{"author_name":"ShuddaHaddaLottaFun","cat":"LD #26","comments":[],"epoch":1367451360,"likes":1,"metadata":{"p_key":"42841","p_author":"ShuddaHaddaLottaFun","p_authorkey":"504378","p_urlkey":"78476","p_title":"NightCap (aka Drunk Hipster) Post-Mortem","p_cat":"LD #26","p_event":"LD26","p_time":"1367451360","p_likes":"1","p_comments":"0","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"504378","us_name":"ShuddaHaddaLottaFun","us_username":"ShuddaHaddaLottaFun","event_start":"1366934400","event_key":"16","event_name":"LD26"},"text":"

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Ludum Dare 26 Entry – NightCap. \u00a0That’s our game. \u00a0You can see it\u00a0HERE<—<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0And by “see” I mean “Play” of course.<\/p>\n

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(originally posted on www.shuddahaddalottafun.com)<\/p>\n

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I sit, eyes focused on the once pristine white mac keyboard, now soiled by ramen noodle juice and finger smudges.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s hard to describe my feelings after this experience.\u00a0 Perhaps I\u2019m still too close, having yet sorted though all the data in my head.\u00a0 I think an even balance of the pride and satisfaction creating what we did, and the disappointment with the things that didn\u2019t make it, or just bugged out for whatever magical \u2018the world is against me\u2019 reasons caused the feeling I have.\u00a0 But this is jumping the gun\u2026\u00a0 or shark\u2026 or shark guns\u2026 what about the beginning.<\/p>\n

Our background is in video production, sketch comedy.\u00a0 Video game development is an entirely new venture for us. \u00a0 When it all boils down, Ludum Dare, although incredibly challenging was probably the best way for us to start.\u00a0 It forced us to learn new programs, technics and theories for game dev that otherwise we would\u2019ve been very slow to get into.\u00a0 We started with the warm-up weekend, making a game about a penguin that throws corndogs (may very well be a WIP still).\u00a0 On the Thursday before the Jam, we finally had a build where you could move the penguin and throw a corndog (with some minor bug issues including Infinite CornDog Syndrome).\u00a0 The head hits the table.\u00a0 How do we make a game in 72 hours?<\/p>\n

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\"Infinite<\/a><\/dt>\n
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Infinite CornDog Syndrome. yeah, it’s my indie prog rock band. We’re kinda huge in Europe.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/dd>\n <\/dl>\n <\/div>\n

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Our start times are 9pm and 10pm, our team living on the east coast and the mid-west (US).\u00a0 We started a skype with a third team member (Drew\u2026 Oh by the way, I\u2019m Alex (programmer\/music).\u00a0 This is Mikhail(art).\u00a0 Nice to meet you.) who we knew had a busy weekend ahead, so we wanted to make sure we got his involvement in the idea phase.\u00a0 Eagerly we wait, shaking with anticipation of what creative juices would be\u2026 juiced\u2026 from the inspiring theme.\u00a0 Refresh.\u00a0 What\u2019s the theme?\u00a0 Minimalism\u2026 Minimalism?<\/p>\n

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\u2026 Shit.<\/p>\n

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Who\u2019s idea was that!?\u00a0 We were so excited about doing the LD, then the theme was announced, and we didn\u2019t care anymore.\u00a0 It just didn\u2019t inspire us.<\/p>\n

Side Note:\u00a0 Before when I said video game development was an entirely new venture for us\u2026 I lied.\u00a0 Well, slightly.\u00a0 It is a new adventure for\u00a0us<\/i>, just not for me.\u00a0 I\u2019ve made one game before, and it was a minimalistic platformer made with GameSalad.\u00a0 I chose to make it a minimalism style game from the beginning because I knew I didn\u2019t have an artist, and I wanted to be able to say, \u201cyea, no, it\u2019s supposed to look like that.\u201c I didn\u2019t want to do another minimalism game.<\/p>\n

We started the Google image search, trying to find ideas and art that would inspire us, but not much luck there.\u00a0 There was inspiration to be found in our skype meeting however.\u00a0 You see one of us, and we won\u2019t name names, apparently thought that the human body turned beer into oxygen, making it necessary to drink a lot of it.\u00a0 So the idea started to get thrown around.\u00a0 How about if you are drunk, and when you drink things become simpler and more minimalistic, making it easier to get around?<\/p>\n

But we really didn\u2019t know how we would go about doing that; it seemed complicated.\u00a0 Moving on.\u00a0 Idea after idea was pitched, but none of them were really games.\u00a0 They were art styles, themes, but not gameplay ideas.\u00a0 So we went back to the drinking idea.\u00a0 Let\u2019s do a bit of that\u2026\u00a0 then do a game.<\/p>\n

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\"Initial<\/a><\/dt>\n
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Initial concept art. Step 1.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/dd>\n <\/dl>\n <\/div>\n

After 4 hours, we had an idea and a plan to make it happen.<\/p>\n

Saturday morning things seemed to go well, getting a temp character in, and the flow to change drunk stages.\u00a0 But then it seemed like issue after issue.\u00a0 Player spawned super high off the ground. Drinking animation wouldn\u2019t play.\u00a0 Player location wouldn\u2019t stay correct between scenes.\u00a0 But I\u2019m sure all of this is common in game development, and this is the middle of the story anyway.\u00a0 Who cares, what\u2019s important is the beginning and the end, so I\u2019ll skip to that.\u00a0 The end\u2026 we already did the beginning\u2026<\/p>\n

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\"blocking<\/a><\/dt>\n
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blocking out the scene… tehe… get it?… cause they’re blocksohnevermind…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/dd>\n <\/dl>\n <\/div>\n

Sunday is done, we are at work on Monday, and there is still a lot to do.\u00a0 I left a couple hours early from work to start doing music and sfx.\u00a0 Luckily Drew was around and able to do the VO work.\u00a0 By the late afternoon, we were pretty aware of what was and was not going to make it into the game.\u00a0 After cutting out some art, a puzzle, we were ready to upload it to the web and call it a day.<\/p>\n

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I fink, I shuld drink summore…<\/p><\/blockquote>\n <\/dd>\n <\/dl>\n <\/div>\n

Then we realized audio was missing.\u00a0 It worked well in the engine, but when publishing the game, they disappeared.\u00a0 I fiddled with it for about another hour without any idea what was wrong, and finally called it a day.\u00a0 Go to bed.<\/p>\n

In the end, of course we are disappointed in the incomplete art and the missing audio clips.\u00a0 That audio really tied the room together.\u00a0 But what we did was pretty awesome; we made a game, beginning to end.\u00a0 We took a theme we hated and created an idea that wasn\u2019t just squares and circles.\u00a0 Mikhail made some great art, even though he\u2019s never done pixel art before and didn\u2019t have any sort of drawing tablet.\u00a0 He\u2019s going to be doing more pixel stuff in the future.\u00a0 Count on it.\u00a0 I said Count!<\/p>\n

So where do we go from here?\u00a0 Well you\u2019ll want to continue down this road and take a right at the Old Creek Mill.\u00a0 If you pass the schoolhouse, you\u2019ve gone to far.\u00a0 What?\u00a0 Oh the game stuff, right.<\/p>\n

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Will we complete NightCap?\u00a0 Well, a bit early to say, but if we don\u2019t we will still take a lot from what we learned with us.<\/p>\n

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Will we do another Ludum Dare? I think most definitely we will be joining you lot again down the road\u2026 but not past the schoolhouse\u2026 that\u2019s too far.<\/p>\n

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What about that penguin game? You mean, \u201cCorndog Tuxedo\u201d\u2026 we\u2019ll see\u2026 we\u2019ll see.<\/p>\n

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I want to thank everyone for playing the game!\u00a0 And the comments, they\u2019re great.\u00a0 You all have a wonderful day.\u00a0 Guns Up!<\/p>\n