![\"title\"](\"http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/title19.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n The Good<\/strong><\/p>\n – While the game was made in Game Maker, this was my first game that was made almost completely with code. \u00a0Previous games I’ve made in GM were mostly generated with drag ‘n drop functions, so it was nice to get knee deep in the code this time (which I discovered was a lot more flexible to work with)<\/p>\n – I’m glad I was able to keep the art simple, while not completely bland. \u00a0A talented artist I am not, but I could at least make a decent stick figure.<\/p>\n – Getting the basic mechanic to work was a lot more complicated than I had originally thought. \u00a0When the player would kill a ninja by typing a specific letter, ALL of the ninjas with the same letter would die as well. \u00a0I didn’t want it to work like this, considering I was using repeated letters to try to make certain levels easier for the player to beat on the fly. \u00a0Eventually, I was able to get it to work, and I think the game benefited greatly from it.<\/p>\n – \u00a0I’m happy I had time to add in sound effects and music to the game. \u00a0I felt it gave it a bit of charm, and made it a lot more exciting. \u00a0I intentionally made the title music super cheesy, almost reminiscent of early Flash games you’d play online. \u00a0The punching sound effects added quite a bit of “oomph” to each hit as well, which I felt was very satisfying.<\/p>\n – I tried to keep the levels as basic as possible, and I think I succeeded for the most part. \u00a0Originally I intended to have random letters thrown about in one level, and the player was tasked with reading all of the letters and typing them out in one second. \u00a0I also planned on having symbols and numbers in the mix as well. \u00a0However, upon consideration, I opted to have the levels consist of simple words, like “KILL” or easy patterns, like “ASDF” in order to give the player more of a fighting chance.<\/p>\n – Originally I didn’t have the clock timer that counted down to the end of the round. \u00a0There was just the bar at the top of the screen that would deplete until the round was over. \u00a0A lot of people who I had playtest the game seemed to really enjoy having the clock there, though. \u00a0Knowing you finished the round with 0.01 seconds to spare is an exciting feeling, and adds to the sense of accomplishment.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Bad<\/strong><\/p>\n – \u00a0It’s been told to me a thousand times, and I can’t say I disagree with it, but the game is WAY too hard. \u00a0Turns out making a game where the player has to process information and snap decisions in ONE SECOND is way too much to ask. \u00a0Most players resorted to simple trial and error, as the rounds were way too quick, and the hints were a tad too vague. \u00a0This wasn’t exactly my intention. \u00a0Some players seemed to enjoy the challenge, but most just left frustrated.<\/p>\n – Starting the game over every time the player died was not a smart idea. \u00a0It only added to the frustration of an already super difficult game.<\/p>\n – \u00a0The static images also made the game a little bland. \u00a0It makes it immediately apparent that the game was made on a time budget, and in competitions like this, I try to avoid that feeling as much as possible.<\/p>\n – \u00a0I literally pulled the story out of my ass in the last half-hour or so. \u00a0I wanted to inject a lot more humor into it, and make it a sort of parody cheesy ninja movie, but alas, time was short.<\/p>\n – \u00a0The backgrounds didn’t come out like I would have wanted them to. \u00a0Like I said before, I’m no artist, but even still I probably could have come up with something better. \u00a0The warm colors of the main background kind of make the red ninjas blend in a bit, which is absolutely NOT what you want when the focus of the game is to process information and act on it as quickly as possible.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n