1. Hi there! What's your name? Want to introduce yourself?
Hello hello! Dreammelter here! I'm an interactive media student... who's sorta been outta college for a little while now and hasn't tried to make a game since high school. ><; I consider myself a 2D artist s l o w l y embracing 3D. Nice to meet you all!
2. Did you participate in the last jam we held? If so, what do you plan on doing better this time? If not, what's your reason for joining?
I haven't participated in any jam previously (If you ignore that one time I did enter one and then promptly exited a few hours later....orz)
I legit came here on a whim lmao. I was just casually visiting Itch earlier when I noticed it on the front page... I saw this was a jam open to beginners that would last two weeks so I immediately joined. At that point, I didn't even realize this jam is aptly titled for my first foray haha.
3. What games are your favorites? Did any of them inspire you, or made you want to make your own?
I like a variety of games -- even in genres that I generally don't get the chance to play long enough to truly experience. While my go-to game for this sorta question is usually JSRF, I do love Tekken... and the form of role playing that I'd engage in with my sisters, which we just referred to as "The Game." (Now that I think about, most people call it "house" or "make-believe.") For me, I love the feeling of experimentation and exploration, so I'm often inspired by action/adventure games -- especially those with some level of simulation in them (like sandboxes or "immersive sims.") It's the main genre I feel like I haven't gotten to witness the full breadth of.
I should also mention that FF inspired me to pursue 3D art. Thank you for introducing me to my life's greatest conflict, Square Enix; I no longer wanna draw comics for a living.
4. Do you have experience with game development? What did you do/with what engine?
One time I built a board game outta glue and construction paper when I was a kid. It was like Monopoly but with more cars and shops like the kind in Mario Party 4 and it didn't make my sister hate me. (Oh, and it featured my OCs.)
Then in high school, I (sorta-not-really) learned how to program a meteor-shooting game in Java and, the next year, attempted to build a 3D open world RPG w/ somewhat complex mini games in Unity........... Like an idiot. My partner and I could've done more than an 80p design doc and a couple models if I were more disciplined (or-- even better -- scaled the scope of the game to something more manageable,) but... I was convinced everything would be fine. (It sorta was, but I was definitely unfulfilled/disappointed.)
5. Tell us about something you're passionate about!
Korean girl/boy bands. Fight me. I've been in that game for almost 10 years now. Did I say that? I meant sociology and philosophy. Or puppies and good vibes. Or CG and game dev. God I love game dev why haven't I built something in so long?? I spend more time watching YouTube videos and reading articles about it that I just... forgot... I could... dig in. With my own two hands.
6. What are your goals for this game jam?
- One: Finish a complete game/experience to learn some UE4 Blueprint Basics. Every goal after this is an optional enhancement to consider.
- Two: Craft it so the player would glean something about the theme from the experience. (Guess we gotta figure out exactly what veeeery soon.)
- Three: If Two is going well, polish the atmosphere of the game a bit. I'm not expecting to reach this point.
7. Any advice to new jammers (if you're a veteran)?
I am not a vet, but man lemme tell ya: Scope is no joke!! There a number of things that could probably expand your game to be bigger than you thought, so be flexible and ready to just cut things down to size. Ask for opinions/input, too.