Tournamental
2022
Introduction
The goal of this course was to implement mechanics into a tile-based game while having the experience of a functioning game studio. The class itself was structured like a game studio, meaning we were forced to do research, prepare, and then execute our ideas in a certain amount of time. We had to implement our own idea and another student’s mechanic in about two weeks.
What went right
A new idea from the old one
My original mechanic was a flashlight that revealed hidden symbols and doors that the player could then interact with. Through the process of figuring out that mechanic, I realized that I needed to change it. I wanted to just completely dump the idea, but it wound up sparking an idea that became my mechanic. I kept the idea of the wall and instead made it into a wall that could be broken and rebuilt. Even if I wasn’t able to implement my original idea, it still helped me to figure out my final mechanic.
Implementing another student’s mechanic
Originally a daunting task, following along with another student’s documentation to implement their own mechanic wound up being pretty fun. The student whom I picked did a fantastic job documenting their work and explaining their code, so I was able to implement and then iterate on it without much issue. Additionally, it was fun to see how other people organize their code. It’s almost like looking into their brain in a way.
Presenting ideas and code
Throughout the process, we were able to talk to other students and instructors about our ideas and our code. We had a few sessions where we were able to show off what we had been working on and get some live feedback on what to improve. One of the hardest parts of coding is the logic, so being able to talk out the code definitely helped me understand what I was doing wrong and how I could go about fixing it. Additionally, we were able to talk to the student whose mechanic we were implementing, so we were able to ask them questions and get some help with their mechanic.
More Unreal practice
As I use Unreal Engine, I find myself learning more and more about it through trial and error. For this project, I wanted to push myself to add in some sound effects to my mechanics. I did a bit of research and looked at some of the code that was already in the project, and I was able to implement two different sound effects that only played when the player interacted with the object. I was also able to get some more practice with making transparent textures and materials to then put on walls or objects to add to the aesthetic of the game.
Trello
This project saw the use of an organizational website called Trello. I had never heard of it before, so I was excited to become familiar with it. I like to plan things out and I love to make lists, so Trello was a great way to stay organized while keeping track of my mechanic. It also allowed me to watch other people go through the process of implementing and then iterating on my mechanic.
What went wrong
Overscoping
What was, arguably, the root of most of my problems was overscoping. I came into the project with grandiose ideas of crazy mechanics to create and implement. When I finally sat down and had to start working on my original mechanic, I quickly realized that I had bitten off way more than I could chew. I had to scale my mechanic back drastically, which eventually turned into changing it altogether. I also had to think about how much I wanted to change how the game itself looked and scope that back. I had a lot of great big ideas that were not feasible for the timeframe provided to me.
Welcome back to coding
Coming back to Blueprint after months of not using it was a challenge. I have previous coding experience with text-based languages, so I know the logic behind object oriented programming and how to execute it. What I don’t know is specifically what nodes do what, or what to call to make something happen. I spent a lot of my time floundering around in Unreal Blueprints trying to just remember what to call to make something happen. Once I got the hang of it and looked back at some previous work, it was a lot easier, but being thrown headfirst into coding after such a long break was a serious challenge.
Life is busy
This month was busy. I had two heavy workload classes this month. On top of that, I had to move apartments. I spent a full week balancing working on my mechanic and ideas and packing up everything I owned to then move. There was one full weekend that I was unable to even work on my project as I had to get everything set up in my apartment. I made sure to set aside days to get the work done; I skipped out on an event I was planning on going to just to make sure my work was finished. Sometimes life gets busy, but I was able to chunk out the time I had and get everything settled.
Puzzles are hard
As someone who enjoys puzzle games, I thought that making my own puzzle would be easy. It was not. I spent a long time staring at my empty level trying to figure out where to even start. I had a few small ideas based on games that I had played, but I quickly realized that my mechanics didn’t quite fit with those puzzles. After lots and lots of trial and error, I was able to eventually come up with a level that wasn’t too hard or complicated, but used both of the mechanics I had in an interesting way. Now that I’ve gone through the experience of making a puzzle from scratch, I know that I will be able to do it again in the future.
Pushing through emotions
This project was stressful. I described it to my friends as being pushed off the big diving board by your instructor after only a day of swim lessons. There were a few moments that I really felt like giving up. But, each time I would make something and it would work, I’d get that feeling that I could do it. Every little victory helped push me through the tough times. This was a test on both my game design skills as well as my ability to face hardships and come through them having learned something. It was a struggle, but I know that everything I learned will stick with me because of that struggle.
Conclusion
This project was really fun to work on. The switch to a data-based game was a bit daunting, but once I got the hang of it, I was able to make a game that I am proud of. I am going to keep iterating it to make it even better than it is right now. I already have some ideas. Overall, I learned a lot through this project and, despite my setbacks and hassles, I made something I am proud of.