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Did some more debugging!

I was able to isolate problems and realize none of it was coming from the array, but rather faulty coding in the stuff setting it up. I want to change a few of the base speed values, so I can start trying to isolate the problems in code from there. If it moves faster, I know its directly linked to horizontal motion and can proceed from there.

The next few updates won't be too exciting as its mostly debugging!!!!! But here's today's update!

I've fixed a bug involving corner collisions! Without timetravel, this only becomes an issue if you hit the corner HEAD ON, cause then you get stuck one pixel below it. Once the time travel coding was implemented, however, smeething happened to cause every encounter with the platform to be registered as a corner. As a result, jumping on it you immediately got stuck and couldn't move horizontally. Some rearrangement of the base moment code fixed that, though, so now that aspect is fine! B )

Current goal is to fix one bug a day, and hopefully have this mechanic polished out by the end of jam!

Two main bugs to fix at this level:

• You keep on traveling back even when down key isn't pressed to induce time travel.
• Travel beyond starting point.
• It goes to a direct path to the starting point, as opposed to the path you went through.

School bean over the past few days and it kept me busy, ahahaha. Fortunately I did get a very big bit of progress done, which is that my character can now travel BACK IN TIME WOAH!!!! Basically pressing down now cycles you through your past positions!!!!! There's a lot of bugs in it, but look!

There's def a lot of errors that I need to parse out, here's quick list.

• When protag gets to origin point, code doesn't know what to do and just spins off. I need to put an if statement in to make it stop once the code reaches zero. Or a while loop?
• Path isn't a direct repeat of the path character went.
• Falls straight down, this is a problem w/ gravity i think.
• Player gets stuck to ground after time traveling, can't jump. I'm assuming this is problem with jumping collision.

Tis is exciting though, and the fact that I got it to this stage surprises me a ton!!!! I'm gonna tinker around with it a bit more tonight.

Ooooooo YOU'VE GOT A LOT DONE ALREADY!!! That's really cool! : 0 And shhhh I'm inexperienced at graphics too so we can make it through together! > : ] Also good work on cleaning up code! I'm always way too lazy to do that kind of thing, ahaha

I CAN'T WAIT TO BEAT STUFF UP AS A NUN OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am going to fight satan and its going to be great

Holy shit this is such a nice concept? Quiet fantasy is so much fun and its such a nice vibe to go for like the whole. Looking at something and being awed by it. Alsooo on a less serious note, your fashion design is really nice and I want to meet your character and get cool fashion tips. Floofy skirts are so much fun!!!

http://ncase.itch.io/coming-out-simulator-2014 This is the main game example that comes to mind! It's really conversation focused and hopefully it can give you some inspiration and ideas for how to handle your games!

And yeah, I feel you! I also jumped in blind and there's SO MUCH I don't know. As someone who's already a couple days into this, though, you'll be surprised at how much you pick stuff up!!!!

Moomin is honestly such a good inspiration to get monster designs from. Good choice > : ]

Aaaa I love just casual talking games about relationships. If you want, I can find a few to link you if you want to look at some good examples!

Also the character designs are so cute. I just want to pet them both on the head.

OH MY GOODNESS!!! This is so much done already and it looks so good!!!!! I'm so impressed? Pixel art takes a while and the fact that you have so much done is astounding!! You've been really hard at work!

Also the general style so far is just calming? This looks like its going to be a nice game for if you're having a panic attack just like. Nice little goals for getting everything built up. I'm really pumped to see where it goes!

Ooooo ooooooo this is looking so cute so far? I'm sorry you had a rough day today, and I hope things get better soon, but I do want to say that I do really enjoy this game!!! The concept art is so cute and its a really neat blend of serious/silly!

Also clicker games are so fun! I want to make one as one of my games after my current project, so its really cool to see you doing one too! I'm also just imagining little loading screens with facts about volunteered meat for cannibalism on it.

Keep on chugging!!! You can do it!!!

DAY 4!!!

I managed to get a few things finished up today!!! First of all I got done w/ a WAAAAY nicer beta background for the game. And I was able to freshen up my skills and learn HOW TO MAKE THEM SCROLL!!!!

I've also been messing around with paths, too! While I'm trying to get in how to plug in my time travel game mechanic, I've been working on learning paths which will be a major thing to know in order to implement it! As you can see, I have a screaming blue guy following a preset path in the background, and I also have a happy little guy who follows me if I'm in a certain radius of them!

They won't follow me into the abyss, though. They have self-preservation. (And gravity makes me fall too quickly to stay in the radius but. I can't stop laughing at how 'NOPE' it is.)

On the less visible side of things, I've been doing research into how to use 2D arrays, since I'll need them to record the position of where my player's been! I'm estimating that this is probably going to take a couple of days to figure out, so I'm trying to take it in steps!

School begins tomorrow, so I'll have to be SUPER GOOD AT TIME MANAGEMENT! In order to handle game jam!

DAY 5 GOALS

• Implement a 2D array that plugs in a log of the characters position.
• Rough sketch of a basic simple puzzle room.
• Goodbye jumping lizard you'll be getting replaced with a new beta sprite.
• BONUS: Make level larger, implement a camera scroll.

TODAY I figured out pathfinding and got movement restricted to just one direction! It's 2 am and I'm tired, but I'll post some images of it tomorrow. Goals for tomorrow:

• Have something following the player character OR
• Creating a path by plugging players movement coordinates in
• Scrolling background w/ clouds
• Basic character sprite

Oh shit... the fish are a metaphor. One of these girls is gonna get separated.

I know this has been said, but this has a WKTD vibe in a really good way! Also I loved the character switching in the homestuck games and I think it'd do really well applied to this too. I also love the idea of casual realism. Just like... yes. We're magic. Whatever. We're used to it by now. Also!!! Your style is very nice and each girl seems very unique already!

Quick question: Is there any illicit handholding in this sleepover

Gared is in for a surprEYES in that one screencap.

Space Funeral is a game I've been meaning to play, but I know enough about it to know that its a good game to have inspiration from! You've also got the sense of humor for it down pat, so I'm looking forward to seeing this go further!

OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THIS ITS LIKE!!! It's a combo of space and robots and psychology. It's one of those simple concepts that really lends itself well to a greater story? Like you have to help these astronauts in day to day life but also find out SPACE CONSPIRACIES!

Do you have a twitter or something? I'd really like to follow the main game closely once you guys get working on it!

THE REVERSE CONVEYORS ARE SO CUTE.... THAT ROBOT IS HAVING A HELL OF A TIME!!!! Tne graphics are super simple but super endearing so far!!! Also this poor robot has to deal with so many vegetables. Robots don't even eat vegetables, though maybe this one does!

I like the one where it looks like the robot is wearing the broccoli! He's now a little chef.

Also I don't know anything about Jojo but I have a friend who also likes Speedwagon, so good taste in characters. B )

I did a quick google search and here's a thread that might help? http://www.rpgmakervxace.net/topic/6958-transferin...

Also its okay to be directionless, a lot of times stuff gains a life of its own as you work on it!!! You also already have several ideas of things to add personality to your game - the candy thing is extremely cute, for example! I look forward to seeing progress!

FINALLY... I have time to comment. I already chatted a bunch on twitter wrt stuff I like on this game. It's just very simplistic and calming so far and I like that?? It brings me joy. I can easily imagine a nice calming jam in the background, or like. Scenic noises, ehehe.

In terms of basic interactivity, here are a few ideas that might help

• Plants that react to motion, like a venus fly trap!!!
• Rooted vegetables? Like you walk over a shrub and the vegetable underneath comes exposed.
• Fruits and stuff in general, maybe? Like you collide with a tree and theres the probability of a few berries falling, or like whirligigs!

OOOOOOOO THIS IS SO USEFUL AND IM GONNA DO SOME RESEARCH AND GIVE IT A TRY!!! This helps a lot actually? Cause I'd just figured out how to create an empty path variable and getting the coordinates for it!! > : ] Aaaaaaa im hyped

Day 2 Progress:

I got a color test done! I know the general style I want to do the sky in, though I want to remake it in different colors. Once I finish that up tomorrow, I'll replace the Neko Atsume background with it.

I got burnt out a bit, so I didn't get as much done on character modeling. However, learning more about how gamemaker code worked allowed me to get some insight into the easiest way to design it!

The main achievement of the day was in coding! I was able to hash out the basics of a platformer! Tomorrow I want to work more on the mechanics that will make this game unique, so I'm going to make running one-directional and see if I can leave a trail of where the character has been. While I'm so far unsure of how to trace the character back in time, being able to trace the path the character makes should be a good start. After that, the next step would probably be to see if I could trace the character down the path along the center? But Im getting ahead of myself! If time allows, I also want to mess with gravity and speed to see what gives the best game feel.

Goals for Day 3:

Assets:

-Analyze Running Patterns

-Make Final Sprite in Layers

-Adjust each layer to create a running animation

-Sketch out ideas for platforms and backgrounds and gen level design

Coding:

-One-direction running

-Leave trail of path

I'VE GOT A BASIC PLATFORMER WORKING AND ITS EXCITING!!!! I'm making good progress ehehehe. Right now I'm doing collision testing! Right now it works.... too well. It prevents collisions by keeping you stuck there forever.

Anyways, here's a screencap. All the sprites are beta right now, in case that wasn't super apparent!

That lizard is me. Stuck there. Forever.

Holy heck, I know other people have said this before, but you've done a really good job of capturing the charm of early game boy era games! You did a good job at attributing detail, having enough to convey what you're showing while not overcomplicating it! It can be easy to do with this 8-bit style!

I look forward to seeing what your'e making!

This is so cute and I love games in general that are just about being a mage and doing your job and learning and growing! I know that so far the system is going to include success and failures, but is there any chance of an accident :P Like you try to make one thing and end up with another. A different kind of learning from a failure!

This game has a lot of personality so far! I just want to hug the cloud mage, she looks cute and fluffy like a cloud! The flavor text is really cute iand it just makes the whole thing really endearing!

Got a beta character deisgn done and a quick basis for the general style I want to go for in the game!

Day 2 Goals:

Figure out object rules to allow them to interact with each other properly do you can like. Bounce unto a platform.

Fiddle with gravity and stuff to figure out how that works.

Decide on color schemes for first level.

Replace default asset with art asset.

This is a really cool setting! A lot of stuff with long space travel tends to go into deep philosophical stuff on a grand scale, but I really like that this is just about solving mysteries in day to day life. With the main mystery being murder. (How do you even get rid of a body on a spaceship that needs to conserve all resources? Is it just like, time to shove it down the body chute.)

I'm a sucker for noir mysteries, and this is a noir mystery in SPACE, so that's like two of my favorite things. I look forward to seeing more!

This is so cute! Also as someone who often has to take the bus, I can relate to the last minute rush of the bus coming. I don't have much to say but this game is just really inherently charming in a way that makes me really excited!

Also the design for the cat is precious. I want to buy something from him right now.

I can't wait to see this bird that's Ripped. I want to make immaculate fanart of them.

Also I love!!! Games about stuff like mental disability and etc. I've had lots of ups and downs with mental heatlh. I'm able-bodied, but I have several friends who are physically disabled, and while obviously I don't know what its like, it's obvious that it's rough. Games are a really good medium for portraying that kind of experience, I think? Just in how they're inherently interactive and about putting yourself in a story. It's a good message to have for a game, and I'm excited to see it.

And honestly, that's the toughest part of projects like this. There's SO MUCH you want to do but you got to keep it realistic. However, as you get the basics down you'll become more and more powerful and soon have something super cool. A powerful game!!!!

Ah, this might get a bit wordy, so I apologize ahead of time!

I didn't mention this in the main post, since its not what I'm working on for this game jam, but extra's are part of the game mechanic, or plot at least! The main focus of the plot is how when you leave old timelines behind to pursue a bitter one, you're still leaving versions of yourself behind. Due to not being a main timeline, they mostly see their world deteriorate as they live through the shitty situation you left them with. Basically, they end up coalescing into a 'beta' version compared to your 'alpha', who's sick and tired of having to deal with this bullshit and just wants you to stop. The overall theme I'm going for in this game is like... how much is it worth hurting yourself to help someone you care about.

I'm hoping to make it more about position, but I'm still very early on in puzzle design so it's likely that a bunch of changes will be made! My main concern right now is creating something interesting while still keeping it different from games that have similar mechanics!

Haha, thank you! I look forward to seeing your stuff too!

Okay, real quick: Scrolling down for the full-body picture (Which is super nice by the way), my immediate thought was 'huh, i wonder if this bird is going to have abs'. I don't know why I thought this? Do birds have abs? But I found it amusing.

Anyways, this game looks like it has really nice worldbuilding and atmosphere so far? It makes me think about like... being content with being lonely. The visual art is really nice, and Helvetica looking at these stars that are so much more than him makes a striking sort of Isolation! I don't know if that's what you're going for, but it's cool! I look forward a lot to seeing the other characters too, and how they play into the story.

Also, the light sources are cool! Have you considered putting that into gameplay at all, like puzzle or difficulty wise? It might be a cool effect.

I look forward to seeing more of this!

Aaaa I was actually thinking about that to? About the pros and cons of this game being randomized, but I didn't mention it because I didn't know your specific vision! And yeah, it's a tough choice. Having it preset allows you to make a lot more of a specific mood for the character. Randomization can help with replayability, but it can be really hard to do without having it be blatantly noticeable. The best in-between I could think of in this case would be having multiple characters you could play as, but then that gets time intensive!!!

Also thats so cute, birds and ferns. I'm just imagining like a little fern just gently lifting up something to you for the surprise party. Like, 'here you go friend', and you can just be pleased at how nice this plant is.

And it's no trouble! This is a cool concept!

I can't wait to be a fucking skeleton furry with this game. (I also can't wait to cry, either, if we are getting the Feels out. I want to be emotionally destroyed.)

Aaaa thank you! To be honest, I still need to do a lot of hashing out of the plot! I got the big events and tones planned out, but all the little details and how best to incorporate them into the game will probably be the hard part!!!!!! This game jam I'm hoping mostly to hammer out mechanics!

Honestly the moment you try to use time travel for anything important, you're screwed. That's what i'e learned from video games.

I love this so much? It's just like a kinder gentler afterlife, where you just get to reflect and prepare for your next iteration. I thought about this kind of stuff all the time as a kid, so it's really exciting to see a game being made out of it!!! I'm also really interested in seeing what kind of facts you decide to put in. Like they're the small ones (how many leaves you've stepped on) but then also the big ones (lifes you've saved). They're both important in different ways, though.

I really look forward to seeing the concept art for these games!!!! Are you past reincarnations just people, or do they include other forms of life too (i.e. animals, plants. etc.).

OOOOO Seeing all these goals is getting my blood pumping!!!! Here are my basis goals:

• Become acqainted with Gamemaker, till I feel comfortable using it and messing around with it.
• Have a basic platforming system worked out, where jumping and movement feels natural.
• Effectively implement the time travel mechanic in a way that also feels natural!
• Make a mock level with a few basic puzzles.
• Hash out general sense of visual style.
• Meet some cool peeps B )

Ooooooooo this is looking really cool! I really like the fact that its based off an album - sometimes you listen to one and it just gives you a certain feeling you want to recapture! I'll have to check it out > : ] (the album, i mean, but also the game when its done!)

I'm looking forward to seeing this, I hope I get to kiss the cool skeleton monster. Or at least go on a nice outing with him. Or be trapped in a surrealist horror. One of those three.

Hope I'm not jumping the gun by posting a development log! I'm very new to the gaming community and this is actually my first time making a game! My goal is less finishing the game so much as it is getting a prototype level done for a larger project I'm working on!

Plot Synopsis

Somewhat, something gave Rhea the ability to go back in time, and split off new timelines to get a better conclusion to her current predicament. Her younger sibling is being taken to someplace cruel, and she's going to find a way to stop this no matter how many repeats it takes.

No one taught her about proper time management, though, and as the tangle of offshoot timelines grows messier and messier, the more clear it becomes that something's trying to stop her.

Visuals

While visuals of this game are going to be a rough draft for the game jam, the final idea is to go for a solid block cartoony style! Main visual examples I can think of are the recent Charlie Brown movie, the general look of most papercrafts, etc. The idea is simple yet defined, with color set mostly by mood!

This is likely to be more of a stretch goal than anything else, but I do want to at least get some concept arts done for the general mood of the game I'm going for!

Gameplay

The basic concept is a platformer involving the concept of time travel! The main character can only move in one direction (left or right depending on the stage), with other motion added in by jumping/falling etc. The puzzle mechanic involves a combination of manipulating time and space. While the player avatar reverses, the space around it stays similar, and the player must coordinate this in order to progress through the levels.

Here's a basic example of using this mechanic to get inside a locked elevator! Through time travel, you can change the players position to a previous one while the position of everything else remains the same! [A shitty phone photo, sadly, since my tablet pen is currently AWOL]

While there will be other forms of game mechanics in the final version of the game, this is the mechanic I'm hoping to have a good draft of by the end of the game jam!

Braid is a similar game, and I've played through the demo in order to make sure none of my mechanics are blatantly similar. The inspiration of this game falls more towards Life is Strange, whose endng had a lot of lost potential. This left me with a lot of ideas that I want to try to do something with!

Day 1 Goals

Mess around in Gamemaker and get a general feel for how the code works

Hash out character concepts for Rhea