In which things are not optimal

#gamedevelopment #marketing

Now that I have a working prototype, perhaps I should consider an audience.

I started this project because it was something I thought I would really enjoy playing. Running around, figuring out strategies on the fly, hanging around outside with friends.

However, the more I think about it, the smaller my target audience becomes.

I have no idea how to go about getting an audience for this game.

Revisiting old ideas with new tech

#programming #gamedevelopment #ai

In which we breathe new life into old ideas, with some friendly help.

I had an idea.

You can read about it here and here and here.

The tech stack I was working with had some limitations. I started with RubyMotion (because I :heart: Ruby, and it compiles cross-platform) with a Firebase realtime backend (because I wanted pubsub stuff in a database). The problems were that:

• any system-based stuff (location, etc.) had to be plugged into RubyMotion, which had mixed success
• the data had to be no-sql, and I was getting the heebies from that
• any server-side logic (for gameplay, and especially for Voronoi calculations) had to be in Javascript, which was a major let-down

So, while I got a working prototype from it, I was reaching the limit of my patience working with that stack.

The first weak point I wanted to eliminate was Firebase. While it's still a pretty cool tool, the second I poked around in Supabase I was sold. We're talking:

• normalized SQL, ahhhh relief
• really solid pubsub
• and the most best discovery, PostGIS with built-in Voronoi.

As a service, I couldn't really ask for more for this project.

However, recently at work we've been doing a lot of research into AI tools. Claude proved itself quite useful, and in my efforts to understand it's limitations better, I thought I would put it through a personal project in the holiday off-time.

Well, color me impressed.

After an initial stumbling period (the XCode project still isn't set up properly, but heck if I'm touching it now), things came together quite quickly. It knows how to make iOS apps. It knows Supabase (at least the 2024 version of Supabase, which is close enough). I was able to recreate the months of work using the original stack in about 20 hours.

So now I've had some opportunities to playtest, but really need more. But that's an issue for another post.

Screenshots

Starting another project during underwork downtime

#gamedevelopment #programming

When underemployment provides new challenges.

I've been underemployed for the last couple of months. It's been a challenging time — over the summer I was able to shuttle the kiddos around where they needed to go, and I've been able to take my father to his Parkinson's physical therapy appointments, and I've been able to do some database and pipeline work for my brother's rowing club; but we're also tucking pretty hard into savings, and in general it's been eroding my confidence.

So I've been poking away at putting together a tiny little game. A return to the basics of what I love about game development. Just coding and doodling in spare time, slowly building it up, without big expectations.

Methodology

In setting out, I wanted to approach it with some guidelines:

• Development as rapid as possible. Tackle small problems, none larger than a couple of hours. Have it working at all stages.

• No shooting. I'm just not into it right now.

• Mobile-first design. Most games I play these days are on mobile, so why not make something I would want to play? Further mobile considerations:

  • Portrait orientation. I know it's generally easier to play in landscape, but sometimes I hate having to shift my grip. I know, I know.

  • Short game loop. Success should be relatively achievable in under two minutes.

• As few magic things as possible. Magic as in things I don't understand, or rely upon blindly. I'd like to be able to do as much myself as possible, instead of grabbing questionable stuff from asset stores that aren't quite what I want.

Dragonruby

My first decision was pretty simple: to use Dragonruby game tool kit. I love working in Ruby, and the tool kit gives a real bare-bones set of tools — basically blitting to the screen, and some rect overlap checks. The simplicity is really refreshing, and quite liberating. But one of the huge things it offers is a crazy strong development ethic — not only from how it works, but also in the community that surrounds it. The Discord server is super friendly, and rewards small victories and stresses shipping games. And (for now) it's still small enough that it still feels like a community.

Game Design

In starting, I wasn't sure what game I wanted to make. I tend to default to top-down games, so I started there. Just getting a square moving around. Done! Okay, what about collisions? Cool — done. What if we were to bounce off collisions? Or have doors that open to other spaces? Or powerups that change player behaviour?These small, basic steps afforded me quick successes, and allowed my subconscious to poke at gameplay loops. If we're not shooting things, how about collecting things? What are the potential obstacles to collecting things?

What'd going on with the weird tunneling?

The thing that kept coming up in my mind was the ancient game of Crystal Quest. I grew up on a Mac Plus, and there were few games to play — but Crystal Quest[^1] was always a favourite with my brothers and me.

Okay, so let's riff off that game. Some elements I focused on:

• Moving around is simple but challenging. The thing is a little slippery.

• There are static and motile obstacles.

• Time is an issue.

So now the game design is looking at having a time limit (which factors nicely into my guidelines), and a little top-down thingie floating around. But it's also pretty basic. In trying to assemble some sort of “room”, I settled on a simple 640p square shape — which, for some reason or another, reminded me of the tabletop board game Escape: The Curse of the Temple, an Indiana Jones pastiche, in which you have to explore tiled square rooms and get out before the time runs out. It's a fun game of rolling a bunch of dice and yelling at each other. Let's steal from be inspired by it!

One compelling emergent gameplay that came about in stringing rooms together is that all the rooms started to feel the same. Like twisty corridors, all alike. So now there's a memory factor — what sequence of doors did I go through to get here? How do I get back in time? With things chasing me? I really like this aspect.

Anyways, I've been poking away at it. You can check out progress more at the Husk itch.io page.

[^1]: By Patrick Buckland. Who, as I discovered in doing this project, also made another one of my favourites: Carmageddon. What a champion.

In which we actually get a game going

#Games

I've owned a copy of Arkham Horror: The Card Game for seemingly over a decade, without it ever getting to the table. It's been difficult finding both the time and the right people. Until now.

But recently I pulled together some trusted compatriots, who were also in the same situation, and we got a game going. Between all of us, we had a lot of material to choose from, but we chose a one-off to learn the ropes.

There's a lot going for this game. At first glance, it's a beautiful horror: gorgeous artwork, obtuse symbols, complicated rules, three rulebooks. It definitely asks a lot of the player — not only with setup and rules understanding, but also strategy and narrative. Its a tough game to 'win'. Luckily, the Lovecraftian theme allows for loss that fits in the overall narrative.

There's also some standout mechanics — I was surprised at how flexible the format is, allowing for new micro-rules for particular scenarios, all while staying in the overall mechanical vibe.

After only one game, it's tough to assess the character progression/deck building aspect of the game. There sure are a lot of people who get into it, though.

Ultimately, we were all very keen to go again. I would be very interested to see how the design team went about balancing both the player decks, and the scenario progressions — because although we didn't do very well, the narrative worked amazingly.

Key Mechanics

• The chaos bag. Allows for different probability distributions and outcomes, difficulty levels, and even changing mid-game. Like dice, but better?

• Clues vs. doom. A cool way of having both a positive and a negative progression for each 'act'. Makes for a very effective race.

• Locations. Opening and closing locations, travel between, and the way flipping a location can provide further narrative and mechanical opportunities.

• The setup and takedown times are horrendous, but so far the enjoyment from the experience has been worthwhile.

Thoughts on careers and technology

#Personal

Work, the curse of the drinking class

I've recently moved back to the US after living in Aotearoa New Zealand. While there, I tried hard to put down roots, and establish some sort of career stability. That was not to be, however, as it became clear that I would be able to help family better being back in Portland.

Returning to Portland has not been easy, from a career standpoint. And it has had me thinking about the nature of careers in academia and tech industries.

I've always been a learner. I'm good at grasping concepts and ideas, and figuring out different ways of applying them. But I've also always been curious about too many things. So I've ended up with a very broad understanding of a bunch of things, but haven't had the opportunity to really dig deep into anything — except teaching.

I'm a good teacher. Because I've always been a learner. Understanding where your students are coming from is critical in getting them to learn. Because ultimately, there is no teaching, only learning. There's nothing I can do to get someone to learn something, who isn't interested in that learning.[^1] Also, generally I love the stuff I'm teaching, and that shows.

But the problem with teaching is that that career toolset doesn't carry outside of the discipline. Of course, it should, but in reality it doesn't provide you with the portfolio to step away from teaching. Yes, I can absolutely do the job, but can I show that I can? I can show that I've taught other people how to do it, but that doesn't wash. And I understand that. I also understand that there are probably 100 other people applying, who have prior credits, who have portfolios. Bless them.

So I'm in a bit of an emotional gully these days. I'd like to take the time to build a portfolio of work that I can be proud to show, but there are bills to pay.

[^1]: And vice versa — there's nothing I can do to stop someone learning something, who has the gumption to learn it.

Maps as a narrative landscape

#Maps #Artwork

I love maps.

I love how they look — the styles, the details. I also love how they convey information about a place — not only where it is, but often what it's like. That sense of the evocative is very compelling to me.

And I also love how maps can overlay almost anything — not only geographic landscapes, but also emotional landscapes, narrative landscapes, etc. etc... It's bloody fantastic.

A couple of years ago I got a packet of those perforated postcard-sized printer sheets, initially for printing postcards.

But I realized that it's a really interesting format for narrative — four sections, dislocated from each other, to be sent over the mail, and maybe (*maybe*) reassembled at the far end. What happens during that trip? What if one quadrant gets lost? Or torn? Or sent to Tunisia for a bit? [^1]

So I set out to make a story through cartography, and send it through the mail. Unfortunately I forgot to grab a photo after putting in all the street names.

[^1]: Because the cool thing about real mail is not that it gets there, but the journey it takes. Including getting lost.

Version control? Who needs version control?

While I was working as an Academic Advisor for Epic Games, one of my pet projects was to write a guide on how to get started with version control — Perforce Helix and Git.

It was quite a project — there was a lot of research, checking over exactly how to walk through all the weird server and software steps. And getting screenshots!

Ultimately, my tenure with Epic was over before the guide was completed — the last 5% of detail, and all the formatting. Luckily, Diana Diriwaechter picked up the project and pushed it through to completion.

Check out the Epic Games Guide to Version Control, and leave a nice comment!

Getting closer to the play loop

#gamedevelopment

Another quick test of the game. This time in the city — and I managed to find the bot spawn!

#Frustration

So once again I need to migrate this site, as Forestry.io is closing down.

I'm trying SiteLeaf right now.

The SNOOK APPARATUS

#ScientistsWithCoolNames #Science #Nonsense

So I couldn't find an image that I could confirm was Homer Clyde Snook, which is a shame. But regardless, he was a physicist working in the field of roentgen rays, soon to be relabeled x-rays. Working for the Victor company, he made the delightfully-titled “Snook Apparatus”, an early device to create x-rays.

I mean, look at this thing:

And check this out: at the start of World War II, he registered for the draft. He was 64 at the time. What a champ.