{"author_link":"\/users\/destroyertech","author_name":"DestroyerTech","author_uid":"destroyertech","comments":[],"epoch":1697022804,"event":"LD54","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":382143,"likes":4,"metadata":{"p_key":"203869","p_author":"DestroyerTech","p_authorkey":"1260902","p_urlkey":"438466","p_title":"Reflection on my narrative text-based entry (ft. tiny bit of programmer art)","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD54","p_time":"1697022804","p_likes":"4","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1260902","us_name":"DestroyerTech","us_username":"destroyertech","event_start":"1695945600","event_key":"117","event_name":"Ludum Dare 54"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD54","removed_author":false},"_superparent":371459,"_trust":1,"author":260902,"body":"*Note: this reflection can also be found on the page for my [entry](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/54\/the-confines\/).*\n\n### Beginning the game jam\n\nAt the start, as many people did, I thought 'hmm... space' and pretty quickly started leaning towards some kind of space setting, possibly about smuggling goodies between various destinations.  But I quickly ran into a problem: artistic skill (or an extreme lack thereof).  I tried doing some pixel art in GIMP but (a) it took me ages to even come up with a few assets, and (b) they really weren't... good.  At all. (see below)\n\n![Screenshot 2023-10-06 223100.png](\/\/\/raw\/62b\/f3\/z\/5fdd9.png)\n*Shelved space game*\n\nThe other big problem was that I was pretty sure even if I was able to create reasonable art for it, my ideas for making the game halfway engaging just weren't possible in the time constraints (I was pretty sure I was overscoping).\n\n### Beginning again, and getting to the end\n\nSo after the first 6 hours or so, I pushed that aside and turned to my alternative idea: a narrative, dialogue based game set inside a prison cell - which ticked the boxes: not much art required (1 static background, static furniture, 1 or 2 animated human silhouettes); and hopefully something \"complete\" might be achievable, *even* taking into account my level of skill and experience (none to extremely low).\n\n![programmer-art.gif](\/\/\/raw\/62b\/f3\/z\/602b7.gif)\n*Programmer art: 1 animated human silhouette coming up :white_check_mark:*\n\nIn the end of it, honestly I'm pretty happy.  The dialogue tree is a fair bit more linear than I'd have liked (even with me spending 5 hours on the final night to write 70% of it), but I still managed to get done almost the amount of content I was hoping for.  Also a small victory: my 'programmer art' actually looks almost moderately passable (obviously has nothing on 90% of entrants, but a huge step up from my last LD, where the 'characters' were... pixellated circles).  One thing it's definitely missing is audio - I would also have liked to add music, since composing music to go with a story\/setting is absolutely something I enjoy, just didn't have time to do it this time around sadly.\n\n### What have I learnt?\n\nThere were a lot of 'firsts' in this LD for me, including:\n- First time using Godot 4 (or any mainstream game engine for that matter)\n- First time making a UI for a game\n- First time making a dialogue tree\n- Pretty much my first time making any sort of graphics\n\nAnd, I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but since LD49 (where I submitted my first ever 'game') - I've pretty much done... nothing in the game dev space - making this my second attempt at a game, ever.  Honestly, I'm well aware that my entry is poor quality *in relative terms* - but I learnt last time that, ___particularly when you're just starting out, results don't matter that much___. This time around, I've once again learnt a huge amount in one weekend, and unlike last time, I like to think that I actually came out of this LD with something possibly resembling a 'minimum viable product', so I feel like this has been a really rewarding experience overall.","comments":0,"created":"2023-10-11T10:56:33Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":382143,"love":4,"love-timestamp":"2023-10-11T20:37:33Z","meta":[],"modified":"2023-10-11T20:37:33Z","name":"Reflection on my narrative text-based entry (ft. tiny bit of programmer art)","node-timestamp":"2023-10-11T11:13:24Z","parent":371501,"parents":[1,5,9,371459,371501],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/54\/the-confines\/reflection-on-my-narrative-text-based-entry-ft-tiny-bit-of-programmer-art","published":"2023-10-11T11:13:24Z","scope":"public","slug":"reflection-on-my-narrative-text-based-entry-ft-tiny-bit-of-programmer-art","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":1190014},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"382143","n_urlkey":"438466","n_parent":"371501","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/54\/the-confines\/reflection-on-my-narrative-text-based-entry-ft-tiny-bit-of-programmer-art","n_slug":"reflection-on-my-narrative-text-","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"260902","n_created":"1697021793","n_modified":"1697056653","n_version":"1190014","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/54\/the-confines\/reflection-on-my-narrative-text-based-entry-ft-tiny-bit-of-programmer-art","text":"*Note: this reflection can also be found on the page for my [entry](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/54\/the-confines\/).*\n\n### Beginning the game jam\n\nAt the start, as many people did, I thought 'hmm... space' and pretty quickly started leaning towards some kind of space setting, possibly about smuggling goodies between various destinations.  But I quickly ran into a problem: artistic skill (or an extreme lack thereof).  I tried doing some pixel art in GIMP but (a) it took me ages to even come up with a few assets, and (b) they really weren't... good.  At all. (see below)\n\n![Screenshot 2023-10-06 223100.png](\/\/\/raw\/62b\/f3\/z\/5fdd9.png)\n*Shelved space game*\n\nThe other big problem was that I was pretty sure even if I was able to create reasonable art for it, my ideas for making the game halfway engaging just weren't possible in the time constraints (I was pretty sure I was overscoping).\n\n### Beginning again, and getting to the end\n\nSo after the first 6 hours or so, I pushed that aside and turned to my alternative idea: a narrative, dialogue based game set inside a prison cell - which ticked the boxes: not much art required (1 static background, static furniture, 1 or 2 animated human silhouettes); and hopefully something \"complete\" might be achievable, *even* taking into account my level of skill and experience (none to extremely low).\n\n![programmer-art.gif](\/\/\/raw\/62b\/f3\/z\/602b7.gif)\n*Programmer art: 1 animated human silhouette coming up :white_check_mark:*\n\nIn the end of it, honestly I'm pretty happy.  The dialogue tree is a fair bit more linear than I'd have liked (even with me spending 5 hours on the final night to write 70% of it), but I still managed to get done almost the amount of content I was hoping for.  Also a small victory: my 'programmer art' actually looks almost moderately passable (obviously has nothing on 90% of entrants, but a huge step up from my last LD, where the 'characters' were... pixellated circles).  One thing it's definitely missing is audio - I would also have liked to add music, since composing music to go with a story\/setting is absolutely something I enjoy, just didn't have time to do it this time around sadly.\n\n### What have I learnt?\n\nThere were a lot of 'firsts' in this LD for me, including:\n- First time using Godot 4 (or any mainstream game engine for that matter)\n- First time making a UI for a game\n- First time making a dialogue tree\n- Pretty much my first time making any sort of graphics\n\nAnd, I'm almost embarrassed to admit it, but since LD49 (where I submitted my first ever 'game') - I've pretty much done... nothing in the game dev space - making this my second attempt at a game, ever.  Honestly, I'm well aware that my entry is poor quality *in relative terms* - but I learnt last time that, ___particularly when you're just starting out, results don't matter that much___. This time around, I've once again learnt a huge amount in one weekend, and unlike last time, I like to think that I actually came out of this LD with something possibly resembling a 'minimum viable product', so I feel like this has been a really rewarding experience overall.","title":"Reflection on my narrative text-based entry (ft. tiny bit of programmer art)","wayback_source":[]}