Roblog

Image by Tom Martinez Jr.

My team and I have decided to promote the Jumping Bean prototype to full-on game status!  We’ve started an eight week production to create a full iPhone game based on the constant jumping theme of Jumping Bean.

We’re starting with the simple concept of Super Mario Bros. with the jump button on auto-rapid fire.  The game will feature designed (i.e. not procedural like the original prototype) levels with playful graphics and a classic platformer feel with the auto-jumping twist.

Iteration #1:

The first iteration of this concept exists here and includes a level based directly on Super Mario Bros. level 1-1.

The comments for this iteration included:

• Need some enemies
• The jumping feels floaty under ceilings
• The control feels a little too precise, giving the player little to master in regards to the platforming
• We’ll need more complex levels, including moving platforms
• Could get a sense of depth by adding parallaxing

Some of this feedback was implemented in iteration #2.

Iteration #2:

The second iteration (found here) is actually starting to feel like a game and is almost as good in quality of many of the free games on the iPhone, which means anything we add from here on we can charge for ; ).  We added some simple enemies, adjusted the feeling of the jumps, and added to the game a concept Tom drew up for our lovable amigo.

Some of our feedback at this point:

• It’s time to start thinking about the game’s color palette
• Should think about having a way to get rid of enemies
• More variety in the enemies would be good
• Restarting the whole level every time the player makes a mistake is probably a little harsh

I’m feeling really good about the progress on this one (of course we have Unity3D to thank for that) and the type of game we are shaping up to make.  It will be exciting to see how it progresses over the next eight weeks!

~R

Currently playing: Super Mario Bros., Jumping Bean

I will be posting weekly game prototypes soon.  The purpose of these prototypes is twofold: 1) to quickly try out gameplay ideas in an effort to find something cool that people will enjoy playing and 2) to practice and improve my game development skills.

The idea comes from my time at the Game Developer’s Conference last spring.  I attended the Indie Developer Track and in many of the sessions the successful developers talked about how much rapid prototyping they did.  The guys who put together World of Goo found the idea within a prototype called Tower of Goo that they put together in a graduate course.  The goal of the course was to put together a new prototype each week of the class.  Crayon Physics Deluxe came from a prototype called Crayon Physics that turned out to be an extremely popular prototype on its developer’s page.  The developer decided on his own to put together monthly prototypes (inspired, I believe, by the aforementioned graduate class idea).  There were several other examples of developers who did regular rapid prototyping “discovering” successful game ideas, making me realize that one of the advantages that independent developers have is their flexibility and freedom to blow through dozens or hundreds of ideas quickly.

With all that said, I’ve started my own weekly prototyping schedule.  I will be posting my results each week for all to try out and comment on.  Some will be fun, some not, and hopefully one gem of a concept will surface that really shines for people.

~R

Currently Playing: The Beatles Rock Band, Guitar Hero 5

It’s been almost a year since I first thought I would finally sit down and start a blog.  I wrote one post . . . and it was a post about starting a blog.  So obviously that whole plan has not really gone anywhere . . . until now!

I’ve decided to change the format and have the subject of my blog be more broad than I’d originally intended.  If you know me, you’ll be quick to note that this idea fits my style exactly.  I’m a bit of a renaissance man, a jack-of-all-trades, and in the classic fashion, a master of none.  So instead of focussing purely on game development or chronicling my journey to find wealth.  I’ve decided to simply talk about all of it.

My goal is not to create an online diary of my daily activities.  Instead, I’d like to create a place that presents ideas that I find interesting, things I find funny, stuff that I find to be stupid, and, hopefully, items of interest to other people.  I want to start conversations that can lead to better understanding of the topics I’m interested in and probably even some that I’m not.  My main areas of interest will be developments in game design and gaming news, pursuing the holy grail of financial freedom, and things that are funny.  I will probably show off some dancing at times as well.  It depends on how much I like you. ; )

I’m hoping to make this a daily thing or at least weekly.  We’ll see how it goes.  Until next time!

Cheers,

~R