Every game i have ever been involved with started as an idea, from the idea fully detailed designs where created, then the prototype which lead to testing and refinement. The Square is my project to experiment by jumping head first, an idea straight into a game, refinement and testing along the way with absolutely no design process what so ever. It is not secret that me and the design stage don’t always see eye to eye, i approach designs thinking about the program and in some way reverse engineer to come up with designs in my head, so with that said i will now focus solely on what has been done, whats next and what will or at least what i hope will be done and by when.
So between this and my last blog entry i have created the working menu system, simple text selection, i added some particle effects just to make it pretty, it will need a title screen but artwork can be easily added at the end. The menu comprises of a play game option, credits (TB Explained), and exit game. The play and exit requires no explanation, even the most inexperienced players can figure that out. The credit screen is set up with scrolling text credits, the reason i have added this so soon is because i hope to involve others in this project, by offering anyone the chance to design a level which i will put in game, an entry in the credits section as well as their name on screen during the level they created.
I have been working hard to put together a good engine for this project, this will allow me to add levels in minutes, so far i have the player (the Square) movement, collisions ready to go, i have implemented some enemies all of which are basic shapes at the moment. In fact i could go on and on boring you with whats in the engine so i shall move on to the game levels. I have set up a template room and added a game timer, death counter and a system clock see below
The save/load feature is yet to be added. Every level will have the top window the game window, underneath is the HUD, with save/load buttons, death counter, both clocks and a hint system.
The overall idea is to have enough levels to challenge the player to beat the game within one hour of game play, this will not have to be in a single sitting.
So by next week i should have or aim to have
Engine additions :
Power up/Downs
Game additions :
Some more levels
New hazards
In addition i hope to have received some level designs from some forums i have advertised on, if you have an idea jot it down, if you think it fits the Square mail me, we can discuss your idea and get it in the game, well that’s enough for this week i need to study for my final Exam, so thank you for reading take care and hopefully you come back to follow the progress or better still take part.
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