Hey everyone, how’s it going?
So quick update on this week’s tasks. I still haven’t figured out the bug in Eo’s Adventure, I’m making good progress on my press list (I’ve now started collecting YouTuber emails), I haven’t posted my next episode yet (I still want to do a little bit of editing before it goes out) and I’ve made some more progress on Glow (which is what I’ll be talking about today).
So I’ve made a lot of progress and now moved onto some level design. To give you a clue as to what type of game it’s going to be, I’m aiming for a twitchy platformer in the spirit of Super Meat Boy and Ink. Level design is something I thought I’d struggle with the most, but after a bit of research and literally just throwing ideas onto a piece of paper I’m starting to find a style and rhythm. I’m hoping to have an early set of about 100 levels ready within the next two weeks. I’ve also been expanding the objects in the game and playing with different ideas but I came to my object limit in the GameMaker Studio trial. I’d decided to trial it first to see if it would be something I’d be interested in using and now I’m hooked! So the first thing I’m going to do tomorrow when I get paid is get a PC licence for it, then I can really take my idea forward! I’m so excited for tomorrow I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve!
I’ve also been watching the recent Noclip documentary about Spelunky that’s available on YouTube. It’s an amazing story and really shows the hard work that goes into a game like that! I guess it can be quite common seeing a game that looks relatively simple compared to some AAA titles and thinking it was easy to make (I know I have in the past) but the reality is that the game is very deep and that is reflected in the hard work and passion that went into making it. I do find though that I have to be careful when researching other games (especially in genres different to the one I’m focusing on) to not get too carried away with being influenced by their design decisions. I found myself thinking “Oh I should really incorporate some of these ideas into my game!” but the reality is Spelunky is a very different experience to something like Super Meat Boy and Ink and it’s important to focus on the aspects that define a particular genre. Having said that, there is still a lot that can be learned from game like Spelunky in terms of great game design.
So that pretty much raps it up for now. Its 10am right now so I might do another post this evening to make up for the lack of post yesterday. See you soon!
Thanks
Stav