With my first class of the semester just a few hours around the corner and a few elements of my platformer working I just wanted to take this time to throw out my game plan as far as game development goes for this semester.
I've decided to aim to develop three games this semester using the respective optimal programs for their development and record my progress and lessons learned here. One platformer, one rpg, one adventure game. Each using their respective suited creations software; Construct2, Rpg maker, and Ags. Each will only be using the most basic elements of gameplay from their respected genres that I can code without too much difficulty so I can focus on the design during development and come up with the most polished product possible.
Still, this is kinda nuts -for me at least- I'm a full-time student, have my game journalism column with Kevin along with my other duties at that internship, might help write for my friend's film journalism internship group, I'm getting a second part time job, and I've joined a band. But I'm still optimistic, second job is a every-other-Friday-or-third-shift kinda deal, my classes are basically condensed to two days through the week, with a one-class-easy monday/wednesday/friday, my other job is flexible, all of my classes are interesting, plus I've found awesome communities that can point me to tutorials and so far have been more than happy to give me advice and pointers on my work. The planets have aligned as it were.
My aim is to learn as much as I can and develop my skills so that future design ideas can be realized more efficiently. The benefit of making a number of small games when first starting with a program to making one massive one is a stark contrast. When you spend half a year making a single(conservatively saying) big game it's going to take you much longer to distance yourself from the work and be able to reflect on it's flaws and missteps. You often hear developers talking about the benefit of having gamejams and having to fit some awkward random parameter in some genre they're new too. It challenges you and makes you think about the process and medium in ways you haven't before. The same way you hear writers often tell people the best advice they could give to a fledgling author is to read books that are out of their genre or style. Short projects that let you brainstorm on something completely new then see it through to completion without the time or luxury to spend time second guessing or last minute revising help build confidence, familiarity with working the crunch, and understanding of the development process.
And so in this fashion I'm going to be tackling a puzzle platformer, a turn-based rpg, and something in ags... just kidding it's going to be a point and click adventure game. I barely have the slightest knowledge of ags scripting and I don't have any Rpg Maker sofeware as of yet. But after fuddling around with Construct for a few days I spent today.. yesterday. Sunday, working on an engine and thus far I have
1. functional wall jumping
2. invert-able gravity
3. button mashing type flying (broken double jump)
4. self destruct button (broken dash, soon to be fixed)
5. rotatable characters (no ai to have secondary character follow you around thus far)
But that's just one day. I plan on spending a week on each engine, getting what functions and place holder graphics I need working, and anything that's glitchy/unfinished/I-don't-like will be either removed or disabled from the code and I will use whatever I have to come up with a design. The design will be scaled on my remaining time, and as I plan on fitting these out across the semester the first two at least will probably be pretty small scale. There are really only two functional elements in the platformer right now but I'm getting a good arcade feel from it. Rpg will probably be a small mystery as that's a simple way to have a concise story wrap up at the end of a puzzle/dialogue session, it'd be rad if I had time to figure out a multiple ending sort of thing. And to be honest I have no idea what to do for the Ags and that's why I'm going to schedule it for last.
I'm not going to set any publish dates or anything like that for the individual titles. I just want to have a working beta of each by the end of the semester. There is the possibility that I will fall on my face and fail halfway through. I might end up with just three somethings that play kinda like games, but regardless of the physical product what I'll have learned through the experience gained as a developer will be immeasurable.
Other great advice is have a good programming friend who can look at what you do and give you pointers, one I've chatted with mine and get those broken bits fixed I'll put up my links to the tutorials and include my own commentary on this platformer engine I'm making. I'm thinking something end product like Wario Land but with a gun.
Til next time, goodnight everybody and good luck with your projects.
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