Munefest Prototype

Welcome to the Munefest Project

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Why game development?

I want to make a game from scratch using the skills I have learned.

I originally got into game development during my college years. I was always into gaming and thought it would be cool to make my own game.

I started with creating in RPG Maker and Ren'py. Moved to Unity briefly. A little 3D modeling in Blender and image editing and digital painting in GIMP and Adobe Photoshop.  

Why this concept?

After learning some software and basic programming, I eventually wanted to tackle the Game Jam. A few attempts passed and I reach Ludum Dare 53. "Harvest" was the theme and it was around Halloween. I came up with a farming sim concept with a Boss-Battle combat feature. I failed my attempt, but did not give up. I would learn the skills it would take to make a game from scratch. 

Why "Munefest"?

I wanted the mood to be mystical and otherworldly. A planet that only sees light from its "Mune".  You must fulfill the harvest needs. Plants grow and harvest in this soothing atmosphere, until BAM a giant Wolf shows up to take yer harvest! You must battle--survive the night for your plants and your crops--Deliver the harvest in time!

My inspiration?

I love asset management and the chaos of battle. Inspirations for this game were Harvest Moon: Mineral Town, Don't Starve Together, Cult of the Lamb, Tekken and fantasy game boss battles!

Previous work on this project?

I have three prototypes: one full visual prototype, a paper prototype, and a digital prototype. 

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The Journey

I started during Ludum Dare 53 in 2023. I couldn't make anything. I had artwork of a GUI and a background and character pencil art. Later I experimented with Python and QWidgets before realizing I couldn't animate with the QWidget library like I wanted. Then, I tried to shift to Tkinter and another library. with no success. 

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In 2025, I started to learn the Pygame library and hit success. Then I used animation software, __ and image editor, Gimp to finish up artwork that I could not complete in Adobe Photoshop. I got a working visual prototype finally. 

It was a simple farming sim at first. You planted and watered your crops. They grew.

 I got my best friend to playtest it, as well as a few other people. It was boring. I was devastated.

Later, I added a shop at the well, where a well monster would sell you seeds. I added Mune currency that you'd gain from harvests to buy seeds. Then, a meter to fill the Silo that would represent how much you need to harvest to win. A simple timer was added as well. You could also fight mobs that were after your harvest with your hoe or crossbow.

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In 2026, I wanted to start from the ground up because I was unhappy with the mechanics.  So I threw out working on visuals.  So I played around with some ideas using ChatGPT and started making a paper prototype with drawn up cards. 

ChatGPT was not used to produce images or source code.  All characters are original. Only game design ideas involving the card prototype were shaped with the assistance of ChatGPT.

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I realized the game was working, but needed more substance. I added more content. Then, I transferred my work to a Python source document. Very soon, I was up in arms in feature bloat. 

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I decided it was time to rethink my game once more. I went back to basics. What do I want this game to do, to be? What can I realistically achieve.

No more bloat. Something iterable. Something reusable.

Farming Sim > Survival > RPG > Farming Sim

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What's the direction now?

I plan to make a visual prototype that tests if this concept works well and is fun. 

I will be using placeholder art, music, and story snippets. 

My goal is to nail the programming before adding in big time consuming work.

Recruitment:

I am looking for a couple of programmers, artists/animators, story tellers, and composers. I'm open any ideas to progress development.