New portfolio - Devlog 0

Summary

In this devlog, the creator introduces their plan to revamp their portfolio, which they originally built five years ago. They reflect on their journey since then, including quitting their job to freelance, creating a course, and adopting a dog. Their goal is to recreate the fun and nostalgic feel of the old portfolio with new, exciting features like destructible environments, interactive gameplay elements, and time-based changes. They also plan to share the development process through regular devlogs to inspire others and document the evolution of the project.

Takeaways

• 😀 The speaker is revisiting their old portfolio project, which they created five years ago, and is now aiming to rebuild it with more advanced features.
• 😀 They are passionate about creating web experiences that feel like video games, and want to bring back the nostalgic joy of moving a little red car in the portfolio.
• 😀 The original portfolio was minimal, with a few bugs fixed and features added over time, but the speaker hasn't updated it much in the past few years.
• 😀 The speaker has made significant personal and professional progress since the original portfolio release, including quitting their job to go full-time freelance and creating a successful course, 'Three.js Journey.'
• 😀 While balancing personal life, such as adopting a dog and moving to a new house, the speaker has continued to think about improving their portfolio.
• 😀 The new portfolio will retain the essence of the old one but will be much more complex, with added features like destructible environments, physics-based interactions, and detailed landscapes.
• 😀 The speaker is sharing their development process with the audience via regular devlogs, aiming for bi-weekly updates. These devlogs will not be tutorials but might lead to a course in the future.
• 😀 The new portfolio will include a dynamic world with weather hazards, day-night cycles, and evolving content that changes based on time of day and player interactions.
• 😀 The speaker wants the portfolio to have interactive elements, such as mini-games, hidden secrets, and player interactions inspired by the game *Death Stranding* (without direct player visibility).
• 😀 They are experimenting with adding PS4 controller support, though it will be a minor feature for a niche user base, but still something worth exploring.
• 😀 The speaker emphasizes the importance of not overburdening themselves with the project. They aim to keep the devlogs simple and the work on the portfolio enjoyable, avoiding unnecessary stress.

Q & A

What is the primary focus of the speaker in this devlog video?

The primary focus of the speaker is to introduce the new version of their portfolio, reflecting on its evolution, their journey over the past five years, and the exciting new features they plan to add, including interactive elements and a destructible world.

Why hasn't the speaker updated their portfolio much since its release?

The speaker mentions that while they have fixed a few bugs and added minor features, they haven't made significant updates because they were focused on their freelance career, creating a course, and pursuing other personal and professional projects.

What personal milestones has the speaker achieved since the original portfolio release?

Since releasing the portfolio, the speaker has quit their job to become a full-time freelancer, created a course (Three.js Journey), given talks, done podcasts, taught for a few years, adopted a dog, dog-sat many dogs, and moved to a new place.

What is the speaker’s connection to video games in the context of this portfolio?

The speaker loves building websites that feel like video games. They wanted their portfolio to provide a similar sense of joy and excitement that comes from playing with childhood toys, like moving a car around a road carpet, and they aim to recreate that feeling in their new portfolio.

Why does the speaker want to keep the old features in the new portfolio?

The speaker wants to preserve the nostalgic elements, such as the little red car that can be moved around, because it feels like an extension of their personality and adds fun to the portfolio experience.

What new features does the speaker plan to include in the updated portfolio?

The new portfolio will include a destructible environment, improved physics for car controls and interactive elements, enhanced visuals like grass, trees, and water areas, and new interactive features such as secret-finding, physics tricks, and potentially multiplayer elements like resource sharing and messaging.

How does the speaker plan to integrate multiplayer-like features into the portfolio?

The speaker plans to adopt a Death Stranding-style approach, where players can interact with others without directly seeing them, through features like messages and resource sharing, without the complexity of a fully multiplayer experience.

What challenges does the speaker anticipate when adding new features to the portfolio?

The speaker anticipates challenges related to performance, particularly with ensuring fast load times and rendering speed while incorporating complex features like physics, destructible elements, and detailed environments.

What is the speaker’s goal for the frequency of devlog posts?

The speaker aims to post devlogs every two weeks, sharing progress on the portfolio's development and offering insights into the building process, though they acknowledge that the schedule might change.

What future content does the speaker hint at creating for the portfolio project?

The speaker hints that, if the project goes well, they may eventually create a course teaching others how to build a portfolio similar to theirs. However, they emphasize that this is a potential future endeavor.