The creation of this game.

So, I felt like writing about the whole process of making this game.  Partially because I'm bored while waiting for my Gamefly rentals to show up and partially because I just kinda wanna put into words how I finally got around to finishing a game.  Well, finished to some degree.

Originally, when I started preparing to join the GMTK game jam, I wanted to write my own engine from scratch.  I started in Python, realized Python didn't have multithreading (I don't think it does?  Might have to check again) and moved to Java.  Trying to stay as pure Java as possible, I avoided using non-built in stuff, instead choosing to figure out how to build each part of the engine myself.

I quickly realized I was not going to be able to finish it in time.  To this day it's still at version 0.3, the "It Kinda Works" update.  I plan to go back and finish it someday, using what I've learned from Godot, but that won't be for a while.

So from there, I moved on to trying to learn a game engine.  Had Unity installed, so I tried learning that.  Absolutely did not like it at all.  C# is a great language and all, but the only means I had to write code in C# was Visual Studio, which is by far my least favorite IDE in the history of IDEs.  So I dropped Unity.  Might try it again someday if I can find an alternative to Visual Studio.  Does Notepad++ work?  And yes, I would much rather use Notepad++ than Visual Studio.  I hate it that much.

I remembered hearing about an engine called Godot, so I gave that a shot, and it was like a cold glass of water in the middle of a scorching desert.  Learning it, the serious lack of documentation on more specific functions of the engine was pretty frustrating, but I was willing to experiment around because everything else about Godot is just that good.  So for a good month or so, I practiced Godot and learned it's language.  Which wasn't too hard because it's just Python with a fake mustache & glasses.

So that brings me to the actual jam itself.  Originally I had the idea to make a chess game but the players can change the rules each turn before moving their pieces, like enabling/disabling cheats.  Swapping rooks and bishops, letting pawns move 2 spaces at any time, etc.  I then realized that I had zero clue how to make chess, let alone chess with cheats, so I scrapped that idea after spending the entire first day working on it.

Second day came around, and I was ready to give up.  I didn't have any other ideas, and I only had 3/4ths of the jam left.  But then, just as I was about to leave the jam, it all became clear:  Platformers.  How could I be so blind?

Evidently, I wasn't the only one to come up with the incredibly unique and amazing idea to make it so that the player can't control their jumps.  I've played at least two other submissions that do the exact same thing, though TBH the other games I played did it more justice than my game does.  I'll update this with their names if I can find them again.

I had some other ideas along the way, like a game called "Joycon Drift" where every input is held for half a second longer.  But I decided that'd be too annoying, so I threw it into the trash where it belonged.

So anyway, I'm currently still working on the post-jam updated version.  I have ideas for at least three more levels and a final boss, which I might make a post about later if I get around to actually adding those areas.  At the very least, I'm planning on finishing the first level, which is still missing an entire section that was supposed to be right after the small platform where the exit door is.