[custom_heading center=”true”]Game Ideas[/custom_heading]
Diving right in, I’ve never worked in 2D graphics or pixel art for games, but I am up for anything. I used 3DS Max, Blender, and Unity for game making previously. Now with moving to pixel style graphics, I’m learning a lot about animating on a 2D platform. It’s interesting taking the basic idea of a game, Elevator Action, and trying to reinvent it. It’s an approach to game design that I’ve never tried before. Everything seems to be going along nicely, and progress is being made.
[custom_heading center=”true”]Group Work[/custom_heading]
This is my second time working on a game in a group like this. At butler, I joined the i3D (interactive 3D Technology) club. The goal of the club was to make a game together! The talents there were really diverse, and it was a really fun atmosphere. Though no game did come of it, I enjoyed the experience. I had also previously worked on a game, The Unlucky Apprentice, for Game Jam ICT 2015. That was an incredible opportunity, and I learned so much. Working with a team, collaborating and cooperating, was extremely important to finish the game in such a short amount of time. We took advantage of each other’s skill sets to make the most of it. Team work is really enjoyable, and everyone benefits from it. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, so to say. Bouncing ideas off one another and the motivation that comes from being a part of a team make the work go much faster.
[custom_heading center=”true”]Programs[/custom_heading]
I have never used Stencyl, Piksel or Slack, but im picking up on them. Slack is easy to use, and similar to another chat program I was already familiar with. I have played very little in Stencyl, and it’s much different from what im used to. That one will take some practice. As far as Piksel, I am loving it. It’s simple, straightforward and very effective for pixel graphics editing. I even switch between photoshop and piksel, moving graphics between the two. It’s incredibly easy. In the future, Im sure eventually I will work on music. I’ve been playing around with making music. It isn’t something Im skilled with, but practice makes perfect, I suppose! With any skilled person, they grew out of one that was untalented.
[custom_heading center=”true”]Revisions[/custom_heading]
Something unique about working here that is very different from the game jam is the use of revisions. With the time crunch of the game jam, very few revisions were made. Here, things grow and change throughout the project. Designs and sounds are different already from when we started, it will be cool to see how much things will change when the game is complete. On the left is an example, though it may be far from the finished piece.
Melody Winger
8-Bit Minion Intern Team