The perfect cure for being ill, is clearly to write a game in 48 hours… So I am, as I’ve been meaning to do a game dev compo for a while.
Doing it pure, no base libraries or frameworks. Haxe and Flashdevelop will be the weapons of choice, Adode Photoshop Elements 6 will likely be the pixel wrangler.
Given said illness, its possible this might become a JAM entry or even not get done but if nothing else is should keep my mind of the feelings of nastiness.
So first 5 hours have gone since I got up and started.
Green and Red lines ftw
One idea started and killed as not feeling right, second started and the basic flow logic seems to be largely working as wanted. Next step is creating some objects to make it bit more interesting than a line going down the screen…
Illness has made the last hour or so hard but hopefuly a small break will kick that cobwebs from my head for the next 5 hours.
And managed to not click publish it seems… so erm late
Apart from some strange blue becoming green antics, the base systems and building objects seem to be working, next step. Add the outlet goal blocks and the game play element of getting a particular block and having to figure out how best to use it.
I’m RDP from a macbook at the moment which means i’ve lost print screen button… when I get a break I’ll figure it out.
Where I got to before getting some rest, the liquids now flow from the inlets over the map, following the objects in the world and mixing when they meet.
The model is far from perfect, but enough time has been spent on it, now I have to flesh out the game around it.
Two builder are in an empty level (1 inlet and outlet), each can be directed to move and build pipes the force the liquids from A to B.
The actual connecting of the built pipes is still rubbish and the interface is way too clicky, but in terms of the Alone side, its fundementally working, just needs puzzles and things to do.
Better piping, more intuitive ways of building the pipes is my next big thing, then a real puzzle level, then I’ll start on the Take This mechanic.
Finally added the Alone part so its actually follows the theme.
Still need to add items and more levels.
And it looks like arse, but its a relatively complete game with no pre code or assets so feeling fairly chuffed.
Just a few more hours now!
And I think I might possible have a name!
Lots of things are way below quality standards but the core design idea I wanted to play with, is there and its even fun at times.
Art and sound are minimal or non existant, and the controls needs some tuning. More Items was the intention and more UFOs ability but one of each has had to do for the contest.
There are only a few levels, and all are very simple. Thats an area that can be much expanded.
However as a builder / puzzle game part of the fun is just playing with the liquids.
2nd Dare, this time going for the Jam.
2 of us working on it, Debs and Deano. Both design, I’m code, she’s art.
Using own Haxe built 2D engine, that I’ve been working on, and a Ludum Dare is a great way to see if its ready.
As I’m jamming, i’ve spend the first hour since waking just thinking about the idea and setting up a project, checked the art path etc.
Lightwave 10.1 used with a script to cut a 3D model into tiles for the isometric renderer
Haxe and FlashDevelop the lingo and IDE
Existing frameworkd (closed source at the mo) being tested
Now to go from vague thoughts to a full idea and get into it proper.
Been getting some art ready (damn interchange format!), fiddling some basic materials and lighting, so figured I might as well use LW to make a title screen, as thats the key to any game! 😉
Few artifacts of the process I use to generate the art but looks pretty nice, its all actually tiles, autogenerated from a 3D scene.
Now to get some player animation frames and get some basic interaction going, then place my first NPC to explain whats going on.
When I started this ludum dare, I choose to do the opposite my last entry, rather than a compo all from scratch pure gameplay entry. To do a entry with fairly high production values but a more known story driven gameplay for the Jam.
Warning contains a picture of a naked woman!! *Correction its a naked man, don’t you hate when you make that mistake :O*
Originally I planned to have my good friend Debs helping with the design and doing the art as that felt like too much of single person job, but unfortunatly she could join me this weekend and so I had to go it alone!
The hardest path was always going to be me, as a crap artist producing anything remotely pretty, the only hope was that the Jam allows you to use outside resources and Daz3D came to the research. From some nice art there, I’ve wrangled them into a isometric sprite based engine, via Lightwave and a lot of fiddling and finally I have an animated character, playing an idle in the spawn point of my map.
Been more work that I thought it would, I got the base level tiles in quite quickly, so doing the character which are just a series of the same things felt easy but the actual process of getting the artwork through, the anim lined, the place on teh screen, the Tmx file objects working, all proved harder than I expect.
Buts its here, our hero for Escape from Purgatory is floating where she is meant to ready to venture forth.
Warned you she was nakid! 😛 And she is actually a he, I used the male model not the female. TBH at this many pixels and just the skeleton, you’d be pretty good to tell teh difference!
Skel as I call her, is now moving around the map, doing some A* and playing some directional anims.
The A* is pretty rough and boxy, and the anims states don’t have transition or loop etc. Oh and the Idle doesn’t play half the time its meant to but still it will do for now.
Onto Doll NPC to give you the basic overview and first up two missions, one a ground puzzle, the other is looking a little more action orientated
Health decided that last night was mostly a bust 
With work today, I’ve only got a few hours this morning and tonight, to get it finished and slightly worrying I’ve yet to actually get anything game like in there.
So not really good going :-/
However I’m actually fairly happy with what I’ve developed, so if nothing else it will come back for the next Ludum or mini or maybe just worked on regardless and I still hope to submit something even if just one puzzle room.
Skel and Dollface are both in now, so just to get Dollface to tell you whats going on and then implement the first puzzle game, its designed and tbh probably far too easy. But without much time to tune it, i’m just hoping to have at least something game-like.
At the very least, its very pretty for a few days work and tbh shows that even indie titles using cheap off the shelf art, can look pretty good even for the art-talentless like me 
Managed to get a simple cutscene text intro in before work started, but for now onto the day job. Will try and get a puzzle in after work and submit the smallest game EVAR! for the jam.
Pic of Dollface giving you some bad news!
I’d like to be in, but not sure I will so I could be out.
Not sure which engine, might use Torque3D, or my own (either my C++ or Haxe one) if I go Jam or might just go from scratch.
So erm, possible the most rubbish I’m In blog post EVAR!.
I decided to have a go, wasn’t sure originally as I have another thing I want to work on but decided a break to something completely different and small, should be fun and interesting and think I have an idea that fits the theme.
Engine: Torque3D 1.2 + AFX2 + GMK + GuideBot (All available from GarageGames.com)
Art Packages: LW 10.1 + 3DCoat + Daz3D 4 Pro + Photoshop Elements 6 + Paint.NET + iPad photoshop
IDE: Visual Studio 11 Preview + Torsion
Sounds: Not yet decided
Background Music : Spotify and currently Paul Hartnoll – The Ideal Condition
Timelapse : Chronolapse
Main worry is actually finishing something…
Let the fun/pain begin!
Deano
So I’ve knocked up a quick landscape for which some action to happen, not even great but throwing in some stock T3D/AFX textures and skys, bit of sculpting.
Most of the time was getting the sea portion right, the player starts inthe sea and progressing onto land.
Need to read up on T3D ground cover as I managed to do nothing with it for 5 minues + I need to go hunt from some stock textures and/or create some!
Think I might need to break out the art package (oh noes!) and get some tentacle goodness in there. 3DCoat I think should do that quite well. Though I might leave animation for another hour…
Deano
Tentacles in my game? Its more commen than you think!
Its a tentacle!, honest its meant to have a few friends but they are stumbingly not showing up to the party, so for now I’m going it alone and on to the main game mechanic, which is Followers, because an elder god, feels lonely without a few friendly sacrifices!
After a couple billion years in the deep sea, even an evil creature from another dimension will stoop to Facebook!
Last night I got stuck on a bug, whilst upgrading of my player functions which stopped the player from spawning. After much hours I gave up and slept, to be honest I would have gone to sleep earlier but was watching “To the Devil A Daughter” so keep poking at the bug whilst watching that.
After sleep, 10 minutes and the bug was obvious and easily fixed.
I also did some design scribbles last night, which even trying to be a pared down as possible still seems ALOT. But thats always the way I guess.
I wrote my intro text as well
“Once I ruled worlds, entire dimensions and all my subjects worshipped me as the god I am! But I have been entombed here under the ocean for eons, ALONE with no slaves or worshippers!
A god with out followers is a pitiful creature, barely even alive just like those humans I sometimes sense, if I had even a few worshippers may powers would return and I should subjugate the world and reclaim my rightful place.
Some humans are living near my resting place, they are close enough that my powers just reach, I will make them bow down before me and I shall feed and become strong!”
I suspect some will think the theme link is tenous, but to me it fitted and popped quickly to mind. A lonely old one is a sad old one!
As no interesting pics due to the bug to go with this post, I shall give you a picture of this post, as a picture in this post…
Inception in you LD blog post