On this publish, I’ll speak about how work progressed on the important thing facets of the sport and share a number of ideas I adopted. Let me make one factor clear from the beginning:
- For me, sport improvement is NOT a passion. This was a mission with a concrete aim. If it’s only a passion for you, don’t essentially do issues the best way I describe under—do what you need and luxuriate in it!
- My aim was easy: to launch my sport on Steam. Not the perfect one, not the highest-selling—simply to finish and launch a mission. My path towards this aim wasn’t the trade commonplace or a set of “finest practices.” It was merely my very own method.
- Deadline: I had a transparent deadline—Might 2025. I even managed to complete forward of schedule.
- The principle software for a developer (particularly a newbie) is sort of a “knife.” I’ve launched multiple product/mission in my life (simply not in sport improvement). The important thing manufacturing software is a knife. Use it to “minimize” your method towards your aim.
- Comparability? That’s as much as you. Baldur’s Gate 3 is a sport, Tetris is a sport, and even a stone simulator is a sport. It’s your personal selection whom to match your self with.
I’ll undergo the details. When you’d like extra particulars on any half, be at liberty to depart a remark. Let’s get began!
Mechanics and Story: An Inseparable Entire:
In “The Sisyphus Journey,” one can’t work with out the opposite. The mechanic itself is elementary: you may have a power gauge, you push a stone, the power depletes, you come to camp, regain a little bit of power, after which push once more. Participating, isn’t it? The spine of the sport was put collectively inside a couple of minutes after the thought struck:
- Step 1: There may be Sisyphus. I present the stone. It have to be pushed.
- Step 2: ….
- Step 3: Revenue!
I then confronted the query: how one can make pushing this stone interesting? Why ought to the participant do it? Is it to admire breathtaking landscapes? I couldn’t try this. To create fascinating physics or add complicated mechanics? That wasn’t possible. However to captivate the participant with a narrative? Now, that was potential. That’s what I made a decision to attempt.
It was the story that turned the core round which every little thing revolved. I assumed in regards to the plot consistently all through the event course of. Dialogues had been rewritten numerous occasions, and characters got here and went. This was all a part of a pure inventive search.
Ultimately, two narrative layers emerged within the sport:
- Sisyphus’ Story: The protagonist died after an argument along with his spouse, crashing his automotive after a few beers (or one thing stronger—the specifics don’t matter) and ended up within the afterlife. There, he was cursed to eternally push a stone up a mountain. His major motivation, revealed within the first location, is to return and repair every little thing. This drive is fueled by visions as he advances. However will he preserve it till the top? What’s going to turn into of his household in these visions?
- The Inhabitants of the World: The world Sisyphus finds himself in just isn’t empty. There are different “cursed souls” right here, all bearing their burdens. They’re totally different, but united by their shared plight.
- Juliet: In her previous life, she was nothing greater than “a flower in another person’s backyard”; now, she is cursed to die from poison day by day.
- Spartacus: A gladiator and the chief of a revolt, doomed to endlessly repeat his martial craft.
- Nimrod: A biblical king and challenger of gods. Not an antagonist, however an instance of the damaging energy of hatred.
- Ponce de Leon: A conquistador who sought the Fountain of Youth, solely to seek out everlasting outdated age—and maybe knowledge?
The primary narrative is one that each participant will expertise in the event that they attain the finale. The second is elective and deepens the core message.
What message did I need to convey? Reflecting on this led to the creation of 4 totally different endings. One among them, in fact, nods to Camus’ concepts—the place is a sport about Sisyphus with out that? The opposite three endings await the participant on the summit.
To additional flesh out the thought, I added a fundamental camp improvement mechanic by encounters with varied characters. This built-in organically into the narrative. A secondary profit was the worth of interacting with NPCs.
By the best way, all through the complete sport, Sisyphus doesn’t utter a single phrase. I revised the dialogues of the opposite characters numerous occasions and, actually, I’m nonetheless not 100% happy with them. However that’s what makes the sport uniquely mine.
Conclusion on Story and Mechanics: I selected what was vital to me and designed the 2 components to bolster one another. It’s onerous to say precisely how I got here up with this story or if it’s value telling, however I imagine my love of studying performed an enormous half. I merely adopted what my coronary heart felt (and it tends to be a bit sentimental). Maybe that’s the essence of creation—revealing a chunk of your self. If it resonates, nice; if not, it’s not the top of the world.
Code and Programming: The Future Is Already Right here
I’m not a programmer. My expertise quantities to 10 classes from HTML Academy about seven years in the past, the place I attempted to maneuver a cat. The cat wouldn’t transfer to the designated nook, so I deserted that .
Like many others, I began with YouTube tutorials: Unreal, Unity, Godot, GameMaker… I watched all of them and realized that every little thing was overwhelmingly complicated. I wanted an engine that met one easy requirement: the sport could be 2D.
It took me about two hours to decide on an engine. The criterion was easy—what seems the only? I settled on GameMaker 2. If that is your first mission and also you’re uncertain what challenges you’ll face, it actually doesn’t matter which engine you utilize. Belief me—you’ll be devouring content material continuous. And alongside the best way, you’ll be given extra.
Then got here the usual journey: watch tutorials → attempt coding → stumble → seek for options on YouTube → look ahead to hours → code once more. This course of consumed an unlimited period of time.
Thankfully, I made a decision to attempt interacting with AI—first Copilot, then switching to Gemini Superior. At first, I didn’t perceive… however then every little thing clicked!
AI turned my major software for writing code. The secret’s understanding the general logic of the engine so to accurately formulate the duty (very similar to speaking with one other human). As soon as that’s executed, each path opens up (effectively, solely the graceful ones, not the bumpy roads). AI allowed me to bypass the longest stage—looking for solutions on YouTube, which may take hours and even days. AI offers solutions in simply 30 seconds. Then, you adapt and refine them on your mission. Generally—sure, you simply copy (Ctrl+C, Ctrl+V). I admit: my sport accommodates code that works, regardless that I don’t absolutely perceive each element of the way it works.
As an illustration, thanks to at least one piece of code, Sisyphus not solely walks but additionally avoids “shaking” on inclined surfaces—an issue I had no concept how one can remedy till AI helped plug the hole.
Past pace, AI presents one other profit—it teaches you how one can use the engine. For instance, I wished to make the background blurry (a blur impact). I requested AI how one can code it, and inside 30 seconds, it defined that GameMaker has built-in layer results—blur, vignette, glow, and so on. Because of this, in simply 20 minutes I carried out not solely the blur but additionally different results I hadn’t identified earlier than.
Abstract on Code: AI has opened the door for amateurs like me into the intricate world of programming, and I’m immensely grateful for that. Don’t complicate your life—give it a try to benefit from the journey.
Graphics: An Ode to Pixel Artwork
I’m undecided whether or not drawing pixel artwork is taken into account troublesome or easy, however my deep love for it meant that deciding how one can strategy it took me barely 10 seconds. Graphics, characters, and objects—these are the elements I used to be decided to create myself from begin to end. I used to be suggested to make use of AI for portraits or backgrounds, however I insisted on doing it by hand. Even when the result’s somewhat tough, it’s precisely how I envision it.
All visible components within the sport are drawn by me utilizing Aseprite. Not being an expert artist, I adopted a easy strategy: I checked out references, obtained impressed, closed my eyes to image the picture, after which merely drew. And I actually loved it.
That mentioned, drawing effectively takes time and talent. Sketching one thing “on the fly” is quick however uninspiring. I needed to discover a stability and, as soon as once more, depend on that “knife.”
Conclusion on Graphics: When you love the method, create your personal artwork. In my sport, there are solely 4 tree sprites used all through all the degrees (which may be mirrored, scaled, and moved throughout layers). Is that sufficient? For me—sure. The purpose is evident: typically, to succeed in your aim, it’s a must to minimize away the pointless.
Sound: Music from Inside
I like music; that’s why I composed all 4 musical items for the sport myself, spending a number of nice evenings with my synthesizer and Fruity Loops. Ambient sounds (a canine’s bark, birds chirping) had been downloaded from web sites providing free sound results.
Conclusion on Sound: There isn’t way more to say right here—do what you like and what you possibly can deal with by yourself. For the remaining, search for reasonably priced options. Many aspiring composers supply their companies, typically without spending a dime.
What’s the Takeaway?
I’ve typically heard and skim {that a} “actual” sport requires a lot extra—extra effort, increased high quality, additional polish, developer struggling, even tears in your espresso, and all that jazz. That you simply shouldn’t use AI or just copy 4 timber throughout 4 ranges. That the trade is filled with “crap.” That gamers are by no means happy.
I listened however by no means obtained into the talk, and I wouldn’t suggest it to you both. You probably have a aim—seize the leash and pursue it your personal method. Set your priorities and don’t get distracted by what doesn’t matter. We’ll speak extra about that within the subsequent publish.
Ultimately, you’ll both have a completed mission and a closed aim, or a lovely story of why it didn’t work out. Which do you favor: fairy tales or outcomes?
Subsequent, I’ll write in regards to the motivation and the method that helped me attain the end line. I’ve some expertise there, in contrast to with the subject of this text.
