Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Clocking Out

Hmm, 3 weeks left, not including a great big assed section I'll refer to as "Post Production" where I make it all work and I polish the game like a pair of jackboots. That really is cutting it close. As the designer, I need to actually be all done quicker still, since art takes time. The sooner I get something all done the sooner the Team can get cracking.
So, having had a look at the schedule, I need to have The Tower finished by the end of the week. That's not going to be easy, but it is needed, so I can get it tested thoroughly and then made all pretty.
What it means in less uncertain terms, is that the Clock portion of the Tower, has got to go. The scripting, design, building and re-building would simply take too much time. I estimate it would take at least a week. That's time I do not have to give away. I like the idea, and clearly was in love with it, but now I feel the time has come for us to part, and for me to start seeing other Levels in more than a cursory way. I could continue this analogy, but I feel it may turn vulgar with Game Dev Double Entendre. Possibly involving the terms "Joystick" and/or "Elbow Deep."

In any event, I've got a new and workable map of the Tower level wherein the player goes outside, inside, outside, inside, outside again. The only oddity about the design, which I may change, is that the outside is continuous. So if you miss a jump at the top, you will fall 9 screens worth before the ground says "Ola." Provided of course nothing else is hit en route to terra firma. Either way, as much as I like watching the character flail around and go kersplat, that seems like a bit of overkill (ha! pun!). Kind of a big, "Ha Ha, you have failed. Now enjoy your great big fail for a while longer. Just a little more, and...okay now try again please."
I may only build a couple of screens below the play areas and see how that goes. So one can get the sense of deja scru (that's the feeling that you've done something before, and it turned out badly) without going through the whole rigmarole of dropping for 10 seconds. It'll probably also help pacing. I'll see what I decide when I actually do it.

- Oh, and I don't think I've mentioned it, but I've gotten great new music from our Composer. We've gotten a new Prison Theme, which is whimsical and adorable - like what prison in Disneyland would sound like if it had a soundtrack. We also have a Main Title, and a basic theme for The Guard Captain. I'll put them up probably.

- Speaking of Guards, check it out. That's what the guards will look like more or less. The details are still in the process of, but I think those are cool. Really quite so. I could kick those off of platforms for hours.

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