Well, I did it, finished the game. I was aiming for the competition but due to time constraints (*cough* got lazy on day 2 *cough*) I decided to enter the Jam instead.

Play 10 levels, each in under 10 seconds, of Usain Bolt’s day leading up to the 100m finals in Beijing. Uber-realistic graphics compliment the immersive and detailed and totally not some simple mini-games I chucked together gameplay to make this title what it is.

I think this game is by far the funniest game I’ve made, and showed me two things about programming.

1) You can 100% program a game with zero structure, complete ineffeciency and a mass of  assets that are not handled properly.

2) You shouldn’t do that.

On this small game my laziness got the better of me and fortunately it didn’t hurt my productivity at all. Should I have been making something more than just a 10 mini-games game I foresee a handful of problems.

Pretty good results, good Ludum Dare, and I had great fun drawing the art in the full knowledge that it was so bad the game was only getting better! Bring on the next one, oh and enjoy the game!

LEVEL ONE!

Usain is running late for the race, wake him up!

More concept art from our in-house artist (*me*)

Due to, er, lack of staff, the concept art may be the final art…. 😉

FINE! I’m entering, although I wasn’t going to, but I just couldn’t turn this idea down.

Let me present……the one and only, the master of the sub 10 second lifestyle, USAIN BOLT SIMULATOR 2013!

Now just to make it…..

Concept art drawn up by our in-house artist (*me*)

For any interesed:

LD27 Competition, Java, Libgdx, Paint, Audacity for sound if I feel adventurous

Ok, so it’s not complete. But YOU can complete the game now, if you’re good enough. So at the very least there are rules within the game that permit this game complete screen to show, how feasible it is I really don’t know, I’m hopeless at this game. The irony. I also added some progressive difficulty, so that as you climb higher the amount of blocks falling increases. Reach a certain height, and send 25 beams of light at the Gods (Too many? I don’t know) and tada, game complete.

So the game is very nearly complete. Some parts still need to be tweaked, that’s inevitable. I could do with putting a potato related easter egg in. Maybe some new features will sneak in in the next few hours, maybe not. Who knows!

So far in this game it’s all been about survival, now it’s time for the player to have some form of fighting back. Collect the lost Suns of Apollo to fire a beam of light into the heavens hurting the Gods.

Finally sorted out the collision detection somewhat. It’s more playable now. There’s some cool camera shake when attacks happen now. Oh and some terrible sound effects, but it’s the Ludum Dare, what’d you expect!

Now to write out the rules to win the game, probably going to give the Gods a certain amount of health and set a rule that you must reach a certain height. Something cool needs to happen when you win too, I can’t draw, as you can see, so unfortunately an awesome cut scene isn’t going to happen.

14 Hours Left!

A few more updates for today’s work, still plenty of stuff to be doing tomorrow. The God’s now like to send down the odd fireball or two, destroying some of the ground. Alternatively they might overload you with dirt for a short while, pushing your reactions to avoid being buried alive.

The game was pretty unforgiving, so I added some 3 lives, and you can collect hearts. I also added a double jump to make things more reasonably. Collision detection is still a pain, I’m saving that treat for tomorrow to sort out.

I remain undecided for what to do for an ending. The game is pretty repetitive right now. It needs a more interesting goal rather than just survival. Hopefully some sleep will shed some light on what to do.

About 4 hour into it now,and my game’s getting somewhere. It’s called Buried.

‘In retrospect picking a fight with the God of the Underworld wasn’t such a smart idea
In order to escape being buried alive you’d better start jumping.

When the Gods are keeping you down, you should dig deep
When the Gods are keeping you down a hole, you should climb, fast.’

I originally planned for a game with simple geometric graphics in which you must ascend up falling blocks. The idea evolved into a protagonist who has upset the ‘Gods’ and is sent to the underworld and buried there. The aim is the climb out without hitting any of the fast falling dirt chunks. Occasionally if one of the Gods thinks you are doing too well they’ll smite you (currently the only smite is a lightning bolt).

Going forward, the collision detection with the blocks is still glitchy, that definitely needs some love. I’m undecided whether it’s perma-death or to give the player lives. Likewise whether the game runs indefinitely or there is an ending is still to be determined. Some kind of collectible on the way could add an element to the game, perhaps something to help bring about the demise of the Gods who sent you down. A couple more attacks from the Gods might be fun too.

I’m terrible at art, so if I have time to make it look marginally better I’ll be happy, and of course I need some sound.