Post Mortem

This was an interesting project I started as part of the Game Jam for extra credits.  It was a lot of fun and I learned a lot, namely:

• The importance of sound design

The biggest example I can cite for this is the sound the timer makes when it goes off.  I borrow a lot of inspiration from Twin Peaks which uses a lot of analog sound effects to create a disturbia in the listener.  In trying it myself, I realized just how powerful that was -- so much so I shut down early for the night because every time I heard the sound I had a chill down my spine.

Additionally, I adjusted simple things like selection sounds and cancel sounds.  It's amazing what a difference that can make when they're loud or jarring or even just default.  You realize that it can take you out of the immersion or put you into it.

• The importance of fonts/UI

The font I chose was Slave Only Dreams to be King by Junkohanhero.  Although it was the VERY last thing to go into the game, in hindsight, it really completes the "feel" of the game.  After putting that and the sounds in, it really started to feel like a "different" non RPG Maker experience to me.

• Abstraction in Design and How your process changes

Originally I had the player change speeds, change characters, and change music everytime he aged.  It was incredibly jarring though to experience that.  Too many changes too quickly were too jarring so I had to adjust design and scope to accommodate.  There's no point in making the player "experience" aging in a way that doesn't get the point across.  

At the end of the day I had to live with the surrealist vibe I had.  I obviously borrowed a lot from the Black Lodge in Twin Peaks.  Played a lot with scripts and ideas.  I don't think I'll be winning any awards but I definitely see where this lends me towards abstraction actually as a game designer.  Which is a scary thing because I hope and want my games to always be approachable and to provide the player with a sense of abnegation and story telling catharsis -- not just an abstract release of my feelings.

• A value in Surrealism and High Fantasy

Another significant switch occurred when I changed the player sprites from fantasy to the Dale-Cooperesque character.  That alongside watching some harsh criticisms of a very standard high fantasy JRPG by Driftwood made me think -- part of the problem of narrative in High Fantasy is we always start with, "They're adventurers."  What's the story?  "They're adventurers."  That's not a real thing.  You toss these same players into a sci fi, cyber punk or surrealist experience and you don't get to get away with "They're Adventurers."  They have to have real jobs and be in a real world.  You almost can't really start without really thinking through what the reality of their lives really is.  I suspect that I'll dabble a little more in those sprites and tilesets for a bit after this game and my next project just out of a place of learning what it means to tell a story beyond, "They're adventurers."

EDIT:  Also worth mentioning that I learned a lot about Plugins and the power there.  Still happy with my decision to play with the core packages for now, but as I learn more the plugins will add more options -- probably to just add a little at a time.