Backstory

When I saw the announcement for the GMTK Game Jam this year, I didn't think I would be participating. My life is generally busy, and it had been over a year since I last properly used Godot, so I knew my game dev skills were very rusty.

But then something strange happened. My side project, a book I'm writing, reached a point where I can put it on hold for a short time. And then my job, well, I'm a freelance teacher and all of my classes for the moment wrapped up, with my new classes being re-scheduled by a week. Suddenly, I had a lot of free time on my hands, barring a few obligations.

That's when I decided to participate anyway. See if I could polish up my old skills, and practice a little. I didn't really have high expectations, going in, I mostly just wanted to see what I could do. So that's how I found myself tuning in to the theme reveal while cooking spaghetti.

LOOP

When the theme was revealed to be loop, the first thought that came to my mind was Plasma Core, a game that I had made for the GoGodot Jam in 2022 (it got disqualified for music related reasons). Part of the level design for that game involved sending the player in a circle or sorts, like a loop around the level space. So I wanted to do something similar. Buuuut I didn't want to just make another top-down shooter and call it a day.

That's when an idea crossed my mind. I had once thought of a game about monsters and disguises, so I decided to explore that idea further. 

Scope

I tried to keep the scope low, I really tried. I thought that, since there wasn't much in the way of action, it would be a simple matter. However, my scope somehow still managed to balloon.  Monster behaviour turned more complex than I thought it would be, navigation was giving me headaches, I was still re-learning how to do this whole thing... 

And then there was the thought that forever ballooned my scope out of proportion. "I should compose the music for this." 

I had never done that before, because I'd never really played an instrument or composed music. But that was in the past, during previous game jams. Since then, I have started learning the bass. And boy, was I going to use that knowledge for something simple. 

The music is an easy thing to point to, but truth be told, it didn't take me that long to make given that it's just a simple drum loop and my bass. But it was the idea of 'make it myself' that was the real nail in the coffin. The thought of using sound assets, or UI assets, anything like that, became unappealing. I was determined to do everything myself. One person, vs the world!

Remember: I haven't made a game in a long time.

Another problem with my scope is that I wasn't willing to put the work in to make it happen in a timely manner. I had some hours spent doing unrelated things that weren't my obligations, time that I could have spent doing development. If I had pushed myself a little harder on the first day, and gotten all of the mechanics prototyped then, I could have been able to do things much better.

Also like, I keep doing this alone. I ought to get myself a team next time.

Result

Within the original time of the jam, I was able to get the game working, playing, with the most barebones of UI, and a save system that was broken. So thank god for the 1 hour extension. I put that time into fixing some final bugs, creating almost all of the non-gameplay UI, making the save system work, and discovering a progression bug that would have entirely ruined the level design and whole theme of the game.

So. Uh. That progression bug is still there. I didn't fix it. I only thought I did. Not like I could have done anything about it, I submitted the build I had with my "fix" 10 minutes before the deadline. Sucks, but at least a solid section of the game is playable. If you are playing the game, you have until day 15 to explore the entire level, devoid of the random spawning, before that ability gets restricted until day 30.

As soon as the voting period is over, I'll upload a fix.

Aside from that though, the game is playable! I made all the sounds, the art, the music! Within 5 days, I was able to pick up what I had been forgetting, and use it again. On a real game! That I made! What an incredible experience.

I'll be polishing Don't Perceive Me, I think, and aiming for a nice and proper release. Eventually. It will involve fixing major bugs, improving performance by not using lights everywhere, adding some shaders and particles, checking the tilemaps, testing, improving the UI, balancing the sounds, adding animations for UI and gameplay, adding more story hints... yeah I might never get to it. Or I might. Who knows.

As for my own game development journey, this jam has been a reminder of why I fell in love with game development in the first place, and ultimately why I haven't been passionate enough to pursue it full-time. My writing will come first. My life will get busy again. But I suppose I may keep an eye out for the next time my free time and a game jam combine. I'm not opposed to doing this again.

What an interesting experience.