thought Dreams could handle.
Remixable, Trippy Visuals Collection - Add that "Wow!" factor to your music videos, boss fights, or whatever else, by seeing what psychedelic splendors are tucked away in this trippy trove of terrificry!
Who’d you like to get to know in the Dreamiverse? We’ll ask them some questions for next month’s newsletter!
I choose the incredible and brilliant Zodira Sunflare! She is always teaching me something new. Would love to see what she has to share here in the newsletter! And I wanna send giant thank you's to meanlad and itsJenSim for giving me this chance to yak about logic and remixable content in Dreams.
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