Get Something Done Challenge development transition underway

ID:94702
 
Apr 25 2010, 9:37 am (Edited on Apr 26 2010, 9:22 am)
Planetbreakers is disqualified from the Get Something Done Challenge (hereafter referred to as the GSDC) on the grounds that it was something I was mucking around with before the May 1st start date. However, I still want to participate in the GSDC because, indeed, I can use the incentive to get something done.

Vehicle Wars. While very few core resemblances remain with Planetbreakers,
it was this project that was its foundation.
To these ends, as of May 1st, I'll be picking up Project Shock again. Last you might have heard, I was planning on making it into a squad-based combat game. Then I made the leap to full on Dwarf Fortress-style anonymity. I was still referring it to Project Shock, but actually it was my Vehicle Wars project that I uprooted and recoded. Though some integration was attempted, neither the projectile or device code was needed for Planetbreakers, and so it was 0% Project Shock in the end.

Project Shock is qualified for the GSDC on the grounds that I haven't technically worked on it for months, but why didn't I? The main problem was that I was unable to decide on a focus. The squad-based combat idea was just the latest in the chain of concepts that originated with making it a sci-fi Roguelike with persistent world multiplayer aspects.


Project Shock currently looks like this.
It will remain that way until May 1st when the GSDC begins.
For the GSDC, I've decided that Project Shock's focus be this: bring Lode Wars into 2010. Though I had not played Lode Runners during my Project Shock development, there are already a lot of unintentional core resemblances. What I'll be doing for the GSDC is see if I can bridge the gap the rest of the way.

I'm also planning on doing quite a few enhancements, including a 4.0x skin, AI opponents (which I'm apparently good at making now) and sound effects (sound datum support is already included) but these are secondary to "getting it done."

So, what now?

I can't touch Project Shock before May 1st, or else I'll get it disqualified for the GSDC. However, I've another 6 days left of April. My video card broke, but BYOND has a software renderer it falls back on when DirectX is unavailable (and besides I should have a replacement before the week is out).

It's the last week of classes prior to finals week, and I should spend that time studying for Finals. So far, I've spent the majority of this weekend instead procrastinating by browsing the web or playing Rune Factory Frontier. If I must neglect my studies, I think it'd be more productive to do game development.

Therein, I've a bit of an interesting deadline to consider: if Planetbreakers is going to be put on hold for awhile, it might be worthwhile to put out a playable prototype before May 1st. However, whether or not I can realize this depends on how much studying I can get myself to do and if what I develop during the week is adequately playable.
Apr 25 2010, 1:23 pm
The enlarged picture URL is missing the 'g' on the end... Is that an omen? ;)
Apr 25 2010, 1:41 pm (Edited on Apr 25 2010, 1:46 pm)
Thanks for pointing that out - fixed.

I had a remarkably difficult time getting this blog entry posted up. The HTML looked right, but for some reason it wasn't working. The links were bleeding down the page past the picture, the centering wasn't working right, the headers were all wrong, ect. It was like the closing tags weren't there, but they were.

Fortunately, by tearing all the tags out and reapplying them one-by-one, I managed to get the page to look presentable. Was it simply user error, or was something more sinister at work? I'll never know. In any case, I'm just glad a missing 'g' at the end of the URL was the only thing wrong.

So, as far as omens go... :P
Apr 25 2010, 6:59 pm
Good luck, can't wait to see what comes of it!
Apr 25 2010, 8:16 pm
Anticipating it very much! Good luck!
Apr 26 2010, 3:45 am
I considered entering GSD competition. But I'd already disqualified myself because I began reproduction on the only game in my list I actually care enough about to work on before the starting bell.

It's fine though, Story Telling earned it's place in my heart as being the one hurdle I know I can cross, probably easily, but often miss tiny details which lead to massive bugs in the game that require an incredible amount of effort to fix. As I've said before: For a simple looking game, quite a lot goes on behind the scenes to deal with those pesky players and they're unexpected movements. But the solution (which was so obvious I hate myself for not thinking of it five years ago) came to me in a dream. And with four days off from work, my hope is to find the motivation to get the damn thing out there, accepted into my own guild and gathering an audience. =)

Good luck in the competition however, I look forward to seeing a playable product. Just remember, school comes first. =)
Apr 26 2010, 9:36 am
Thanks for the support, all.

Tiberath wrote:
Re: Story Telling

Story Telling is a really cool concept. I hope that works out for you.

Just remember, school comes first. =)

In theory, if not in practice. :P I've got such a mental block there it's not even funny.