{"author_link":"\/users\/agentparsec","author_name":"agentparsec","author_uid":"agentparsec","comments":[],"epoch":1503364650,"event":"LD39","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":49165,"likes":0,"metadata":{"p_key":"100959","p_author":"agentparsec","p_authorkey":"1002617","p_urlkey":"316669","p_title":"I Need A Charger! -- Post-Mortem","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD39","p_time":"1503364650","p_likes":"0","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1002617","us_name":"agentparsec","us_username":"agentparsec","event_start":"1501200000","event_key":"74","event_name":"LD 39"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD39","removed_author":false},"_superparent":32802,"_trust":13,"author":2617,"body":"Post-mortem for my LD39 entry, [I Need A Charger!](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/39\/i-need-a-charger) (There's still time to play it!)\n\n![inac_ss_01.png](\/\/\/raw\/93a\/z\/8f98.png)\n\n# Things that went well\n- Music, as always.  This is the first time I've used Reaper as my music writing tool (my old software stopped working after a hard drive crash), and I was pleased with the results.  It was a good test of its abilities.\n- The random map generator works well, even if it isn't balanced.  I was happy enough that I got it working in time, but I also have code in place that allows it to be used with different sized maps, allowing for larger cities and such.\n- All the random shop names, and each one has a unique purchasable item (if you have to buy something to use their wifi).  It's all text, but I feel like it really added something to the gameplay to make it more fun.\n- The phone interface worked great, and I have enough knowledge about how camera layers work in Unity that I was able to get mini maps and such working accurately and displaying different things.\n\n# Things that didn't go well\n- Graphics are always a weak point for me.  Although I felt I did okay with making the phone interface look suitably authentic, the game graphics themselves are pretty bad.  The buildings don't even look like buildings.\n- The gameplay is a little confusing, so it should have had some kind of tutorial, but there was no way I could do it with the time I had left at the end.\n- The game can feel boring in spots when you're looking around for the shops.  There were probably a lot of ways I could have made things more interesting, but I just didn't have time to implement things.  I should have at least made the player move faster (and the battery drain quicker in exchange).\n\n# Things to change if I were to make a post-compo version\n- As stated above, faster player and slightly faster battery drain to compensate.\n- Allow the player to select different map sizes, with a smaller map used for a tutorial.\n- I wanted people wandering the streets and traffic to avoid.  Maybe with such obstacles, I wouldn't even need to increase the battery drain.\n- I wanted to have a feature where you could do things on the phone to reduce battery usage, such as dim the screen or turn off data connections.  Then the game would function as an instructional tool as well.\n- More usefulness to the GPS.  Right now, all it does is show your position, but it'd be nice if it also kept track of the path you took through the city, or marked important locations you've visited.\n- Having one outlet always at your starting position, so that you can always default back to it if you can't find another one... so long as you remember where you started (or the GPS is updated as per the previous change).","comments":0,"created":"2017-08-22T01:01:57Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":49165,"love":0,"meta":[],"modified":"2017-08-22T01:17:30Z","name":"I Need A Charger! -- Post-Mortem","node-timestamp":"2017-08-22T01:17:30Z","parent":44260,"parents":[1,5,9,32802,44260],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/39\/i-need-a-charger\/i-need-a-charger-post-mortem","published":"2017-08-22T01:17:30Z","scope":"public","slug":"i-need-a-charger-post-mortem","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":141211},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"49165","n_urlkey":"316669","n_parent":"44260","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/39\/i-need-a-charger\/i-need-a-charger-post-mortem","n_slug":"i-need-a-charger-post-mortem","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"2617","n_created":"1503363717","n_modified":"1503364650","n_version":"141211","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/39\/i-need-a-charger\/i-need-a-charger-post-mortem","text":"Post-mortem for my LD39 entry, [I Need A Charger!](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/39\/i-need-a-charger) (There's still time to play it!)\n\n![inac_ss_01.png](\/\/\/raw\/93a\/z\/8f98.png)\n\n# Things that went well\n- Music, as always.  This is the first time I've used Reaper as my music writing tool (my old software stopped working after a hard drive crash), and I was pleased with the results.  It was a good test of its abilities.\n- The random map generator works well, even if it isn't balanced.  I was happy enough that I got it working in time, but I also have code in place that allows it to be used with different sized maps, allowing for larger cities and such.\n- All the random shop names, and each one has a unique purchasable item (if you have to buy something to use their wifi).  It's all text, but I feel like it really added something to the gameplay to make it more fun.\n- The phone interface worked great, and I have enough knowledge about how camera layers work in Unity that I was able to get mini maps and such working accurately and displaying different things.\n\n# Things that didn't go well\n- Graphics are always a weak point for me.  Although I felt I did okay with making the phone interface look suitably authentic, the game graphics themselves are pretty bad.  The buildings don't even look like buildings.\n- The gameplay is a little confusing, so it should have had some kind of tutorial, but there was no way I could do it with the time I had left at the end.\n- The game can feel boring in spots when you're looking around for the shops.  There were probably a lot of ways I could have made things more interesting, but I just didn't have time to implement things.  I should have at least made the player move faster (and the battery drain quicker in exchange).\n\n# Things to change if I were to make a post-compo version\n- As stated above, faster player and slightly faster battery drain to compensate.\n- Allow the player to select different map sizes, with a smaller map used for a tutorial.\n- I wanted people wandering the streets and traffic to avoid.  Maybe with such obstacles, I wouldn't even need to increase the battery drain.\n- I wanted to have a feature where you could do things on the phone to reduce battery usage, such as dim the screen or turn off data connections.  Then the game would function as an instructional tool as well.\n- More usefulness to the GPS.  Right now, all it does is show your position, but it'd be nice if it also kept track of the path you took through the city, or marked important locations you've visited.\n- Having one outlet always at your starting position, so that you can always default back to it if you can't find another one... so long as you remember where you started (or the GPS is updated as per the previous change).","title":"I Need A Charger! -- Post-Mortem","wayback_source":[]}