Still going well, though not quite as fast as I’d like. Probably won’t have as much polish as the game deserves. Most of what I’ve got done is setting up the game’s code such that it’ll be easier to expand in the future, rather than adding content. But sound, some UI elements, player health, and changes to enemy behavior mean that the game isn’t trivial anymore, and can be lost. Sound also spruces it up quite a bit. It’s definitely a playable game now.
Read more to play the current version.
The goal of Fast Attack is to provide a sense of building speed. I now have a working prototype that hooks several systems into an adjustable acceleration curve, with plenty of room for extension. A playable prototype is embedded below the ‘continue reading’ link.
I like how the game is looking so far, though simple. I should have an minimum-acceptable-release version soon. Plenty of content and polish from there of course. Sound shouldn’t be a problem, but finding the right music for it will take some work. It is far, far closer to a game than Rebound was at this point, though it is a rather simpler game.
I hearby declare my January failure in 1GAM. A declaration which itself is a bit late. This does not mean that I am done with 1GAM.
For me 1GAM is a challenge to my time management skills. Between the other things I want to do, and the things I must do, game development can languish. 1GAM forces me to face the fact that I can’t just put it off till tomorrow, because that doesn’t work. My failure this month does not surprise me, though it is a disappointment.
What now? I start work on my February game. Given that I am treating this as a time management challenge, it would be counterproductive to keep working on Rebound. I will start again and try to produce a game in a month. The very rough prototype of Rebound will have a place on this site until such time in the future as I see fit to revisit it, possibly even this year. But now, I move forward.
I’ve already started work on Fast Attack, a fairly simple top down shoot-em-up with the gimmick that the ship flies faster the longer you play. My goal is to create a sense of breakneck speed that I often find very fun in other games. More to come.
PS: When I rule the world, I’m renaming this month to Febuary.
