My Very First Game Jam!

(a dev postmortem)

Hello!!! I’m happy to report that I’ve successfully submitted an app to my very first game jam! It feels pretty good getting that proverbial monkey off my back, so to speak. It took all of seven days, from concept to execution, and I’m pretty stoked by the results.

CONCEPT:

I watched a video about the old Commodore 64 title: “The Human Race”… a pretty short game released back in 1985. I liked the theme and game design, so I decided I wanted to make a game similar to the race four portion of THR. This stage consist of color tiles in which the player needs to navigate in order to reach an exit on the other side. The mechanics involve waiting patiently as a timer changes the color locks in order to progress, while avoiding a monster roaming around the stage. The player only had a stun ability to incapacitate the enemy for a few seconds if danger got near. I took that, and put my own spin on it as far as gamplay design goes. I took the tile based grid movement, but instead of having to keep track of which color was safe to step on, I made gates that change colors randomly, so the player has to exercise patience when traversing through a maze. Instead of stunning enemies, I decided on a passive phase ability that would allow a temporary invulnerability for safe passage through certain enemies. Keeping the aesthetics as retro as possible was also a key concept decision made early in the pre-development phase.

THEME:

I wanted to make a small puzzle/maze game, with simple mechanics that everyone could pick up easily. My previous attempts at game development were lessons well learned. Accessibility was a very high priority on the C.D.D chart, this time. I also knew that I wanted a relaxing, peaceful atmosphere for the game. So I went with a silly “space yogi in search of truth” theme for the story, and NES style pixel art for the assets. There is a small story brewing in my game, but I didn’t want that to be the focus of it. I wanted the mechanics to take a spotlight, since I never truly made a title like this before.

DESIGN/DEV:

I made a grid-like movement system for the character sprite using 30 pixel nodes. I originally had full-on movement with momentum, but that quickly got discarded early on. I implemented an “astral phasing” skill to the character, allowing dark spawn enemies to pass right through you. This ability is on a cool-down that lasts about five seconds after the animation is complete, causing the player to use it only in dire situations. Each stage consist of tiles (colored and grays) enemies and a shrine at the end. There isn’t a time limit for completing a stage, so the player is free to approach the maze as they see fit. There isn’t a “lives” system in the game, either, so failure isn’t a “game over” situation. It was designed be a relaxing experience with no real threats or pressure. I coded the enemy AI to be more of a hindrance than a danger to the player. They only target the player if you get near them, and even then there’s a random chance their flight pattern will alter. Having an aggressive enemy AI would have been counter-productive in my opinion. The prototype proved that; I could barely get through stage one in the early build with swarming enemies. The “boss” level design was a challenge… I’m not that great of a visual scripter, and my older games are a testament to that fact. I’ve had frustrating experience during the development of my other games when it came to boss design. This time I went back to basics, kept things simple and I finally got a boss fight I’m happy with, even though I only had a few days to work on it. All in all, I’d say this was the smoothest design UX I’ve ever had, which is pretty epic. I know they won’t all go according to plan like this, so I’m thankfully for this opportunity.

CONCLUSION:

Overall, I’d say this was a pretty engaging experience… The allure of completing a huge task in such a little amount of time was exhilarating!!! I entered another game jam as well :) The theme of this jam is “Finally Finish Something” and I have a few project that need TLC… I’ll decide which one to tackle and see what happens. Game development is hard, make no mistake about that, but if you’re passionate enough about it… Live your dream.

Thank you for reading… now get back to deving! XD

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https://twitter.com/ICHNICERO

Hello all!

I’ve been extremely hard at work (in my spare time) trying to make my first “real” game a reality, and it’s going better than I’ve expected considering the limited time I have to spend on the project. With the help of my amazing dev buddies, I’ve made strides in my dev journey and I finally have the build I’ve been wanting to share with the community; the game the way I originally intended. Pumpkin Quest: Retro Love Letter version 1.4 is live…

Plans moving forward?

I plan on finishing this game ASAP… I would love to say “look for it October 31, 2020” but I’ve made that mistake before, and I don’t plan on making it again. Full release is still slated for 10/31/20XX at this point. Follow me here, or follow me on social media via twitter: https://twitter.com/ICHNICERO

PUMPKIN QUEST update 1.4

New features:

1) the ability to skip the splash screen

2) the ability to skip dialogues with NPCs

3) new UI system for the item shop

4) “coyote time” variable added to aid in platforming jumps

5) Redesign to the first boss battle event

*Bugs fixed:

1) movement audio no longer stacks when player falls off solids

2) jump audio no longer stacks when player presses key more than once

3) fixed combat frame glitch when using default costume

4) removed audio for moving crates due to looping audio glitch

5) fixed splash screen audio overlapping glitch

6) fixed i-frame issue when player took damage from enemies

Special thanks go to JG, Justin K and Tacker2x for extensive play-testing, critical feedback and logic input suggestions… Thank you, guys!

The 7 Biggest Mistakes I’ve Made In My Game Dev Journey

(in a span of ten years)

Hello, gaming community members! I hope this summary (of the past ten years of my life as an indie developer) helps someone who is thinking of getting into game development. It will be a tough journey, I assure you that much. Let’s get started with the list of do’s and don’t s…

#1 WANTING MY FIRST PROJECT TO BE “THE” PROJECT…

I know what you’re thinking: “My first game is going to be amazing!!!” We all want to believe that facade when we have that initial game dev dream… Trust me, the quicker you swallow that red pill and see the truth, the better off you’ll be. Sorry to say it, but your first game will be bad. The number one reason for this? Game development is… hard for a lack of a proper term, especially for a novice fresh out the gates. Best practice for starting out fresh??? Make your first project a simple one. My first solo project was suppose to be a platformer that morphed into a Mega-Man style side scroller, with projectiles and other power-ups (I had no clue how to implement those mechanics at the time) etc… very ambitious scope for a noob and the project failed because I only had basic logic knowledge. This will sound so cliché but try making something like Pong or Breakout… If you can make a clone of either game you’re heading in the right direction. “Scope creeping” is the bane of the game development industry, in my honest opinion.

#2 SPENDING WAY TOO MUCH TIME ON ASSET PRODUCTION/DESIGN…

This one could be considered objective depending on your artistic abilities and workflow habits. I like to consider myself an average, decent artist... spending insane amounts of time on making assets is a huge waste in my experience, especially if you’re just starting out. If I could get back all those hours spent on making assets (for the Spire game) I’d be a happy camper. As an indie developer, time is your most precious resource. Making minimal art assets is the best way to produce quality sprites quickly and using IDE plug-ins isn’t a bad idea if you’re pressed for time. Short-cuts are not a bad thing, if fact it’s a great practice for novice. Getting assets from the internet is also a common practice among game devs so use every advantage you can find to limit production time… you’re going to need all the time in the world for play-testing/debugging… joy.

#3 NOT USING A CDD (Creative Design Document)…

This one may be trivial if you’re re-making Pong or Breakout, but it’s definitely a great idea for bigger projects especially if you’re working with a team. CDDs help keep all information about your project organized for people with “short-term” memory issues. Besides just being the “design bible” for development, it can be used as a development “checkpoint” marking milestones. It also makes the “what comes next???” question easier to answer. I don’t know where I’d be in my current project if I didn’t bother creating/using one, but I doubt I’d make any significant strides without one. CDDs are also great content for things such as e-manuals or “swag” rewards for crowd funding backers. So to recap: CDDs = good thing.

#4 ACCENTUATE YOUR STRONGEST ATTRIBUTE(s)…

Find help for the areas you lack confidence… I know this can be unpleasant for a lot of people out there. Meeting new people can be a daunting task, let alone meeting people online. Fortunately, the indie dev community is one of the most welcoming communities out there. I’m an introvert, and I’ve met some really amazing people online, so get out there and try to meet like-minded people to help get your project off the ground. I’m sort of a “jack of all trades; master of none” kinda guy. I dabble in art, music and programming, the latter the least, but I’m still learning as I go. If you’re a semi-skilled individual, meaning you can juggle more than one hat, I say go for the “solo” developer journey… if not, find like-minded people who are skilled in the obvious game dev roles: artist, designer, writer, programmer, composer, etc… not everyone is a “do it all by yourself” kind of person. Find out what you bring to the table and find people who fill in the rest. I worked in a team when I first started out, but it didn’t last long. I may work with another one in the near future. Go with what works for you.

#5 NOT JOINING/REACHING OUT TO THE GAME DEV COMMUNITY…

In real life, I’m an introvert... (as stated in the prior mistake) Social situations are a bit… discomforting, especially awkward confrontations. With the advent of the mobile age, being connected to the “matrix” is pretty much standard practice. Everyone (making games) are online now… so you’re going to have to get from under that shell and make nice with the community. I initially thought joining an online community wouldn’t be much of a frightening proposition … and then I got introduced to “trolls” and that just made the dark waters even more murkier. On the bright side, trolls only represent 2-3% of a community, and if the mods are doing their jobs that percentage drops. So if you suffer from anxiety, like most artistic people do, joining any kind of social circle can feel a bit overwhelming but it’s a must in the world of indie deving. You have to conquer your fears. I really wish I was way more active in the community when I first started my journey. This can be attributed to mistake #4: having more eyes on your work will help providing feedback and give you a scale of what you’re good at and what either needs practice or can be out-sourced to another person. In theory, it should help facilitate the development process, making the experience more productive and efficient. Participating in a game jam is a great example of community “mingling”…

#6 NOT TAKING ENOUGH BREAKS…

So I got a bit “personal” in the previous mistake… I’m going to get even more personal with this one. I have a day job; I work in the maintenance department of a mental health facility. It’s a very stress-inducing environment and being the sensitive being I am, it can take a toll on me emotionally. During the development cycle of a project called “The Spire” I had a massive anxiety attack and was rushed to the hospital. (heart rate was way above normal) I stayed there for two days in order to be monitored. Long story short, I found out that the stress of deving/day gig woes caused the panic attack. My diet also played a role so I started to eat right/stress less and I got back to being myself again. I’m venting this because stress and mental health are no joke. I see the ramifications of not managing either on a daily basis, so please, take a break from time to time. I took four months off from my current project (after the passing of my grandmother) and looking back, I regret nothing. I’m more focused and refreshed… solving development issues that plagued me before is becoming a bit easier once I took a step back to analyze things. So to recap: Breaks = great for productivity…

#7 ASK YOURSELF THIS: CAN I DO THIS???

This is something I should have asked myself ten years ago when I started my journey. Not everyone is cut out to be a game developer. It takes a massive amount of dedication, practice and energy to make a video game. Ask yourself if you’re willing to put in long hours, deal with complicated situations in IRL and overall just take the good with the bad… if you checked no to any one of these boxes game development may not be a good fit for you. I’m just being honest. I’m not making a “click bait” thread with “feel good” stories and examples. Game deving will break you if you’re not prepared to deal with the trials that come postmortem. Make sure this is something you like/love doing before you dive full on into the fray… and something you’re good at. It will help eliminate the shock when that rude awakening comes out from lurking in the shadows… because it’s coming… make no mistakes about it.

Thank you for reading this blog and I hope it helps ease your transition into game development.

Hey NG community members!!! I had to post about this game I played recently:

This app is one part 2-D side-scroller, one part RPG and it fuses nicely, in my humble opinion. I'm currently at a lvl 7 mage and progression is tied to a grind, but RPG fans will not be disappointed. Grab EXP and loot to get better gear/spells and whatnot. Very cool game. Check it out ASAP!!!

*edit lvl 10 now ^^

*edit reached the max lvl 20... really had fun with this app. I hope the devs continue to add content because I could see myself playing this on a platform like Steam in the future. ^^

Hello NG community members and welcome to PQ update 1.0.0.1!!! I want to thank everyone who played the demo and gave me solid feedback on what needed to be changed. I have a few tweaks for this update: players can now skip the initial load screen; pressing start on the gamepad or enter/return on the keyboard skips the tutorial screen. Unfortunately, the logic behind the NPC dialogue mechanic is a "hybrid" event system, and making tweaks to that broke pretty much everything. I have a solution, but I still have to put the theory into practice and that may take a while. I'll report back when I have something that sticks. Again, thank you guys for playing the game and please share it with friends! See you all soon!

Hello NG community members!!! I'm proud to announce that my new game demo is available to play!

Please check it out and give me your honest feedback... I'll be back with future updates on the game. Thank you for supporting indie devs!!! ^^

Video gaming is a global pastime that had it's humble beginnings in the early to mid 1900s... It has thus transformed electronic entertainment from obscurity, to a billion dollar, world wide, critical successful medium. It hasn't been all "sweets and giggles" though, as for every success story there's about a hundred failures, who may never develop another title, ever again. While this may suit (or not sit well with) some gaming fans, let me explain why this is "good for business" on a whole.

I'd like to start with the fabled "crash of the video game industry" circa 1980's, for proper content into what's going on in the industry currently. An influx of shareware titles flooded the market back then, and, ironically, it's happening again. The fact that we have an abundance of "minimum coding experience" editors out there, it seems that everyone is trying their hand at indie game development. I didn't think this was a bad idea at the time, but seeing these under developed titles on gaming services (like Steam) leads me to believe that "not everyone should be a dev..." With tons of subpar games on xbox live, PSN and Steam, it's harder to find those "diamond in the rough" sifting through all the games littering the front page.... And, honestly, who has time to do all that??? It's not like in the past, when 40 titles were considered to be a lot of games for a catalog. In this day and age, 40 titles is just about two months of releases. One would think that with all the releases coming at us monthly, that regulations would be put on publishing a game. But since gaming is a billion (that's right, billion with a "B") dollar business, no holds are barred. Varying off the path for a bit... The Nintendo Wii specifically catered to children and seniors, with the system's control scheme... Motion sensors on the remote made playing games a "physical chore" at the end of the day, which helped both children and elder adults stay active. I work in a hospital, and the Wii is a popular item with the clients. The benefits are immeasurable. Ok, I got off track... Explaining the Wii's benefits took a bit.

So good for business you say??? Yes, it is... The reason being that "bad games can't survive in the industry like they did once upon a time"... I read that online.... and I have to concur. Although I will defend the work ethics of classic game developing by stating: "though games weren't as complex as they are now, the devs of old had days and weeks to deliver a product, compared to now where a game releasing can take anywhere from several months to several years (ie The Last Guardian) of development before it's ready to ship. A lot of people credit the game E.T. with single-handedly causing the video game crash of the 80's, and I'm here to say that's not a fair assessment of the game. Since the developer didn't have enough time to code instructions into the game, many players were clueless as to what they actually needed to do in order to advance in the game. This was the case for most games produced back then. So in hindsight, E.T. is actually a solid game once everything is explained to the player. You can still beg to differ, but that's my honest opinion. As far as modern game development goes, I think publishers are getting extremely greedy... more so than ever. Betas are the new "in" thing for the AAA market, with seemingly ever publisher touting some sort of pre-order bonus content for their upcoming release. It's mind numbing trying to keep up with all the different bonuses each vendor is carrying during launch. One might need a guide... seriously. Soul Caliber 3 had bonus content across the three, rivaling console platforms at the time: the PS2, XBOX and GameCube... Each were different playable characters not available on the counter-part systems... So if you were a Link fan, and had an XBOX, you had the option of purchasing a GameCube to play with Zelda's leading man... This must have rubbed fans the wrong way because years later Namco tried the same deal with SC 4, only this time the content was a "timed exclusive only" deal... So you can have one character now, and then wait a few months to receive the other one (at a price)... While I'm not a fan of either practice, I'd prefer the latter because you're getting "cross platform" content... which is a lot better than exclusive content, even though it's timed. You will have an opportunity to download Yoda/Vader, unlike Link, Heihachi and Spawn from the previous installment. And that's just one example out of hundreds. Destiny's year one exclusive, the Hawkmoon, is another well known example... But if you've been following my posted comments on Game Informer, you already know how I feel about Destiny, so I'll just leave it at that. To reiterate my point of bad games in the industry; it's easier to develop games now, but the abundance of titles makes it harder to achieve success in the industry. You truly have to be passionate about your game, and the title needs to reflect that.

I want to talk about the Mighty Number 9 kickstarter project for a bit... The main creator of the Mega Man franchise, Keiji Inafune, started a crowd funder for a successor to the blue bomber's games. He was able to raise over two million dollars for the project in just under a week, and proceeded to smash stretch goals in the final days of the campaign. One would imagine that the success of the kickstarter would be enough to get the game off the ground... well....... Not exactly. Extra funding was needed (I'm still baffled by that one) and the development suffered countless delays and set backs in the months leading up to launch. As of this posting, the game has yet to be released on any of the consoles mentioned in the stretch goals... Unacceptable in my opinion. This is a grand example of "star power" being used in the wrong way. The kickstarter pretty much fed the "hype train" and the devs underwhelmed fans with a lackluster development performance. To sum it all up: developers relying on name recognition to promote sales is a bad idea. I see the same ordeal occurring with the "soon to be infamous" Shemmue III crowd funder. Message to all developers: at least have a playable demo in place before you start asking fans to open up the piggy bank and support the dream... it just might help instead of hindering progress.

In closing, I'd like to say that the state of the gaming industry is in flux... it's been that way since it's inception. Nobody (including myself) thought this medium would last as long as it has. I truly thought it was a fad that would lose steam after a decade or so... But half a century later, we have museums including retro classic arcade machines as an exhibit for public display... A testament to the resilience of the medium. The industry has come a long way... I hope it continues to grow and evolve, so that younger generations can enjoy these timeless classics, and gain an understanding of how these works of art got to this point.

This is purely an opinion piece, but feel free to engage in a debate if you feel I've misinterpreted any concepts or information in this blog... Thank you for reading, and enjoy the rest of your day/evening/night...

gameartdevguy aka Jay

Hello all! Brand new to Newgrounds, and an avid fan of gaming, art and music... Started my own independent game development studio, and currently working on a PC title for windows and mac. I'm also working on establishing a website so please forgive the length of this post... Plan on post game related art, and post blogs and updates when I can... Feel free to check out my "old" deviantart page:  http:blackmask-comics.deviantart.com

Thank you for reading...

Jay