{"assets":[],"author_link":"author\/seconddimension\/","author_name":"SecondDimension","cat":"LD #28","categories":["LD #28"],"comments":[],"epoch":1387719180,"event":"LD28","likes":7,"metadata":{"p_key":"80901","p_author":"SecondDimension","p_authorkey":"0","p_urlkey":"290018","p_title":"Castle Uno Post-Mortem","p_cat":"LD #28","p_event":"LD28","p_time":"1387719180","p_likes":"7","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":null,"us_name":null,"us_username":null,"event_start":"1386892800","event_key":"20","event_name":"LD28"},"source_url":"2013\/12\/22\/castle-uno-post-mortem\/","text":"

Here is a Post Mortem of my game Castle Uno, a mini platform adventure in a dream-like castle. The idea is that each room contains a gadget or item that will make the room unique. I sort-of succeeded in this, so read on for more details, or play it HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

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What Went Right<\/strong><\/p>\n

Controls\nDespite some issues with the physics, I was happy with the controls overall, especially with the 360 controller. The jumping was variable and responsive once you got used to it, and the wall climbing made me feel like a platforming ninja. I added a few signs in the game, challenging players to make it to some high places; this happened because I accidentally made scenery that you could climb on, and when I realised I wasted an hour of development time trying to see if I could get up there.<\/p>\n

Graphics\nWell I certainly didn\u2019t expect to be writing this here, when the other members of the team can\u2019t take part, the art is the bit I dread. I always start thinking \u201cI can\u2019t do art\u201d. \u00a0So I went back to using Excel and making graphics with shapes, and it ended up working really well. I\u2019ve had quite a few positive comments on the graphics, and I think that is the main thing I can take away from this LD; it\u2019s a real confidence boost.<\/p>\n

Mood & Music\nI always enjoy writing music, and I was pleased with the simple melody I came up with for this game. It created the sort of dream-like atmosphere that I like. It made me go back and change the colour palette of the game slightly to fit the overall mood<\/p>\n

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What Went Wrong<\/strong><\/p>\n

Time & Biology\nThe game was definitely meant to be a compo entry, my team was busy so I did it all on my own, all the gameplay, art and music was done over the weekend. But unfortunately things didn\u2019t go quite so well; I had a cold and a damaged muscle in my arm, so I felt horrible most of the weekend and that meant I was way behind by Sunday night. But instead of giving up, I pressed on into the Jam, and overall I\u2019m glad I made that decision, as I ended up with a finished game.<\/p>\n

Gadgets & Level Design\nThe idea was that each room would have 1 special item, as in \u201cyou only get one\u2026 something\u201d. In reality this was a bit over-ambitious, and although I finished a few I\u2019m that I\u2019m happy with, this link to the theme got more and more tenuous as the levels went on. I had the same problem with the level design, as it was closely linked with the special gadget or item. I think I managed to make the game coherent, but it\u2019s nowhere near my initial design.<\/p>\n

Boxes & Physics\nThe physics of the game \u2013 running, jumping, climbing and pushing etc \u2013 were OK I think, fairly robust, but far from perfect. The boxes especially have caused a few people problems and it was possible to get stuck inside one. It is difficult to feel like a hero when you can\u2019t outwit a box, so sorry about that! The wall jumping and sliding wasn\u2019t perfect either, if I did it again I would use a gravity change for the wall slides, instead of creating and destroying invisible platforms<\/p>\n

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Conclusion<\/strong>\nOverall I\u2019m really happy with the game and the responses, and it has taught me some lessons for sure. It has taught me that I shouldn\u2019t start a project assuming that I\u2019m terrible at art, that maybe I can do it. The other things I\u2019ve learned are about pushing boxes and climbing walls, and should help me do better next time. It was tough to get the game finished this time, but I already want to do it again<\/p>\n

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Castle Uno Submission Page<\/a><\/p>\n

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7<\/a><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n

\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThis entry was posted\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\ton Sunday, December 22nd, 2013 at 1:33 pm\t\t\t\t\t\tand is filed under LD #28<\/a>.\n\t\t\t\t\t\tYou can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0<\/a> feed.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tYou can leave a response<\/a>, or trackback<\/a> from your own site.\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/small>\n<\/p>","time":"December 22nd, 2013 1:33 pm","title":"Castle Uno Post-Mortem","title_was_empty":false}