Got a flier in the mail from Chris Decarlo for Sherrif, which reminds me of his history of rapping campaign videos: youtube.com/@CDRapper…
I’m not lazy, I’m just protecting the ecosystem www.nytimes.com/2023/10/1…
Currently listening: Story by Robert McKee 📚
Finished Listening: Think Like a Game Designer by Justin Gary 📚
I’ve never really worn sunglasses, and now I’ve got my first prescription pair. Meanwhile my regular glasses are at the optometrist to get new lenses put in, so the sunglasses are all I have.
One surprising thing is that some screens are hard to read– kind of like when a screen has a polarizing privacy filter, but it’s blocking me instead of the rest of the world.
Even a “bad” Futurama episode is usually pretty good– but the worst are the ones that try to be relevant for the time they were released, “ripped from the headlines”. The new season on Hulu had a lot of those. 📺
Currently listening: Think Like a Game Designer by Justin Gary 📚
Currently reading: Deadly Class - Regan Youth Media Tie-In by Rick Remender 📚
Don't Get Crushed updates 🎮
Here is some weekend progress on Don’t Get Crushed (post-jam version, to be released after the review window closes):
- Fixed the janky vibrations
- improved some art
- The level number now included a decimal component, making it clearer how much progress you’ve made within a level
You can also see the previously reported progress: visible scores, the ability to restart using the up arrow, and the crusher following the player more closely (and no longer leaving a safe area on the bottom of the screen)
Jumping Game progress 🎮
Not much visible progress since I lasted posted this game, but I have implemented both the spring platforms and the “slam” mechanic (which can be combined for bigger jumps. I’ve also re-built all of the player movement around Godot State Charts.
I temporarily experimented with importing my Mastodon followers to micro.blog. Sorry about the follow-spam!
After a couple of days on wordpress.com, I decided it wasn’t for me. So, after a journey in the wilderness, I’m back on micro.blog!
Morning progress 🎮
So far, I've addressed a few items from the feedback list:
- There is now a visible score
- Players can restart the game after dying using the up arrow
- The crusher now follows the player more closely, eliminating the "safe zone" at the bottom of the screen.
Ludum Dare 54: Don't Get Crushed
Don't Get Crushed was my submission to Ludum Dare 54, my second-ever attempt to enter a game jam. The game didn't end up much like what I was imagining when I started working (blame the 72-hour time limit, and my own limitations for that). The graphics aren't great, and it's got a few glitches-- but I think it's fun.
Before entering Ludum Dare, I probably would have explained the appeal of game jams as a way to test your skills against other game developers. That's still an attractive aspect of it, but my thinking has changed quite a bit in the past week.
I'm new to making games, but I've made stuff before: writing, software, images, even a bit of music. Most of the time? Nobody cares.
Because of the way LD is set up, if you put in the time to review other people's games, your game will be prioritized for other people to review. You'll get actual feedback!
I made this goofy, glitchy thing, and people are playing it. 33 People have left numeric ratings (I won't know the results of this until the rating period closes, in 8 days)! 21 People left written feedback! One person even drew a picture.
It's kind of exhilarating. If I continue to enter game jams, it'll be because it's fun as hell to make stuff and get actual feedback.
What's next?
The feedback on the game has been quite nice, but here's some of the criticism it's gotten (all valid):
- Levels are too long
- No way to know your progress within a level
- The graphics are too "basic"
- It's kind of sloppy that while the game starts and plays all with the keyboard, you need to use the mouse to click "try again" after getting crushed
- No real sense of urgency...
- ... and without that sense of urgency, the game can be pretty easy if you play carefully.
- no score to see.
One thing I hate, that nobody has mentioned: the shaking effect that sometimes appears in the crushers or the obstacle blocks isn't something I programmed or intended, it's just some side-effect of Godot's physics, I guess. I'd like to at least have more control over that.
What I'd like to try to have a "post jam" version of the game, available the day ratings are released, that addresses most of those points.
After that, there are other game ideas I'd like to move on to, but might revisit this one sometime.
Oh no, not again
It's 2023 and I'm starting a blog. Again.
Why?
I'll write more later, but in the past I've enjoyed have a blog as a sort of public notebook, for posting things I'm learning about or just want to share. I miss that, and want to start doing that again.
One thing I want to make sure I do, is break the (self) expectation that blog posts need to be any particular length, so I'll end this right here.