GBGamesEveryone’s favorite 48-hour solo game development competition, Ludum Dare, is running in its 18th iteration starting tonight at 9PM Central Time (US).
As always, I’ll be updating my game development progress here and on the LD blog.
Currently, the final round of theme voting has contenders such as Technology in the Wrong Time Period, Cooperation, Enemies as Weapons, and Evolution.
Oh, and Double ZOMBIE Rainbow is another theme.
Two weekends ago, I hosted and participated in the MiniLD #20 competition.
Mini LDs are usually looser than regular Ludum Dare competitions in terms of rules enforcement, voting, time start and end times, and themes. The host can also enforce a different set of rules. For instance, one MiniLD involved using a specific palette of colors from a 64×64 image to load levels from, and it was interesting to see all of the completely different games share the same level data.
For MiniLD #20, I picked the theme “Greed”, with an optional fun theme of “Fishing”. The special rule I made: “Only one of each.”
In programming, it’s easy to make lots of copies of objects. Well, I’m putting a stop to that! For this MiniLD, you’ll need to ensure that every object in your game is unique. If you build a wall, there better be a single wall (it doesn’t matter how complex it is) and not many tiles composited together to make a wall (unless all of those tiles are completely different from each other, which might make an interesting game…) Granted, maybe everything derives from a common object, but you can’t have two objects that are exact copies of each other. If that means you can only make a few objects, then work within those constraints. B-)
While there was some griping about this rule from the participants, many of them pulled through and submitted a game. In all, 24 entries were submitted.
Unfortunately, The Old Man and the Monkey Thief, the game I was working on, wasn’t one of them.
Also, there were some complaints about how the MiniLD was handled overall, and while I wasn’t taking any of the complaints personally, I did think I let some people down. What follows is a post-mortem of both the game and the competition as a whole.
What Went Right
became 
and this spatula 
became this Unique Spatula 
.
Oh, my kingdom for an artist!
But it worked well enough, and it was relatively quick. I even did a decent job creating the main character with a pencil drawing, did the layer tracing thing in the Gimp, and came up with a digital old man who didn’t look half bad!
Overall, tracing with layers in the Gimp made quick programmer art even quicker than it usually is! I didn’t have to worry about being bogged down in getting the lines or curves right.
Also, I’ll go into more detail below, but I’m glad I had my backup plans! When a storm knocked the power out for me and apparently 30,000 other people, I’m glad I had my Uninterruptible Power Supply to keep my desktop computer from getting more damaged that it could have been. Also, my laptop let me continue work for over an hour after the power went out, and so it was lucky that I replaced the battery the week prior. When the power didn’t come back in the morning, I took my laptop to a new, powered location, and I was able to keep working even though my apartment went over a day without power. It was a horrible situation during a timed competition, but I think I responded to adversity well.
And it helps to have an encouraging girlfriend remind you that you can’t give up. B-)
What Went Wrong
I lit a few candles, one in my office, and one in the dining room so I could see when I go out to get some water out of the fridge. Maybe 50 minutes later, the smoke alarm went off. It turns out that the dining room candle was on fire.
Now, I don’t play with fire much, but it wasn’t the fire itself that scared me. It was the fact that the candle, the thing that is meant to be used to hold a flame, was on fire! Another note for next time: don’t put out candle fires with water. The flames exploded upwards before dying out, and suddenly it was dark. I could hear the heated glass and metal parts of the candle holder tinkling, and I had no idea what was going on. And of course the office candle was also out since the melted wax drowned the flame. I had enough with fire for the night, so I didn’t bother relighting them.
So I sat down at my laptop and continued to work. I lowered the brightness and shut down many unneeded applications and was able to eek out 10 more minutes of battery life. Then I had nothing else to do but go to bed. Of course, I was wide awake. I could have searched for the flashlights in the dark or tried the candles again, but I decided this was a forced break and went to bed. My DS was still charged, and I played Advance Wars: Dual Strike for a bit before sleep took me.
The next morning, there was still no power. I learned it wasn’t just my apartment. It turns out that a huge part of Des Moines was without power due to the storms. The library is closed on Sundays due to budget cuts, and I wasn’t sure where the nearest wifi-enabled cafe with power was. Luckily my cell phone still worked, so I had people I could call and a basic way to do searches. My girlfriend was out of town, but I had the key to her apartment, so if she had power, I could work there, too.
I had options, but I’ll admit that I felt a bit defeated that Sunday morning. I wasn’t as enthusiastic about getting up and running again as I’d like to be able to report. Maybe it was because I was exhausted. Maybe it’s because my home office chair is hard to sit in for days at a time. Maybe I just missed seeing people. I was a new full-time indie, and I was secluding myself in my office for way too long as it is. Maybe I just needed exercise. Maybe I assumed the power would come back within hours and I wasn’t sure if I should venture out or stay home. Whatever it was, my motivation had dipped to the point that I was dragging my feet to decide which of these options I’d use.
When I talked to my girlfriend, she was very encouraging, especially as she heard the reluctance in my voice. This weekend was MiniLD weekend, so there’s really no excuse for me to not do what I can to continue. I packed my laptop, the laptop riser, some game dev books, and some papers and notes, and I headed over to her place. I didn’t have the key to the front door, but the doorbell is linked to her cell phone, so she buzzed me in remotely. And she had power at her apartment! Glorious power! I was able to continue work.
Of course, I lost a lot of my waking hours. While I don’t like shifting blame, especially since I had options, there aren’t many options at 3AM during a storm. Now, if my life depended on it, I’d have no qualms about waking people up at 3AM, but for a MiniLD? Still, while the power outage disrupted my work, it didn’t stop me completely.
All of these things are fine on their own, but since I was supposed to be focusing on my game project, they were distractions, and I failed at putting them off until after the competition.
Now, I think the idea of using noise to get around the limitation was clever, but outside of that, there were two options: do lots of unique content, or do a game involving only a few unique items. The latter would definitely be doable and be more along the lines of what I was hoping for.
So of course I ended up making a game that required lots of unique content. B-(
Now, being the host, I knew about the special rule long before anyone else did, but I didn’t think about the kind of game I would make until I started the competition. In hindsight, I should have cheated and thought my game idea through before the theme/rule announcement.
The Old Man and the Monkey Thief was supposed to be about an old man who goes to sleep one night only to wake up and find that all of the unique treasures he collected over the course of his long life were stolen by this energetic, ninja-like thief. The old man then had to go into the world, collect these unique items, and use them to save his wife. I figured he could use the fishing pole as a way to retrieve otherwise inaccessible items, and so the secondary theme was satisfied.
What I didn’t realize was how much work it is to program unique items! I spent a huge chunk of a day getting the fishing hook and the key to work. By the time they were implemented, I was afraid to add a third item because of how much work would be involved, and time was running out. Now, this is 48 hours. Imagine being a game developer on a 3 year project and learning that you need to implement another item without letting the deadline slip. I got some insight into that kind of despair.
Essentially, having only one of each item meant that they were either reusable, like the fishing hook, or one-offs, like the key. Either way, this rule encouraged feature-creep if you intended to make a game with a lot of unique content. If I could do it all over again, I’d have tried to do more with the fishing pole alone rather than try to have more than one usable item. Less is more, and I probably should have made a note that it was my original intent with the rule.
Except something went wrong. For some reason, the LD post didn’t publish, and it took some time to get it corrected. I was away at an event, but I checked in, found out about the problem, and got it working somehow. IRC participants learned about it, but people who were depending on the website being updated at the correct time were out of luck.
I didn’t request a submission form for the competition until near the end when I realized that there were so many participants. Some people had finished before the form went up, so they had to retroactively submit their games. Not a big deal, but it could have been smoother.
And the end? I could have handled the ending better.
Since it was only a MiniLD, the 48 hours is a bit flexible. While it officially started at a specific time, the usual expectation is that you could do any 48 hour period in that weekend. Since I had power issues, and other people were also hoping for a little more time, I thought I’d allow the competition to continue into Monday.
Then the fact that I’m running my own business took over, and other priorities came up. When I finally had time to dedicate to LD again, I learned that some people felt like the MiniLD had no closure. It was understood to be over, but there was no fanfare or official word. The submission form allowed for the entries to have ratings, but since voting was not enabled, participants couldn’t vote. MiniLD #20 felt like it just stopped, especially for people who weren’t in IRC and were relying on the main website for their up-to-date competition information. New LDers can’t be faulted for not understanding what was happening. I had every intention of providing a proper ending, but as the host, I dropped the ball.
What I Learned
On the other hand, if a game makes use of a single mechanic, suddenly it’s much more manageable. What if the entire game involved the use of that fishing hook? I probably could have finished a game using just that one mechanic.
All that said, I think MiniLD #20 was a success for me. The Old Man and the Monkey Thief is the first game I’ve ever created that made use of a scrolling background. Previous games used a single screen. To determine where the old man can and cannot walk, I normally would check the tiles, but since I didn’t have tiles, I did something I’ve never done before. I created a black & white version of the entire world map, which the player never sees, and one color represented where the player could walk. Once again, a 48-hour game development competition allowed me to learn some new techniques. I also learned what areas I need to work on. Discipline and project planning in 48-hours is one thing, but discipline and project planning in months or a year? I won’t last very long as a full-time indie if I don’t figure those out.
While MiniLD is usually much more loose than a regular Ludum Dare competition, I am running horribly late when it comes to closing this competition properly. That said, it’s time to vote!
Voting is only open to those who submitted a game. It’s an opportunity for everyone to congratulate each other, provide feedback, and play some quirky and interesting games! Even if you can’t vote, you’re more than welcome to check out the finished games yourself.
With 24 submitted entries, MiniLD #20 was one of the biggest! Considering the special rule of “Only One of Each”, a lot of people rose to the challenge. Some of the games are artistic and experimental, some were haunting, some were clever, and some were just plain fun.
A friend of mine sent me a link while saying, “I’m sure you’re already aware of this.”
Well, I’m glad he sent it because I wasn’t aware of it, and my life is better for knowing.
The link was to Indie Game: The Movie, which is a “feature documentary about video games, their creators, and the craft.” It’s set to be released in 2011, and the Kickstarter project is well funded. There is a bit of a teaser available featuring Edmund McMillen, of Super Meat Boy and Gish fame:
Indie Game: The Movie – Growing Up Edmund from IndieGame: The Movie on Vimeo.
Are you excited about this film? Are you one of the 250+ people who helped fun it on Kickstarter?
In the Game Balance Concepts course, someone posted a link to this video which explores what games would look like if they included a super easy mode.
In terms of game balance, sometimes different challenge modes are offered to ensure that as many people can enjoy the game as possible. Typically, Easy mode is available for more casual players, while harder modes offer something for experts. You don’t want to frustrate the player, but you also don’t want to bore them.
At what point does a game become ruined by offering less challenges, fewer obstacles, or more power-ups? Does offering a different challenge mode require the same amount of work as an entirely different game, or are a few tweaks often enough?
Opinion: The “Virgin Mary” of Video Games? is a piece at GameDev.net by Lew Pulsipher, a board game designer and game design educator, which analyzes the predominance of games that depict violent death.
He links to a short post by John Sharp in 2009 which asks the following question:
If representations of Mary are used as evidence of the centrality of Christianity in the culture of the Italian Renaissance, what does the preponderance of guns say about our culture, and more specifically, the cultural form of games?
Pulsipher argues that guns are too specific, especially when you consider the vast majority of games set in a fantasy environment in which there are no modern weapons, and posits that a large number of games depict violent death.
He doesn’t question why it is so. He doesn’t demand the game industry account for itself. He and Sharp both simply question what it says about our culture that our entertainment is so violent.
And they’re not the first ones to ask this question, and it isn’t just games. Why We Watch: The Attractions of Violent Entertainment
There’s an article on video games by Jeffrey Goldstein in this book that mentions Mortal Kombat. If you recall, there were two versions released for home consoles at the time. The Sega Genesis version had all of the blood and gore included, but the Super Nintendo version was toned down.
Although there were more Nintendo than Sega game systems present in U.S. households, the bloody Sega version of Mortal Kombat outsold the less violent version by about 7 to 1.
The article goes on to discuss the distinction between aggressive behavior and aggressive play, and it says that there are 25 possible reasons for an appeal to the latter ranging from biological to psychological to social reasons. One reason children war play or enjoy violent media is surprisingly out of a need to seek out justice. After all, it is more enjoyable to see a film about a violent criminal who is caught and brought to justice than it is to see one about an unresolved murder.
And again, the book that this article comes from is from 1998, so the questions asked aren’t new. I do think, however, that there aren’t many answers that have been provided since then. There is, of course, the notable exception of Everything Bad is Good for You
But it doesn’t explain why a bloodier Mortal Kombat sold so much better than a toned-down version, although marketing could have much to do with it. And it also doesn’t explain why video games tend to focus on conflict and violence as themes, especially if they don’t need to do so.
So what does it say that most video games are violent? Pulsipher says he doesn’t know and would like his article to stir up some discussion. Goldstein mentioned a number of possible explanations, but he admitted that there isn’t much research to indicate what may or may not be the case. Hasn’t there been any more thoughts on it? Are depictions of violence in video games indicating a problem or a cultural bias in learning, or is the content unimportant?
To put it another way, what would it say about our culture if violent depictions in video games were incredibly rare? Would it indicate that gamers are more civilized? Would it mean people weren’t gaming anymore?
Does violence in video games stop appealing to gamers as they mature, or is it a certain type of person who specifically doesn’t enjoy games which feature violence heavily in their themes?
Do you know of further research which indicates what violence in our cultural artifacts means? Are games inherently good for exploring themes of violence, struggle, and survival, or is it simply easier for game designers to focus on such games?
(Photo: Fight Club by Polina Sergeeva | CC-BY-2.0)
One of elements I’ve identified for living my life on purpose is encouraged and supported creativity. Even though it is part of my life purpose, it doesn’t mean it is just for me. Part of the point of a life purpose is that it applies to everyone around me, too. I’m not only focused on making sure my own life has encouraged and supported creativity, but I want to make sure that the people around me are encouraged and supported as well.
So when I learned that Corvus Elrod, former writer of Man Byte’s Blog and current writer of Semionaut’s Notebook, was partnering up with Charles Berube of The Wasabi Project to create a game called Addicube, I thought, “That sounds great!”
But then I learned that the project won’t get started until it is fully funded. See, the project is currently waiting for enough funding through Kickstarter.com, which is a funding platform which allows projects to ask for donations from fans and friends. If enough people donate, the project happens, but if there isn’t enough funding, then no one pays any money. Well, back in January, having newly created my life purpose statement, believing in Corvus Elrod, and knowing that I wanted to encourage and support creativity, I pledged my support at the Benefactor level. Sometimes “That sounds great!” is good encouragement, but money helps, too. B-)
As of this writing, Addicube on Kickstarter has 51 backers and 89% of the $3,500 it needs to be completely funded, but there’s a deadline. If Addicube gets enough funding by April 25th, then Elrod and Berube will get started.
Frankly, I want Addicube to happen, and I’d like to ask you to help. The deadline is looming, and they’re so close to having the Kickstarter project fully funded.
Please go to Addicube on Kickstarter, learn more about the game, and pledge $5, $10, $25, or more. If you really want to make an impact, pledge to be one of us Benefactors at $250+. Let’s encourage creativity and get this game made!
(Photo: Encouraging note | CC BY-SA 2.0)
After spending years developing the game and holding a closed beta for months, Blizzard announced it was canceling development of Starcraft 2. Multiple reasons were given, including poor feedback from fans in the closed beta, but most surprising was a lack of funds.
From Blizzard’s press release:
Blizzard Entertainment announced today that the closed beta test for its highly anticipated real-time strategy game, StarCraft® II: Wings of Liberty™, has ended. Thousands of gamers around the world received invitations from the company to participate in the first phase of the beta test in February. “Gathering concentrated feedback from our players was an important step for us as we headed into the final stretch of development for StarCraft II and the new Battle.net service,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “In polishing the overall experience and preparing for launch, we found that it was not going to be possible to release the game at a sufficiently high quality.”
…
“Even if we believed we would be able to satisfy fans of the original game, we frankly could not afford to continue work on StarCraft II. After years of false starts, to find that the game in its current form would have to be scrapped, it would be irresponsible to start anew.”
It seems that the project isn’t being outright canceled, but if Blizzard is putting it on indefinite hold, it sounds like bad news for players who have been looking forward to revisiting the fight between the Terran, Protoss, and Zerg.
What do you think about Blizzard’s news? Now will you go back to playing the original StarCraft with me, or are you still going to go on and on about how cool you are for getting into the private beta? Whatever.
(Photo: Zerg Scourge| CC BY 2.0)
In the world of romance, video games tend to get a bad rap. Gamers are sometimes viewed as childish, and being called immature by your impatient significant other is a quick way to feel guilt, anger, and resentment.
On the other hand, there are couples who stay together by playing together. Whether it’s a date playing Wii Bowling, surviving in Left 4 Dead, building up a farm in Harvest Moon, or creating a testament to their love in SimCity, playing games together can be just as enjoyable and romantic as dinner and a movie. I’d suggest wine and spaghetti with your gaming.
So what do you play with your significant other? Do you rekindle your romance with the classics, or are modern games what brought you together? Or are you one of those indies who made a game for your sweet?
(Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tangledcontrolpads/” | CC BY-NC 2.0)
GamesIndustry.biz recently published a post called Marketing influences game revenue three times more than high scores. Research has shown that the belief that game reviews have an impact on the sales of a game is a false one.
Or at least a poor quality game with big marketing dollars behind it will sell much more than a good quality game with poor marketing.
On the one hand, it’s discouraging. Gamers already complain about bug-ridden games, the need for patches, and subpar playing experiences. I was shocked to find that FIFA ’09 for the Nintendo DS had crash bugs in it, and according to at least one comment in a game review out there, it seems that FIFA ’10 has its own share of show-stopping bugs. That the FIFA games are at the top of the charts in terms of sales has to make game players feel disheartened. And when game companies start shoveling anything they can out the door, customers will feel the need to be more discerning about their purchases. The video game industry already had a crash when anyone could and did make an Atari game. People stopped trying to find fun in video games when most of the products were horrible. And, of course, marketing dollars become even more important, which means the larger companies with the greater capabilities win.
On the other hand, none of this is really news, is it? Ask anyone who knows anything about marketing, and they’ll tell you that marketing is way more important than most people think it is. If you create a fantastic game that no one wants, of course it won’t sell. If you create a game that a lot of people want, even if the attempt isn’t the best, it will sell. Part of product development should be market research: finding out if anyone cares about what you’re creating.
It’s true across all industries, and it’s true for the video game industry. That said, what can an indie game developer do?
Generating Buzz for Indie Games and Advice for Aspiring Indies have some marketing tips which should fit your budget. It also helps to remember that major publishers such as EA and Nintendo need to make a lot more money than you do, and so your marketing budget doesn’t need to match theirs in dollars. You can spend much less and still make enough money for your business. Also remember that your time is a resource, and there are plenty of ways to improve your marketing that just happen to take more effort than money to pull off.
Marketing will have a huge impact on your sales potential. Don’t ignore it.