PLAY WEB BROWSER HERE: https://itch.io/jam/brackeys-3/rate/573363
A summary of my process for this jam:
- I always start with art once I think of my main character. I thought a Mole would be great.
(Original version and then final version.)
- While I do art I brain storm and take notes in google slides. I find I think more clearly while focused on making the character.
- I got an idea to try and use the random top-down level generation and turn that into a plat-former!
- Then I made a test level and a character movement script.
- I made breakable blocks here too! But then I noticed it was hard for the player to move up... So I thought of the block gun! Players can place blocks to move up like in mine-craft.
- So now the player can move up or down.
- I made sound with just my voice (I use my headphone mic and my video editing software.
- After I had a fun test level with a character moving a tentative sounds I moved on to making the level generation work.
- I like having a vertical-slice/prototype of a game right away
(I hope to make more center variations after the game jam. So it's even more random!)
- After this I noticed it was difficult to fight the enemies with only the drill. So I gave Moley a third gun tool to fight with. However it felt weird having to switch between 3 tools all the time.
- This is when I got the defensive drone idea! (I did something similar in another game before so I knew I could do it again fairly quick)
(You can collect many drones! You get a random prefab. I will make more!)
(The have different speeds, different shooting delay, and different size/speed projectiles)
STORY: Moley Holey is a Mole who loves to dig a hole. Today he is entering the randomly generated moon mines. The Space Worms have come to dig giant holes creating an endlessly changing cave system. It’s your job to collect the extremely valuable Worm Poop Crystals (WPC) for the friendly Dung Beetles. Randomly discovered Drones can be found to help you fight off the angry Space Worms, and you have your handy multi-tool (Drill for drilling, or Block Gun to place/shoot blocks). Moley love to fully explore the caves before moving on the the next. Will he make it? Retirement is close… can Moley Holey get the goods?
I’m really happy with how the game came out in just 1 week~! I learned so many things it would be too much to list. (Mostly coding haha).
- My learning goals for this game were:
- Breakable blocks/digging a hole.
- Trying to make my previously learned procedural generated levels, for top-down games, to work with a plat-former game!
- Also I wanted to have the follower drones stay with you from level to level. (DontDestroyOnLoad)
- Biggest struggle:
- Figuring out how to make the DontDestroyOnLoad Drone followers delete at the end of the game code was really hard haha. If I didn’t do this players would have all the drones they collected for the next play through.
- Also good thing I tried webGL early. It kept crashing right before the boss fight. Spent 3 hours making it work (hopefully...) The problem was conflicting next screen loading scripts I used on the intro scenes and the generated levels.
I look forward to playing other’s games and leaving feedback, I hope I get some awesome constructive criticisms as well!
*WORK IN PROGRESS - Playing others games now!*
PLAY WEB BROWSER HERE: https://itch.io/jam/brackeys-3/rate/573363