GAME DEV DIARIES PART 4: LEVEL 1

 

Hi guys,

I’m back and the time has come to design level 1. If this is your first time reading my blog "welcome". you did not miss much, you can go back and read my old posts to get a full idea of what kind of game I’m trying to create.

I recommend reading this first to learn more about my messy and unpredictable approach to game development.

(https://juiceboxplay.blogspot.com/2021/07/indie-game-diaries-brainstorm-and.html)

Now, assuming that you read that, here is my update “ I still do not know what I’m doing, but we will figure it out together”.

I started working on the first scene where the story begins.

opening scene: a little girl sees her father leaving their house and taking a battery with him.

Note: it’s a toy world where everything is running by batteries including the house lights. So the girl is left in the dark with her mother. 

design challenge #1

Is it cost-effective to add two more characters?

no, but I can recycle some parts from old models and simplify my design. 

How can I design the parents to look like the little girl?

by collecting similar references to the ones I have saved up while designing the girl.

One more thing I can’t afford to design and then redesign. Being indecisive is costing me time and energy, so let's not do that. Also, I must recycle some parts from the girl like her head and arms. I will not remodel hands ever again.

# Design

Let’s start collecting references.

I looked up fashion in the 60s for men and women.

The mother

Lana Lobell 1962 (@Ethan on flicker) 

The father

 (mom's patterns) (vintage ads browser)

Mix all of that together and this is my design.

 

# modeling

let’s start with the mother.

First try, keeping the shapes as simple as possible. (she might be a little bit flat).

Second try:  Mmmm…. chubby cheeks but much better.

Third try: There is something about her I don’t like.

Final result: done. 

she might not look like an exact copy of my design, but they look related right?! right.

It’s time to model the father.

First try,: I hate the legs. No-no-no.

Second try: much better.

Final result.

Now let’s set the scene.

Nice, they need to be rigged and animated and that is not our priority right now. So it’s time to jump into the environment.

#Environment

Creating a cute toy-like neighborhood is the main goal here.

Initial layout.

House 1.

House 2.

House 3.

House 4.

#Puzzle design.

Designing the gameplay was something I procrastinate on, mainly because it was so difficult,

and I had no clear direction or idea of how to do it. for now, here are some ideas, and I will dedicate the month of October to focus on them.

I am inspired by Japanese streets where you can see electricity poles and suspended wires in small neighborhoods.

(Unsplash)

I'm going to use batteries connected to electricity poles.

put all of that together and this will be our game mechanics.

turn on the light.

open doors. 

This concludes this month’s progress. follow me on Twitter for new updates @juicebo04840840