The Collapse

After my failed attempt to make a video post mortem (video editing tools are just a pain in the ass) i’ll just write them down in a non-flashy manner.

Can't touch this

So, what went right?

In the given time, i was able to create and design a solid game concept that potientially could be fun. It has a continuous artstyle, although very generic at this point.

The game features a level editor, which actually consumed most time developing. I wanted to make sure to have a solid base to work on the game, which is for puzzle games obviously the level generation. It turned out to be quite useful. You can design levels fairly quick and immediately test them, which eases the level testing and balancing in the long run.

Also i am glad that i was able to spend some time working on a catchy soundtrack, although it is not very long and kind of repetitive.

What went wrong?

THIS went wrong

I got a lot of feedback that the game wont run correctly or crashes on startup. This was a fault in the coding, and still isn’t fixed completely at this point. But it should work for the vast majority currently, or at least i hope so.

Another disadvantage is the design of the levels, or rather, the order i released them in. I was getting used to the controls while developing and testing it, so they didn’t feel too difficult to me. I didnt realise that new players wouldn’t have enough time to get used to the controls and getting frustrated too quickly. Some of the earlier levels require you to control quite accurately, followed up by some rather easy levels.
This was partially due to designing the levels just few hours before the deadline. I should try saving up more time for that the next time.

Another result of the late implementation and testing of levels is the bump sound. At the point i realized it is quite annoying, and bugging at some points, it was too late to fix. However i didn’t want to remove it completely as it is important to have some audible feedback. I should have just made it less loud.

So, what are you going to do with it?

I will continue to work on it. I will make changes on things pointed out in the comments, mostly a more decent difficulty curve for the levels and better controls.

One thing that was bugging me with it though, was the art direction. I kind of like simple minimalist design, and it certainly works for a protoype for a game compo. But to capture more attention it’d need a more artsy design, something that will be recognized easily. So i was sitting down with a friend, who is concept artist, brainstorming about different themes, and he came up with a cool idea.

You will play a bacterium, or virus, and navigate through bovels and intestines. Fighting your way through to that one cell you need to infect. It will receive a new, more organic (quite literally) level design. That, however, requires a complete rewrite of the game, which i am working on currently. That theme is kind of neglecting the Escape topic, but the gameplay will basically stay the same.

I might be able to show some mockup, or ingame wip screens in the next couple of days.