http://www.awolfalone.com/

https://miro.com/app/board/o9J_ksplqEc=/

https://github.com/Toruitas/awolfalone_code

https://github.com/Toruitas/awolfalone

Fellow Pacific Northwesterners would understand, having a bond with nature is just part of our deepest fiber. Quite frequently as I do various projects, I reflect on what I do and ask how it is going to help. After all, nature's just getting more and more degraded. Making another marketing tool or gimmicky tech demo visualization isn't going to help much, if at all. At the same time, I became quite curious about trying out Unity in a serious project. Let's just say, at CCI, Unity is holier than the Pope.

During a regular listening of Tim Ferriss's podcast early in the year 2020, I encountered Mike Phillips and the Rocky Mountain Wolf Action Fund. This chance encounter bubbled up during brainstorming for this project. Perhaps I could contribute to restoration of the charismatic and tragic Grey Wolf's reintroduction to Colorado's Western Slope.

That's the genesis of this game. I directly reached out to the Wolf Action Fund. At that point, the game was imagined as a survival horror game, with the player as the wolf. The Wolf people were very interested in the game, and attempted to connect me with a local Colorado artist, to bring it back to home a bit. They would absolutely use my game to promote the cause. They even gave me advice for the angle they're going for - the impact of a wolf restoration on the environment.

That artist didn't pan out, which was a stroke of luck. I'd never made any sort of thematic art before, and this gave me a chance. First, I attempted a low-poly 2D approach. Fun, if time-consuming, to make the first time. Incredibly difficult to edit. Impossible to get animated well.

This must be a point at which every indie game designer reaches. The choice to go pixel art. I went pixel art, and it was a great decision. Quick to make, easy to edit. As a result I was able to make a rich ecosystem of plants and animals.

On the actual Unity front, luckily enough YouTube and the internet are chock full of examples and walkthroughs. Mister Taft Creates and Brackeys were especially helpful, as was the Unity forum.

In the end, the game works well. The only thing missing is sound. Making the art, the code, and the Unity stuff were enough brand new experiences for one project.

Please, visit awolfalone.com and try it for yourself. Try to keep balance in the environment, as A Wolf Alone.