Trend Surfer
Introduction
This game was made for Weekly Game Jam. The theme was "chain reaction." This was the first time that I took part in a game jam, and it was also the first time that I worked with a deadline as short as one week. I teamed up with JDR, a developer that I met in the Jam's Discord server. We helped each other work on our own individual games rather than collaborate on a single game due to the significant differences in our schedules. We shared and bounced ideas off of each other, exchanged feedback, play-tested and helped polish each other's games.
Time management
As it was the first time that I attempted to make a game under a week, I had no idea on how to manage my time effectively. JDR introduced me to Trello, which I used to prioritise the game mechanics and plan out the development of the game. Most of the week was spent on polishing the level and fixing bugs. I implemented the core gameplay, pause menu, main menu, and uploaded a playable version before the deadline.
Level Design
Designing a level was a rudimantary skill at the time. I looked up key-terms relevant to the
theme and found a few interesting results of random objects set in a dominoes-like-effect. I
thought that it would be cool to have a level in which all the platforms are set in a chain
reaction.
Though I used physics simulation for only some parts of the level, I managed to maintain the
appearance of a chain reaction throughout the level. As I was not yet experienced enough
with
level designing, I could not build a bigger level or multiple levels. Using platforms with
diverse mechanics, I built one level which can be completed in approximately one minute.
Bugs
A large ball in the level was supposed to hit a pillar that would knock pillars over. However, when the ball touched the first pillar, it did not tip over in some playtest sessions. To fix this, I decreased the mass of the pillars, increased the mass and the force of the ball, increased the torque on the pillars by a reasonable amount to make sure that they would completely tip over but not spin like a top. The pillars now tip over as expected.
Accessibility
Royalty free font "OpenDyslexic" was used in order to provide a relatively better experience to players with dyslexia.