Isn't it remarkable how much work it takes to just get the little things done. And that is how it is for the firs 80-90% of the work (aka half the project - while the other 90% is just as tedious in the polishing, debug, and final build and upload!!!) Good to hear you're Father's day was a relaxing one.
Absolutely! So many different areas that need tending, it's a lot of work! Especially if you're solo or have a small team. Though even if there's more than one person, it becomes a bit more manageable than if you were alone. The other thing is systems and processes, what are those like?
For my part, I've been around the game jam rodeo enough times that I've realized a few of my pain points and areas that I've fallen short of time and again. This time around, although I have less time than I used to before I was married, I'm looking to use the time more wisely and leverage my experience in a way that can get me to the finish line efficiently and with something interesting to play. I want to setup a system that I can depend on and that helps me work better from now on.
DAY 4 and 5
So a late post in that this should have been yesterday! But I'll mix today's and yesterday's post.
So yesterday (and a bit before yesterday) I spent some time working on the design of my game by breaking down my chosen verse by looking at the nouns and verbs. This provides a way to influence the gameplay and game in general in such a way that the scripture verse more fully inhabits the game, whether it's in aesthetics, audio, gameplay, design, and maybe even the programming! The verse then is poured like a good mixture into every aspect of the game more organically rather than forced or tacked on.
I also wrote a basic story, a really simple character outline that just defines some character archtypes, and what areas of gameplay I have present in RPG Maker and what are things I'd like to influence.
Today I hope to make some more headway and more fully flesh out the design.
DAY 9
So today I hope to really get into the nitty gritty of my game. I've drilled further down into my chosen verse and uncovered the real theme of my game. Now to start working and developing around that theme.
Next step was figuring out some characters. Although I knew I wanted a basic assortment of fantasy characters like a warrior, knight, sage, and archer (plus 1 secret character yet to be unveiled), I wasn't sure where to go and whether I wanted to go all-in on fantasy or sci-fi or a mix of both. As I watched Peppa Pig with my son, I thought the art looked nice and simple, so started sketching some of the pieces. From there things started taking shape and I came up with a scene of a fair. I think I found the initial setting of my game!
Then this morning I started working on quickly roughing out some characters based on the classes I picked out above. Rather than figure out character details right now, I went with a bigger picture to figure out the general mood and personality from their pose. Now what I want to do is start homing in on who they are with more specific details and explore their personality a bit. I'll also do another draft of my initial story which you can read in the previous post.
Lastly, the game won't be called Vandal Hordes as I initially aimed for, since the game isn't about them, but about the main theme of my entry, having confidence in God.
DAY 11
I've began working on a rough concept to help set the mood and atmosphere of the game, and to help the audio composer begin thinking and ideating some tracks for the game. Just rough lineart and a basic color wash to convey feeling and mood, looking to convey confidence through the composition and color combos.
I did a few sketches searching for that "look" and "pose and poise", and I think I've found it. From here I'll work on describing the forms a bit better and adding some detail. This piece may become the cover art for the game!
DAY 13
So I've been working on figuring out the characters before I set to doing their art in-game, so I've been sketching and conceptualizing, here's one of the first characters, thinking about naming her Mayfire.
Gonna try to knock out the remaining three characters tonight and tomorrow expand a bit more the illustration above just enough that the composer can be inspired by it and start working on something. Beyond that, I'll start creating the art for use in-game.
Meanwhile, I've been brainstorming names for the game, but haven't fallen on one yet. I also need to start writing out some ideas for narrative and build it out in the game. 8 days left, I can do this!
DAY 16
Finally wrapped up the concepts for my characters. And I've thought about their names too! Character revealed above is Mayfire. The knight character is Vegeris (pronounced Vah-ger-is), the archer is Dina, and the sage is Xeux (pronounced just like Zeus). I had to simplify my art process because I literally don't have enough time to iterate, so I gotta work quicker.
Now I'm gonna clean up and improve a bit the illustration that will be used for the title screen, and then start working on getting those in-game sprites ready. I've also written an outline of how I want the game to progress and will be creating the dialogues and basic area maps in-game.
Hoping tomorrow to knock out a big portion of the game and then just polish the rest of the week till Friday.
DAY 19
Here's the map concept for Peace Valley, the place where the citizens of this area live, work, and play. As the vandal hordes approach, it is your job to get them to safety, to the stronghold in the mountains where they will be protected - where the light of their eyes will not be extinguished nor the hope in their heart snuffed out.
