I haven't participated in a miniLD before, they never really appealed to me as much as the more major LD's do, but the mixture of having that weekend (for the most part) free, the charity aspect, the epic theme (NES style) and the buzz surrounding the LD, I couldn't resist entering.
The theme for the miniLD was 'NES', as in the retro Nintendo Entertainment System. I've been pretty keen on retro/pixelated games lately, so it was certainly something I felt excited to get into.
The day before the LD, I started working on the template. There was a 2D overlay provided for anyone using flash/html5/unity, but nothing (of course) for the BGE which I was pretty keen on using (as per usual). So I went about making my own template for the 'Funkytron' (made-up retro console & monitor for the miniLD), and since I was working in Blender, I figured Id might as well attempt something more 3D.
The results of the 2D template to 3D conversion:
With the template sorted I then had the challenge of setting up a game to run on the screen of the Funkytron monitor itself. The BGE VideoTexture module seemed like the obvious (and seemingly only) choice to make this possible.
The plan was to create a low-res/pixelated type of game (with 3D elements) to be played as a 2D game via projection onto the 2D screen of the 3D monitor in a 3D scene (which would also have interactive elements)
Adding to the complications... I wanted to have the game playable in-browser using the Burster plugin which I hadn't ever used.
The final game I manged to put together over the weekend (missed out on a good 14 hours of the LD due to a friends going away party) turned out ok. It was inspired mostly by GTA2, ie the 'mini-game' is a top-down game based in a city, with a player you can control to run around and cause havoc, I've named it 'Super Theft Auto' for now, but will probably change the title in the future.
What went 'badly'/wrong:
- There were a couple of features I didnt have time to implement, like a proper car system (including being able to steal & drive a car - kinda important for a GTA2 clone!)
- Spent too much time working on the city level, should have simplified to allow more time to focus on other important things
- The graphics went a fair bit beyond the NES theme/restrictions, I wanted to keep it closer but it just didnt work out in the end
- Rushed a lot of the road textures, resulting in lots of bad seams - theres a lot of texturing to completely overhaul
- Using modules Id never used in combination before - caused a lot of grey areas to pop up, taking a lot of time to solve (or in some cases not solve) - ie trying to get a shader to work on the videotexture output - which didnt work out in the end, costing me an hour or two
- Burster - the plugin worked well for the most part, but due to security issues it doesnt allow the use of external modules, file I/O or various other functions, this generally complicated a few things and required me to re-write/re-structure a bunch of code which again took time! There was also the fact that mipmaps cant be disabled using Burster, so all textures had to be scaled up a large amount in order to get them to be 'crisp' - more time gone!
What went well:
- Overall I actually got the basics of a game working, you could shoot people and so on, adding to your score, it was something playable at least - and being able to play it in-browser is also a huge plus
- The 2D sprite system works very well and was easy to modify (thanks to SolarLune for that)
- Some neat NES tunes quickly made by AniCator
- The 3D Screen with 2Dish game projected onto it worked much better than Id expected, its a very cool effect and I hope to take advantage of it to make this game more 'unique'
- Got the basics down for a game Id like to work on developing!
So heres a link to the game page (which has been updated since the miniLD version):
You can play it in-browser, but will need to first download the Burster plugin and install it. Theres links and instructions on the page and its a small download.
Theres also a template available, listed on the page I just linked to. The template is the Funkytron setup and mini game test scene I initially made, all setup to work using the VideoTexture module and Burster plugin, would be a good basis for anyone wanting to achieve the same effect.
As far as plans for Super Theft Auto go, I'm certainly planning to develop it further. Its the kind of game I was initially trying to make back in Highschool, I remember attempting it a few times using Flash - but of course faking 3D elements in flash is tricky and I had no luck at all being a complete beginner.
My main issue currently with the game is trying to do something 'unique', I dont want to end up with a boring clone of GTA2, but I want to keep some of the elements which made GTA2 such a good game.
I've been undecided about the main '3D scene' which the player and computer reside within too, it seems pointless right now and just adds a level of abstraction from the player and the mini-game, not to mention some brain-numbing effects if you move the 3D camera while trying to focus on the game on the screen.
But (thankfully) a few nights ago I had an 'epiphany' which solved all the main issues/concerns and produced one core idea/concept the game could revolve around. It effectively gives the 3D part of the 'overgame' a strong and relevant purpose - which is exactly what I wanted, rather than having to remove it due to being pointless/problematic.
I'll develop this idea futher... So no details right now, but its got me pretty excited about the future of this game!
On Indie Speed Run:
Seeing a ton of negativity in the game-jam/Indie community regarding the recently announced Indie Speed Run being run by the Escapist.
Cant say as I agree with *most* of it.
I'll quickly address a couple of the more popular opinions/perspectives about it which I disagree with and find the most concerning:
"You Have to pay $25 to take part/enter"
The idea of paying to enter a game jam, to many, seems to be offensive for some reason. Lets be serious here, its $25. It might be a lot for some, understandably, but whats the worst case scenario? - You choose to not participate. Some evil corporation isnt trying to force you to do this, theres no gun to your head. There's other game jams to be had anyway, and currently there seems to be several happening every month, I know I cant keep up with every-single-one going on at the moment. But I would argue that the $25 entry fee could be worth it for many, depending on the benefits which could potentially come from the game-jam, Indie Speed Run is no exception in this case, theres several benefits which Im yet to see coming from something like Ludum Dare.
The idea that this whole event is all about Escapist making money off your game is just unreasonable as well. They clearly outline the rules and rights you and your game have. If you dont agree with it, again... No gun being held to your head, you can make decisions for yourself about whether or not its something you want to enter.
Also clearly, if you're in debt and struggling to pay the rent, Id hope you'd be trying to make the right decisions - ie not spending that $25 on a game-jam (or that extra bottle of wine you probably shouldn't be buying right now) Its all just common sense when you get down to it.
"Commercializing game jams is just completely wrong and missing the point.. please don't participate in it!"
This seems to be a typical overly-dramatic response, not particularly based on anything other than something about 'missing the point' (further addressed below). I'm not going to bother with the 'commercializing game jams' part, that's just completely over the top...
"It goes against the ideas/principles of a GameJam"
From my understanding, the idea/principle of a game-jam is to make a game - "A game jam is a gathering of developers, artists, and other creatives over a short time during which a collective effort is made to make one or more games."
Whether or not you have to pay to enter, of if there's a panel of judges instead of a community voting scheme, there's no judging at all, the game-jam is run by some larger corporation or company who offer a cash prize (or any other prize for that matter) - the fact is, you're making a game! Nowhere is it stated as some 'global law' that any of the above cannot or should not happen. And we've see it happen already, this isn't the first time any of the above mentioned has happened in regards to a game-jam.
Think back to the 'shitstorm' that surrounded the Kongregate post-LudumDare contest during LD24 earlier this year - all completely unnecessary amounts of drama and negativity. If anything, I would argue the response was damaging for both game-jams and the indie game-dev side of the industry. Will we see another contest like Kongregate contest (or anything similar) happen alongside a Ludum Dare or similar game-jam in the near future? -Doubtful, after the outpouring of anger and close-mindedness we saw last time I wouldn't blame a company for shying away from the idea, just to save themselves the backlash.
To me it feels like a loss of opportunity. There's chances in these kinds of things for little known indie game devs to get more publicity, to be seen by those already established in the industry, to enter into healthy competition with others and potentially win money for a game they've put time into - a horrific thought, I know.
"The winners get a cash-prize"
I know some people are probably going on with the argument 'the prize for a game-jam is the game you make, the experience you have and ultimately the self improvement' - and I get that, its the reason why I participate in game jams. I'm yet to even enter a game-jam or anything similar which offers cash prizes, or a panel of famous game devs to ponder over your game. But I can at least can appreciate the value in this kind of a game-jam and I'm sure its just a matter of time before I participate in one (I'm pretty keen to enter this Indie Speed Run if I have the time later in December).
They go against the norm of what we're used to seeing with a game-jam or similar event, but because of that they offer benefits beyond the norm and I feel disappointed when people respond with close-minded fear-mongering attitudes which generally get no one anywhere.
They go against the norm of what we're used to seeing with a game-jam or similar event, but because of that they offer benefits beyond the norm and I feel disappointed when people respond with close-minded fear-mongering attitudes which generally get no one anywhere.
Its about time to let the indie game dev/jam side of the industry open up and mature to these kinds of opportunities.
/rant
/rant
