{"author_name":"glenaskey","cat":"LD #30","comments":[],"epoch":1408929780,"likes":2,"metadata":{"p_key":"26867","p_author":"glenaskey","p_authorkey":"29019","p_urlkey":"62303","p_title":"LD30 \u2013 CONET!","p_cat":"LD #30","p_event":"LD30","p_time":"1408929780","p_likes":"2","p_comments":"0","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"29019","us_name":"glenaskey","us_username":"glenaskey","event_start":"1408665600","event_key":"24","event_name":"LD30"},"text":"

My entry for LD30 is up! This marks the third time I have entered into LD48, but the first time that I felt confident enough with the tools I was using (Unity and Blender) to really be proud of what I made.<\/p>\n

http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/ludum-dare-30\/?action=preview&uid=29019<\/a><\/p>\n

Process<\/h3>\n

Secondary themes I decided on for “Connected Worlds” were as follows:<\/p>\n

–Hierarchy\u00a0<\/strong>I interpreted the theme to represent hierarchies and pecking orders; each individual in a hierarchy\u00a0has a connection to those above\/below but can live distinct experiences. I loosely based each level (even the ones I hadn’t the time to make) on an individual’s actions in a corporate structure.<\/p>\n

In terms of the mechanics in the game:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. this means that at the bottom you are pushing buttons (flipping colours),<\/li>\n
  2. above that you are doing manual labour (moving blocks)<\/li>\n
  3. above that you are involved in sales (the cubes get more valuable [bigger] the fewer you have of them)<\/li>\n
  4. above that is the process of design (you can control\u00a0how platforms move)<\/li>\n
  5. and above this is the requirement to do all of those things at once (had to remove one element from my final level)<\/li>\n <\/ol>\n

    –Network\u00a0<\/strong>the console represents the gateway for the\u00a0connection between worlds, and the idea\u00a0that things online can have a tangible effect to things offline.\u00a0Connections + Network = CONET.<\/p>\n

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

    –Contrast\/Opposites\u00a0<\/strong>There are only three colours in the net (excluding the console) blue, red and green. blue doesn’t change, but red and green can be, and are treated as opposites.<\/p>\n

    Mechanics<\/h3>\n

    The game mechanics are as follows:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Levels\u00a0<\/strong>are mirrored in size between the net and the real world, important items (doors, ladders) are placed\u00a0at the same distances.<\/li>\n
    2. Colours\u00a0<\/strong>Red = off, Green = on. A green item will have a positive action on a real-world item located in the same relative space.<\/li>\n
    3. Pressure Plates<\/strong> will flip the colour of all Red\/Green elements in the level to the opposite colour, but will not change itself. If they are placed over a door, the door will open when the plate is green.<\/li>\n
    4. Cubes\u00a0<\/strong>can be moved by the player and used to open doors\/perform actions in the real world, they are not affected by gravity. Cubes can also be resized.<\/li>\n
    5. Recycler\u00a0<\/strong>putting a cube in the recyler will destroy it but make all other cubes in the level larger.<\/li>\n
    6. Tris\u00a0<\/strong>(triangular prisms) will move along a set path provided they are the colour green. The colour can be changed with pressure plates. (there are blue Tris as well, but their movement cannot be changed)<\/li>\n <\/ol>\n

      \"Red=locked<\/a><\/p>\n

      Summary<\/h3>\n

      I am happy with how CONET\u00a0turned out, I would like to have made some more complex levels to better use the mechanics I had made, but it turns out that designing them has a few challenges, as does my flaky process of setting them up.<\/p>\n

      The aesthetic meets what I wanted and everything looks reasonably sharp, though I had to get lazy with some of the models. I never made the time put in sound effects, which is disappointing, because its always fun recording popping noises. I also never implemented the door’s swing animation, so it just disintegrates, but I am very happy with the other transitions I made; namely the shrinking cube and the moving elements.<\/p>\n

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

       <\/p>\n

      My code has its ups and downs, I had a bit too much fun making the script for moving elements and ended up re-writing it three times, but I had to have some fun. The code isn’t as flexible as it could be; a lot of things are hard-coded with different tags for example, despite me storing the level number and other relevant info, whereas each ‘net’ level has the same tag but still teleports correctly when you fall off (which I was surprised to find out after forgetting I wrote that in). There are also too many scripts for the amount of work that gets done, but it seems to work with\u00a0stability so I won’t complain.<\/p>\n

      There is also no real end state\/fail state. ~<\/p>\n

      In conclusion; yes this is\u00a0my best\u00a0LD yet. Until next time!<\/p>\n

       <\/p>","time":"August 24th, 2014 8:23 pm","title":"LD30 \u2013 CONET!"}