My 1GAMCRUNCH Summary

Where to begin.... I think I will start with coffee. *sip*

        Well, this sure was a fun experience. As my first Game Jam I was happy to at least produce something that I got out the door. I am pretty disappointed with what I was able to make, but I am happy with the core idea I was striving for. I've learned a ton and I had a lot of fun, and through and through that is really what matters when I rest my head at night. So here are my thoughts on this Game Jam.

Time Management:

When I was in the U.S. Army I learned a lot about time management  That discipline slipped through my fingers a bit during this Game Jam. 

It wasn't that I was not working the whole time, but rather I was not focused on the right aspects of what I wanted to build and spent too much time in certain areas.

• I spent too much time tweaking particle effects for the 'right' effect. 
• I devoted 5 hours to a lighting system I did not even end up using. 
• The enemy path finding was new to me, and I spent more time debugging it than anything else. Had I compromised some game mechanics, it would have taken a lot less and I could have fleshed out my idea.

Art:
Art wasn't so much a problem. I borrowed a bit from OpenGameArt.org and did the rest with particle effects. Although art is important to game design, it's also not a primary factor in a Game Jam, I think. There is just not enough time to really focus on making your game looked 'polished', especially when going solo.

Sound Design:

What can I say, I spend a lot of time on http://www.bfxr.net because it is a wonderful tool. I know there are a wide range of sound effects designers and kits out there, and I will get to them one day but for now, this allows me to be creative and listen to a wide range of audio I have not heard before.

Mechanics:

I had a lot planned for this, and that was too much. In the end I had to dumb it down, and I think it's better off for it in some aspects. The player only has so many options and it gives the person playing the ability to focus more on what they can do with those options rather than trying to figure out what 20 different buttons and skills do and how they work. That stuff comes later, for bigger games. :)

The core element of this game was to be hard. I had no intentions of making an easy game. I don't like easy games. I want to challenge the player but without resorting to mechanics that force you into situations beyond your control.

If you die, it is your own fault. (Or so, that is the goal)

Summary:
In summation, I had designed a complex dungeon crawler where you unlocked the boss's you were to fight by accomplishing various achievements  In the end I had to scrap 40% of what I was working on and quickly hack together a single level based on the original design. This is not what I had intended and it has given me a lot to think about.

I plan on revisiting this game over the course of the week and really bringing out what I envisioned and offer up a more complete game with all the challenges intact.

I learned a lot, and I really enjoyed this game jam, and I look forward to more in the future. The pace was fast and the deadline looming overhead made me rethink a lot about what makes a game, and what impact all your environments can play on final decisions.

I look forward to updating this game, and hope you enjoy playing the revised version.