What I've learnt from #LOWREZJAM 2018

(Above: The official LOWREZJAM 2018 logo)

While I didn't manage to finish my submission in time for #LOWREZJAM, I've had ton of fun building it - and learnt a lot too! This post is a summary of my thoughts and the things I've learnt.

Firstly, completing a game for a game jam requires experience - and preparation - I think. As this was my first game jam, I didn't know how I should prepare for such a thing in order to finish my submission successfully - in subsequent jams I now know what it is that I need to prepare in advance. This mainly includes learning the technology(ies) and libraries I intend to use.

(Sorry, but this image is © Starbeamrainbowlabs 2018)

This time around, I went with building my own game engine. While this added a lot of extra work (which probably wasn't helpful) and contributed to the architectural issues that prevented me from finishing my submission in time, I found it a valuable experience in learning how a game engine is put together and how it works. This information, I feel, will help inform my choice in which other game engine I learn next. I've got my eye on Crafty.JS, Phaser (v3 vs the community edition, anyone? I'm confused), and perhaps MelonJS - your thoughts on the matter are greatly appreciated! I may blog my choice after exploring the available options at a later date.

I've also got some ideas as to how to improve my Sprite Packer, which I wrote a while ago. While it proved very useful in the jam, I think it could benefit from some tweaks to the algorithm to ensure it packs things in neater than it currently does.

I'd also like to investigate other things such as QuadTrees (used to quickly search an area for nearby objects - and also to compress images, apparently) and Particle Systems, as they look really interesting.

I'd also like to talk a little about my motivation behind participating in this game jam. For me, it's a couple of reasons. Not only does it help me figure out what I need to work on (see above), but it's always been a personal dream of mine to make a game that tells a story. I find games to be an art form for communicating ideas, stories, and emotions in a interactive way that simply isn't possible with other media formats, such as films, for instance (films are great too though).

While I'll never be able to make a game of triple-A quality on my own, many developers have shown time and again that you don't need an army of game developers, artists, musicians, and more to make a great game.

As my art-related skills aren't amazing, I decided on participating in #LOWREZJAM, because lower-resolution sprites are much easier to draw (though I've had lots of help from the same artist who helped me design my website here). Coupled with the 2-week timespan (I can't even begin to fathom building a game in 4 hours - let alone the 24 hours from 3 Thing Game!), it was the perfect opportunity to participate and improve my skills. While I haven't managed to complete my entry this year, I'll certainly be back again for more next year!

(Sorry, but this image is © Starbeamrainbowlabs 2018)

Found this interesting? Had your own experience with a game jam? Comment below!