{"author_name":"Pickens Inc.","cat":"LD #33","comments":[],"epoch":1440793140,"likes":2,"metadata":{"p_key":"13234","p_author":"Pickens Inc.","p_authorkey":"25346","p_urlkey":"48490","p_title":"VINDICTAE: A (hideously long) Ludum Dare Post-Mortem\/ Journey of self-discovery, reminiscence, embar","p_cat":"LD #33","p_event":"LD33","p_time":"1440793140","p_likes":"2","p_comments":"0","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"25346","us_name":"Pickens Inc.","us_username":"pickensincorporated","event_start":"1440115200","event_key":"29","event_name":"LD33"},"text":"

Hello!<\/p>\n

So, I don’t really feel the need to put a second-by-second schedule of what it is I did, and I lost a lot of time in the end due to visiting family, but here is a post-mortem dissection and reflection as to the use of my time during the development of Vindictae (working title, not good with names).<\/p>\n

Now, I’ve always had a problem with themes. The last LD I did was the ‘Entire Game on One Screen’ one, and I\u00a0hated<\/strong>\u00a0that theme, despite (after a lengthy period of time) getting a good idea and making something quite fun. It also always took me a couple hours just to think of something.<\/p>\n

So it’s ironic that, although I saw this theme and disliked it, I proceeded to get the idea rather quickly. It was amusing that I was originally doing the typical ‘list words relating to monster, what relates to them, etc.’ and the ‘look around your environment for inspiration’ malarkey, couldn’t think of anything, then my idea just came to me, completely out of the blue. So I’ve no idea how concept people do it.<\/p>\n

My idea, in the end, was to make a survival game where you were a ghost wisp thing being besieged by an onslaught of soldiers with varying weapons, with the only way of defense would be to take over the body of soldiers and use their weapons, parading them around as a bullet sponge until either you get bored or they are more lead than flesh, then move on to the next.<\/p>\n

Day 1:
\n <\/strong><\/p>\n

The movement was implemented, and I lazily used the GM Studio particle system. This was easy enough. Flying around was fun!<\/p>\n

\"1\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the issue that arose was that I fell into the deadly trap of realising I had never done sophisticated top down AI before. After many, many hours, I had about four uses of the mp_potential_step_object function being used along with the basic bullet and firing system, because I’m too dumb to figure out how to do it otherwise, but it was very broken. No time to fix it, though for I had a family member to visit in hospital. For context, I am not heartless, and also I’m Seventeen, so I still live with my family, etc.
\n But I did have the basic dumb chasing AI in!<\/p>\n

\"2\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Day 2 : Return of Day<\/strong><\/p>\n

The next day I woke up bright and early, and spent all my time till lunch finishing AI and implementing the basic possession system and bullet system. Because of my rigorous (and mostly tedious) preparation the day before, this was almost totally bug free, (except for the movement while possessed, which had such buggy firing I was confused as hell, before realising it was actually my space bar that had broken from spamming it so much or something, not my code, haha) so there’s that! Hours before the evening, I had this to show for it, before having to visit another family member for the evening:<\/p>\n

\"4\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Day 3 : Something Something Final Daystinaytion<\/strong><\/p>\n

Waking up insanely early (for me) I realized, even with ~18 hours to go, I wasn’t going to finish this ‘army’ thing quite so nicely, so I basically go into the idea of just having a survival map with the idea of just racking up as many souls as possible before your inevitable demise. So, I made a quite nice soldier who fired a rifle thing, rather than a pistol thing, put them in a test map, and showed it off!<\/p>\n

\"5\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Spooky slaughters! Pretty fun, too, and at this point I am really happy with everything save the graphics, which I have stated before as vomit-inducing, whereupon I also made a destructive enemy, who can give other enemies access to you when you hide in walls, demonstrated:<\/p>\n

\"6\"<\/a><\/p>\n

So, with some time to spare, as I have already disregarded audio as a luxury for the talented, I made some levels, and finished my game’s polish at half 2 in the morning, to submit.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

…then promptly realising the next day that I’d forgotten to add the actual ‘play’ button to the menu! Good stuff!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

So then, now for the obligatory reflection!<\/p>\n

What went right?<\/strong><\/p>\n