Squirveillance, and why people are not finishing our game

In a team of four, we created Squirveillance over a period of 30 days. We worked in our spare time, with different members being available at different times.

To start on a positive note, we have A LOT to be proud of.

We can all certainly claim that we finished making a game (which is never a given during a jam).

Wireframes without diagonals in Unity

I needed some simple wireframes rendered in my project. If you search around, you’ll find a few free and paid implementations, most of them shader-based. A critical feature for me was being able to render quads where possible, to achieve that retro grid-like effect.

An expanding text box with maximum width and text wrap using Unity UI

I know it sounds simple, but it took me a while to figure out. Perhaps this will help you avoid a headache.

2.1 – Tabletop game design strategies that can speed up video game development

One of the most important considerations for indie video game developers is managing the scope of their creations. Since development time and costs can ramp up quickly, and starting budgets can be as low as nil, developers have welcomed ways to downscope, by using pixel art, minimalist aesthetics, or in some recent cases, a tabletop-inspired look and feel for their digital games.

Luckily, tabletop game designers have already been writing about their experiences in an industry where the inclusion of a few extra game pieces can mean the difference between profit and loss. The subject is broader than simply streamlining aesthetics, as the physicality and directness of interaction with tabletop games creates additional constraints that can help focus the game’s mechanics.

Below is a list of considerations for digital game developers conscious of reducing their workload; those strategies are broadly divided into simplifying assets, streamlining mechanics, and responding to market expectations.

2 – Proof of Concept

During those next three weeks, I continued work on my project – to research how board game design and production can help game developers create games faster, and to finish my game Rhythm Dice by applying those techniques.

1 – Envisioning

Fig 1. Original concept art for Rhythm Dice from 2021.

Less than two years ago, I decided that I would learn how to make games. In truth, I had made that decision far longer ago, and far from once or twice. This was however the moment when I committed a significant part of my time to the practice by joining a Masters program. In a year and a half of part-time study, I submerged myself in design theory, and produced a number of prototypes. Eventually I was ready to commit to making a small, finished game.

The goal of finishing and releasing a game, no matter how small, is important to me for a number of reasons. Firstly, I believe that there is much to learn from the experience of releasing a game. By making prototypes never intended to be released to a wider audience, it is easy to re-tread the same familiar ground of design and development, without ever having to engage fully with polishing and QA. Secondly, the experience of having released a title is often recognised, and sometimes required, by fellow game developers looking for employees and contractors to work with. Finally, I consider it to be a personal and professional milestone.

What follows is a series of blog posts that summarise my progress on a six-month project where I make a game. Blogging gives me an opportunity to organise and filter my research notes, and to provide evidence for my involvement in the project. By making those posts public, I also hope that some of the research and techniques might end up being useful to others.

Although this is a personally driven project, I am working on it as part of a Masters course. Therefore, I will benefit from having weekly group webinars, one-to-one supervisor meetings, access to a number of libraries as well as a forum of fellow practicioners.

The academic setting also necessitates that my practice is underpinned by rigorous research, and the game’s development will be instrumental in answering a research question. In the first weeks of the project, I will explore what that question should be.

Working on ‘Broken Seal’ for Global Game Jam 2022

I joined a team of five to work remotely on a game for the 48h Global Game Jam. How did it go and what was the experience like?

The development of Sorry I’m Late

Sorry I’m Late, My Colleague Got Eater By A Bear is a game concept I’ve been working on over the past few months with fellow game developer Miranda Bennett.

In addition to a prototype and trailer, we planned out the budget and marketing for a hypothetical release. In this post, I’d like to document my contribution to those efforts.

Trying out the Godot engine

Recently I had an opportunity to join the Stop Waiting For Godot jam – aptly named as a final push to motivate anyone interested in the open-source Godot game engine to give it a go.

Development Log 12.2 – Team Retrospective

After the work is done, the team reflects on the last twelve weeks.