Posted May 25, 2020 by yonn
I developed Quofel originally for the ScoreSpace x 8 Bit for Infinity ~ Arcade Controls Jam.
The topic was "swarms" and the game had to have a high score system. It was my first time working with the Gdevelop engine and my second gamejam overall.
Initially I wanted to create an endless physics-based platformer with moving platforms and unusual controls. You could slowly move in the air in 8 directions or faster on the ground where you could also jump, similar to the game Joust. The platforms behaved like a swarm and moved randomly and unpredictably. But the more I worked on this concept the less fun it became! Moving platforms are already frustrating but adding shaky physics and random movements is just awful! On Sunday I decided to start all over again.
I started with 8-directional movement, swarming sprites and an endless level. I experimented with movement without graphics or sound. It was really difficult for me to deal technically and conceptually with the creation of a high score game. In my previous game, Duende , there was no winning or losing and only very minimal gameplay. I thought that graphics and atmosphere were already my strengths, so if I could make a prototype without all of that, but with fun gameplay first, the end result could be great!
I like mysterious and obscure games. Highscore games are based on fixed simple rules that just need to be exectued. You have to turn more into a machine yourself. In Duende I wanted to do the opposite, the player questioning himself and becoming more human. Silence and moments of nothingness create introspection. Highscore games expect constant concentration, you continuously have to press buttons, more and more intensely. Most of the time they have a strong loop and are somehow addictive. It's interesting and terrifying how easy it is to make a addicting game with very little effort! What I also liked about Duende was that you couldn't win or lose. It wasn't about playing the game "properly" or efficiently.
So for the concept of my highscore game to be appealing to myself, it had to be obscure. The player shouldn't really be able understand it, at least for a while. There should be no opponents that you could easily defeat and get points for. In the final game, the Quofels either give or subtract points depending on their or your conditions.
What also slightly annoys me about highscore games is that the highscore is constantly on the screen. It distracts you from the game, from just being in the moment. You constantly want to check the highscore. I thought the high score could disappear and reappear at some point so I had the idea that the highscore just floats around just like the other Quofel.
I had the movement and the playing field but still no game. I didn't just want to make the other Quofels into opponents and didn't know what rules to add so I just added sprites and sounds. Then I made the Quofel to change their size with every collision: that's how I came up with the rules, just by playing. There were six different sprites with six different sounds that were played in random pitches and speeds.
If you haven't yet played it you can try it yourself before you continue reading.
In the ScoreSpace x 8 Bit for Infinity ~ Arcade Controls Jam, Quofel received below-average ratings in every aspect except theme. In 4 of 6 categories it was 29th out of 43 and in fun / design even 35th place! I think some kind of tutorial was definitely missing and more visual or auditive feedback for the player. Somehow you had to at least understand a little bit what you did right or wrong. I observed that people who understood the rules really enjoyed it. It still seemed to have a different effect than an ordinary high score game.
Duende was completely finished for me after the jam was over but with Quofel, I wanted to improve everything, so this jam came in handy!
During the last two weeks, I did not continue working on Quofel. However I made a long list of possible improvements, addings a few points each day.
what I set out to do:
Gameplay
Accessibility
Visual
Environment
Content
Mechanics
Sound
Website
what i accomplished:
First day (5:19:48h):
Second day (5:26:21h)
Third day (6:01:09h):
Fourth day(5:25:41):