{"author_name":"pjchardt","cat":"LD #24","comments":[],"epoch":1347639840,"likes":1,"metadata":{"p_key":"51461","p_author":"pjchardt","p_authorkey":"13158","p_urlkey":"87154","p_title":"Post Mortem: Evolving","p_cat":"LD #24","p_event":"LD24","p_time":"1347639840","p_likes":"1","p_comments":"0","p_status":"UPD5","us_key":"13158","us_name":"pjchardt","us_username":"pjchardt","event_start":"1345766400","event_key":"12","event_name":"LD24"},"text":"

This was my first foray into the LD compo and my first postmortem, so here goes…<\/span><\/p>\n

What went right:<\/span><\/p>\n

I spent about 2 hours thinking about the theme<\/span><\/strong> and how I could marry the theme to the game mechanics before I did any asset development. \u00a0I did not get started until around noon on Saturday. \u00a0Even then, instead of diving right into code or asset creation, I just sat on my back porch for several hours and thought about the theme. \u00a0This allowed me to focus on what mechanic I wanted my game to have and how it would be influenced by\/reenforce the theme.<\/span><\/p>\n

I spent the majority of the first day on the mechanic.<\/span><\/strong> \u00a0I did not worry about art assets, music, sound or quality code during this time. \u00a0Instead I just played around with the player movement and the mechanic of shrinking\/growing based on what the player was doing. \u00a0Once I had the main mechanic nailed down, it was pretty easy to knock out levels utilizing it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I set a clear scope that was very manageable.<\/span><\/strong> \u00a0I really wanted to be able to work on my game casually, and spend time tweaking whatever I felt needed work. \u00a0So I really tried to set a goal and scope that I felt was easily achievable. \u00a0It turned out for the most part I was correct. \u00a0This led to a fun weekend with ample time for error correction (aside the physics problems below).<\/span><\/p>\n

What went wrong:<\/span><\/p>\n

NO PLAYTESTING!<\/span><\/strong> and therefore floaty physics. \u00a0I don\u2019t have much experience with platformers. \u00a0The physics and movement of the player felt pretty smooth to me, but of course I was developing it. \u00a0I did not have anyone play the game until about 3 hours before the deadline. \u00a0It was readily apparent when they played that my physics for the player were floaty and slippery. \u00a0Unfortunately, because I did not have anyone play it beforehand, it left me little time to fix the issues.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the rules say you must create your own assets, <\/span>YOU MUST CREATE YOUR OWN ASSETS! <\/span><\/strong>\u00a0This was just a stupid oversight from me. \u00a0For some reason I did not think about the music in the game on the same level as art and code. \u00a0So Saturday evening I picked out a nice song online that was free to use through the creative commons license. \u00a0Then, as I was sitting in front of my computer on Sunday, it dawned on me that I had to create my own music. \u00a0I have no music making tools, and no knowledge on how to make game music. \u00a0Luckily I recorded myself whistling in Audacity and tweaked it enough to make it work. \u00a0Had my game not had a minimalist style, I would have been less fortunate.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is unclear for the player what to do<\/span><\/strong>.<\/strong> \u00a0Which can be equated to poor level design. \u00a0This goes back to playtesting, but in 48 hours there is not a lot of time. \u00a0I should be more sensitive to a new players perspective, and build levels in such a way as to lead them where they need to go. \u00a0The game should be challenging by design, not by developer oversight.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thanks for reading. \u00a0I had a great time. \u00a0Here is a link to the game: <\/span>http:\/\/www.ludumdare.com\/compo\/ludum-dare-24\/?action=preview&uid=13158<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Pjchardt<\/span><\/p>","time":"September 14th, 2012 11:24 am","title":"Post Mortem: Evolving"}