Log 2015.10.19:: Recap ::My last post was in the midst of getting ready to show our game at Fantastic, almost a month ago.. Developement has slowed significantly since then. Here's a quick recap of where we've been with the project and where we would like to go.
The roadmap for the project so far, is we created the game in two days for a game jam. We spent a week rebuilding the mechanics after that, focusing on the weightiness of the movement and playing with some new ideas we didn't get to in the jam. This is the build we submitted and was accepted for Fantastic Arcade. We were overjoyed about this, but needless to say a weeks worth of work doesn't make much of a game.
It's at this point which we started this dev log. I had 3 weeks of my full attention to put towards making something for Fantastic. The main goals were to finish designing the movement mechanics and re-design the world the player would be exploring.
The first goal took up alot of time, it really took up most of the time I had to spend on the project. It's easy to get bogged down tweaking things, especially in a physics game. I could have probably managed my time better with this, maybe sacrificing some things, like prototyping rails which didn't really play much of a part in the final build. Though the feel of the game right now is great, so I don't regret much.
The second goal should have had more priority. The design of the world was relegated to several fevered days at the end. This was made much worse by a much earlier deadline for final builds than expected. I'm happy with the final design, but it meant we only had time to make "hard" challenges. I was only able to explore the design space that I felt comfortable in, without being able to boil those designs down into anything beginner friendly.
This lack of any introduction, and the fact we had no time for playtesting meant we ultimately submitted something that was very unfriendly to players jumping in for the first time.
Playtesting with friends during the event confirmed this but has given some great info going forwards. It's difficult, and frustrating showing things this early in developement. I think we all have a tendancy to hold things close to us, for fear of misinterpretation, or of people judging our babies based on a look at an unpolished side of it. Commiting to show something at events is a pretty good way to overcome this.
I don't believe any harm is done in the long run. The worst thing that can happen, is people are uninterested by the game in it's current state. Seeing this is a necessary step along a path to making something people will really care about.
:: Next Up ::We've been talking since the start of the project about this idea of flow and fluidity of movement. Me and Richard as designers, put alot of importance on music and sound design and I think these two ideas work together perfectly. So looking for more opportunities to reward the player with sound and visual feedback, when they are moving well. Designing the movement systems to be simpler and easier what they would like to do, trying to build a system that has depth so players will feel like they are learning and improving.
We have spent very little time so far on world building, visual design, narrative so far. I think it's very important we start fleshing out these thoughts at this point. Once they are clearer to us, they can start to inform the choices we make in all other areas. We've got a board for visual inspiration you can check out here:
Fulcrum Inspiration