So a few things have happened since my last post.
Firstly, I had a rethink about the tech I'd use for graphics. Eventually, I settled on Diligent Engine which - so far - has been very nice to work with demonstrably proven to work well for Windows, Linux as well as Android & web (at least from initial smoke tests, which is enough for now). I have my little framework built atop, in a way that doesn't *hide* it like perhaps I've done before with others in some effort to "own" the engine more. And I've managed to get a bunch of things my previous one didn't have, such as proper skeletal animations and basic IK.
Secondly, I've also somewhat paused both Skiddies and Squishies. Not because they're never-wills, but just because of perhaps the complexity I never considered in both for wrapping up - despite their simplicity, both are actually very ambitious.
Squishies actually got to the point where I could call it a finished "demo" - entirely playable, online and offline. Wrapping up though involves solving some issues that perhaps I'm not ready to solve just yet.
Which brings me to now, and the decision to focus on a project that would be not only "for fun", but also in a genre I've always absolutely loved - point-and-click adventure games. Way back when, Simon the Sorcerer was my first foray into these. Followed by Monkey Island. Then ALL of the sequels. Growing up, I loved text adventures too, so I think the point-and-clicks were just a natural progression.
Several years ago, I even had a try at writing my own point-and-click - with little success - as I didn't really appreciate the magic that goes on behind the scenes to do both do it properly AND write a decent plot.
More recently, I played Thimbleweed Park and Return to Monkey Island - both of which I enjoyed immensely. So I was really happy when i stumbled on the Delores source code which gave a fascinating insight into the Dinky Engine which powers all three. Given I now had a nice little framework of my own now, that allows me to get things done quickly - AND one that supported animation, I had that urge...
So here we are, having another go and what I tried several years ago - but this time without any expectations or pressure.
I think what I like about adventure games is how derpy they can be. Whilst games like Squishies and Skiddies come with some expectations of how they'll work, and can't really have too many shortcuts, adventure games have much more freedom. The lore can be silly, nothing needs to make much sense (vending machines and lights in Monkey Island), the animation can be as fancy or simple as you like. 2D or 3D. Crisp or pixelated. Talky or subtitled. Long or short.
So - for now - we'll see where this little adventure takes me.