I had a lot of fun doing this jam! This was my second jam (although for the first one I didn't make the deadline) and I noticed some massive improvements from the last jam to this one. This was how it went, basically:
The theme was announced right as I was leaving work, so I spent the whole trip home thinking of ideas and I had a rough idea by the time I got home. I think nailing down an idea early made a huge difference.
I pared down the idea into something manageable - originally, I wanted upgrades and different biomes to explore, and all sorts of stuff. It could've been doable with a team, or if I was more experienced, but I think making sure I wasn't overextending really helped out.
I didn't even think about graphics or sound until I had written the mechanics. I just used squares to indicate different objects in the game and made sure the gameplay felt right first. I'm still not 100% happy with the gameplay, but I definitely think it's good considering the time restrictions and my level of experience.
I was stressing hard about the level design, because it isn't something I've had to do before. I think it turned out alright, not perfect by any means but good enough. I actually found it much easier and more fun than I anticipated!
I took a ton of breaks. On Saturday I had arranged to donate blood, so I had a few hours where I was out and about. I went for a walk Saturday night too. On Sunday I woke up and wrote code for about 6 hours, then grabbed some lunch and put on a film. About halfway through the film I started writing again, but I kept the film running. I think taking regular breaks really helped, it allowed me to clear my head and come back to the game feeling more energised.
I spent the last half hour or so re-writing the dialogue to inject a bit more personality into the protagonist. I don't know if it made much of a difference, but I definitely think personally that it makes the game a bit more fun.
I submitted the game on Sunday night at around 11pm. I felt pretty good with the end result - I'll probably expand on the idea and look at releasing a full game later down the track.
Wow, what a unique idea! I love the challenge of trying to angle my shot so the bullet bounces back, or using the electric shock attack as the bullet returns to me. Love the music, love the visuals. Such a fun game!
When I try to run your game it asks me to open a file. I know this happens if you forget to include the "data.win" file, so that might need to be added to the game downloads section?
Really loved this game! So fun, and the variety of weapons meant I was always excited when I found an item crate. Collision detection played up a bit, and the combat could have been more challenging, but overall great work!
If it works like GMS1.4 then you just need to go File > Export and select single runtime executable (not a Windows installer). It will output the executable and then you just upload to itch.io - it's very easy.
