The Start

Starting a new thing is both scary and fun. Scary, because there's a lot you have to do that you want to get right. Fun, because you get to start something new. Scary, because you have no idea where it will go, what it will become, or what will happen to it later on. Fun, because... you get to start something new.

Below I've outlined the project's goals, weekly goals, and what the game is actually about. The next post will happen when I know I can start working for myself full-time.

Project Goals

The primary goal is to learn more about game development by developing a game, and doing so in the most proper way possible. That includes the following:

• Setting weekly goals and tracking progress (Trello!)
• Upholding design documentation (Google Docs!)
• Posting progress reports every week (This blog!)
• Advertising the blog (Social media!)
• Of course... making the game. (Unity!)

The start of the project is a little hazy because I don't know when I can actually start going at this full-time. The end is even hazier: the project exists almost entirely to be cut short at some point. It's both to hone my skills, and to showcase them.

Weekly goals

I've worked using Scrum for about two and a half years. While it's not a lifestyle, I do think setting clear goals and time-limits is a smart way to chop away at a project over a long stretch of time. So once I know I can work on this project full-time, I'll set a new goal at the start of the week, something I know I can do within that time frame. For each goal, I will start with outlining the tasks needed to accomplish the goal, and I will use Trello to keep track of progress. I can also add a stretch goal if I manage to finish early.

On top of that, every week I will do the following:

• Create a blog post with images, gifs or videos of my progress that week
• Advertise the blog post on social media
• Set a new 'sprint' goal and create Trello tasks

So what's the game?

The game I plan to make will be a 2D platformer/RPG hybrid. I've played a lot of games over the years and these two genres are ones I consistently enjoy playing. I've also not seen very many games successfully combine these two. Recently I've only seen the title LISA attempt it, and the platforming in that game was not very fun.

Here is another list of reasons why I'm pursuing a game like this:

• I am not a great artist. Using pixel art is acceptable for platformers and can make creating art assets easier.
• There is a lot of stuff to learn that easily translates to other kinds of projects. Simple things like movement, jumping, turn-based combat and levelling systems can be included in so many different types of games.
• People seem to enjoy these kind of games! While I wouldn't mind continuing my divorce sim, or working on something similarly artsy, every game designer should put the player's wants first.

I've decided to name the project "Viola". I hope you have as much fun reading this blog as I have creating the game. It's scary, but it's fun, too.