The self made mental block

I kicked off this blog with the mindest that it would inspire me to keep to a regular update schedule. I think this has been the wrong approach.

After finishing the quick 2d platformer in 1hr in Godot I decided I wanted to try the same thing in Unity. Different tutorial, different tools and probably the wrong attitude. I’ve made countless platformers in the past, this was just going through the motions for the sake of it.

So I’ll post my failings as well. I reached the point where I was going to animate the 2d sprite but it became a chore quite quickly. Definately be using Godot in the future.

1Hr(And a Bit) Platformer

I’ve been emmersing myself in the literature of game design for the past couple weeks so I thought it would be a good idea to cut my teeth with a project.

I’d recently heard of the game engine Godot so I thought what better way to spend my time then following a tutorial for a quick platformer. I found one here by the Youtube user HeartBeast. It was simple, with the tutorial only 40 minutes long. My goal was to practice using the engine by following the tutorial closely.

The first thing I noticed was how much easier it was to make 2d games in Godot compared to Unity. It feels like the 2D engine is properly built instead of being shoe-horned into a 3d engine. I learnt how the engine handles tilemaps and animation. Instead of objects Godot used nodes. Just different terminology for similar functionality.

I used this time to work my way around the engine. I’ll try the same excersize with unity and come back with the results. Then I can start experimenting with level designs. This quick project produced a fun toy to play with. The game will come.

Github for project files found here

Ideas 1# Rock Climbing Game

Elevator Pitch

A third person rock climbing game where the goal is to climb to the top of a cliff with the quickest time.

What’s the goal?

1. Time trial challenges

2. Collecting points

3. Competing against AI and against other people

Mechanics

Using the analog sticks to control the left and right arms, the player will move the avatar’s hands onto a climbable surface. When the player ‘grips’ the climbing surface they will need to wait for their avatar to have confidence in the grip otherwise they have a reduced amount of time to make the next move. The ‘gripability’(name needs work :D) areas of the surface change depending on how much leverage it can provide, like a jutting rock or shelf. If the player loses grip they will either lose or fall to their last checkpoint(maybe a carabina the player has to choose?)

Story

1. The player is tasked with climbing a dangerous mountain in challenging situations in order to rescue climbers who have become stuck along the way.

2. The player is an amateur rock climber looking to go professional. Compete against yourself and rivals as you travel the world to compete against the best.

3. You’ve been sent to hell by mistake. Climb out of hell and escape the clutches of the Devil.

Aesthetic

1. Clean stylised minimalist design to mirror the look of a polygonal surface. WiiFit/Superhot like.

2. Realistic urban look to match outdoor rock climbing activities

3. Cartoon monkeys with light hearted animations and sound effects.

Technology

1. 3rd person video game

2. Board game

3. 1st person video game in VR

Next Steps

I’m going to start looking into prototyping to validate some assumptions I’ve made. Specifically whether the game play is fun and whether there is enough challenge to keep the player engaged.