Message – Postmortem
This is where you start
So, I wrote a postmortem for my Ludum Dare entry Message on the Ludum Dare page, but I'll paste it here for completeness.
Things keep happening
This is a game about a white dude
Hey, sorry to both the people who read this I haven't been updating recently. A lot of things have been happening, and they keep happening at a rate that is almost unmanageable. Here's a quick update on what happened before I have to go do the next thing.
First, the AS3 compo we had didn't yield any results in the end, but a lot was learned. On Justin's side, he started working on a game that's been itching the back of his mind for the past while but wouldn't use Flash, and as for me well the stuff that I did work on ended up being the base code for a serious project that I'd like to pursue which I will tentatively called Tangled Mess. It's a game about problems.
Second, I made an entry for Ludum Dare 17! It's called Message and it sort of happened in about a day and a quarter because I was so indecisive about the game I wanted to make. For those who don't know, Ludum Dare is all about making a game in 2 days where everything is made by a single person. Anyway, that took up last weekend, and the week following was dedicated to rating the other games made. You should go over there and check it out, there's some good stuff in there.
Finally, I'm heading to E3 this year. Not sure why, but oh well here I go.
without a reason – post mortem
So without a reason is done and now it's time to talk about what went right and what went wrong.
What went right
- HGE was really easy to pick up and use. Plus I was making this with the intention of finishing in 2 days, I didn't have to worry to much about really pretty code and documentation; I could focus my energy during my coding phase implementing features.
- I spent more time designing the game before actually jumping into C++ with both feet and, although the game didn't turn out exactly how I planned, coding with an easy to see goal made things easy. After that, it was simply a matter of how to make things look nice.
- Having a deadline really helped keep me focused, but at the same time I still had the opportunity to be creative since I didn't have to make the game for anybody in particular. If anything, I learned Ludumdare is a great idea for people who are getting started in making games solo, as it brings all the advantages of working for yourself together with the structure of making something on time.
What went wrong
- I'm artist of neither the pen or microphone, and as such a lot of time was wasted making sprite animations and sound effects, especially without the right tools already at my disposal. I have the right tools now, but a lot of time could have been saved if I had some help in this department.
- Too many distractions! I suffered for it in the end, when I pretty much pulled an all nighter to get the game done within time constraints, more so to satisfy myself.
- This 2D game could have been done significantly faster with significant ease on Flash. There's no point in using HGE and coding it using C++ other than to prove to myself that I can do it and to stick with what I'm familiar with. I think it's about time to make the leap and learn some Flash/Actionscript; maybe even explore Flixel
So what did I learn?
- Have and use the right tool for the job.
- Quick compos and Game Jams may not always pump out your best work, but at least it gives you the opportunity to make something.
That's about it! Thanks for reading; next post will be about a new game which I'm thinking of making in Unity.
Alright, that’s one.
Oh no!
So first game in the bag. It has been renamed to without a reason.
http://www.ludumdare.com/compo/2010/03/01/without-a-reason-finished/
All the sounds are in, and I used a sweet track from Alex Mauer's CD Blast, which is great.
Post-mortem when I don't have things to do!
Canada Wins Gold!
... Now back to work!
The current look of the game. Getting close!
The game is getting very close to being finished. Fonts recently went in with spawning and killing, now all that's left are win conditions, sounds and visual fluff. It should be done some time tomorrow morning, and yes I will be the first to notice that is significantly over the allocated time. Two hockey games this weekend that I just had to watch and a downtown clusterfuck I had to navigate through; I think I'm justified here!
Pizza time!
Last one alive lock the doors!
HGE is pretty easy to use
So I was distracted today due to hockey, and since tomorrow is the big game I wouldn't be surprised if it happened again tomorrow. It's a good thing I started on Friday night!
Things are starting to shape up. They're still a little dumb, but the pawns march across. Graphically I think the game is pretty close to solid, save some polish and maybe a menu. The rest of the work will remain on collision and difficulty ramping. It's set for 2 players, and like I said earlier a 1 player mode is possible, but not a priority.
It's 6:00 AM here! Time for a nap!
Yeah!
Shall we play a game?
Preliminary sketch for Ludumdare game
My first game is coming along nicely, I'll post some screens as it develops. Above is a picture of the game that I sketched out in MSPaint to help visualize what the game will look like, what needs to be done and what should be done first. The game is about war, and I have named it WOPR for now after the movie that taught me how to phreak a payphone.
First game idea
I just lost the game.
Although I didn't get to compete between the assigned times, I will make a game in the same frame of time (2 days) in keeping with the spirit of Ludumdare. I plan on using C++ with Relish Game's Haaf's Game Engine. I've heard nothing but good things about HGE, and as such I'm looking forward to seeing how easy it is to use.
I have an idea on how the game will work; right now it's all a matter of getting it down in code and seeing if it's fun. The game is about war and espionage.