#MFGJ10

[cerberus-writes]

GAME RELEASE: WALK WITH ME. —— CONVERSATIONS BETWEEN A YOUNG GOD AND A HEART OF STONE. amid the war of gods, a young god finds a friend in the mountains. snippets of conversation throughout a very long life. 

a short game jam story in twine and bitsy, a.k.a. something i consistently worked on for about three days of the jam, and then crammed everything else in the 24 hours right before it was due.

the whole game takes about 25 minutes to complete, and can be read either as a companion piece of sorts to SNAKEROOT, as a peek into a bit of the world’s history, or as a standalone story.

[ READ IT ON ITCH.IO ]

KNOWN ISSUES.

the game has not yet been tested extensively across browsers. i’ve been coding it on a fairly large screen and opening it on firefox, so please let me know if you’re running into any issues with things like font size and scrolling! i am aware of certain issues and am looking into possible fixes, and the game will be updated once i manage to wrap my head around the code. note that the game has not yet been optimised for mobile.

sometimes, after exiting a bitsy passage, you may need to click on the game area again to restore keyboard controls. if you tend to click to advance, then it should work fine.

depending on your screen size, certain descriptions when accompanied by an image may run beyond the set height. the browser should scroll down automatically to the lowest section of text, but if not, try clicking and scrolling manually.

feel free to send me non-issue related asks about the game, if you’re curious! also, do check out the other submissions for the game jam when it’s released (about 14 hours from when i make this post), there’s always some interesting things to be found!

as always, thank you for sticking around!

[sushis-first-game-jam]

not so poggers. due to irl issues I wont be able to finish my game in this jam even though I really want to. I'm a minor and even though its school holidays (which is why I joined this jam) I'm moving so I have been busy packing up the house. I also wont have access to my pc during the last days of the jam, which I didn't plan for as I wasn't sure the dates where I had important events going on. I am not giving up on my game though! I have a big project with a topic of my choosing that I need to do for school next year, and I think I want to make a game for it. So I have to have a demo for this game finished before ~August 12. Its much more time than a 2 week jam, but it should give me enough time! I want a demo of this one finished so that I can have some experience and a project already in my belt before I work on a year long assignment.

I wont be posting on itch.io anymore cause,, I'm not making this game for the jam anymore, but I will still be posting here! Wont be able to work on it too much because of how busy I will be, but when things get done they will be posted here :)

so I guess this is goodbye, goodluck to everyone! I'll be sure to check out the games when the jam ends :D

[cartyrs]

worked all day on the title screen for “Apparition,” really love how it turned out!! 

[quadcricket]

My first game jam and my second time making art for a project. 

This has been a scary but exciting experience!

High-fives all around to those who also participated :D

[myfirstgamejam]

My First Game Jam Winter 2022 is on!

The optional theme is: Nature

Here’s a few tips and links to get the most out of the jam.

Make a dev log on the community!

A development blog is a blog in which a game developer or team talks about the process they’ve made over the course of the game’s creation. Maintaining a devblog keeps your audience in the know and helps facilitate productivity so you’ll have something to blog about. It also serves as a record of problems you encounter as well as the solutions you find for those problems.

Development logs are essentially the same thing, except we’ll be using the jam forums rather than a blog. However, you are free to use both the forums and your own blog as you develop your game.

Doing so is not necessary at all, but check out all the logs from last jam! In order to get the most out of your jam experience, it is vital that you interact with your fellow jammers and the community surrounding it. They’ll provide valuable feedback and support to help you along the way. So please, we encourage you to mingle, post in other logs, and of course post your own!

In addition, you are encouraged to add images and gifs. Here’s some programs to help facilitate that:

ShareX

Greenshot - a free and open source screenshot tool for productivity

Lightshot — screenshot tool for Mac & Win

Gyazo

ScreenToGif

Licecap

Start your dev log today!

Respect your community!

Take a moment to review our code of conduct. We strive to create a safe, supportive, and productive environment, and we appreciate your efforts to make our community welcoming for everyone!

Post daily updates!

Post screenshots or fun mishaps to your dev log, twitter, tumblr, or your own blog to track your progress and get feedback. Tag your posts as #MyFirstGameJam or #MFGJ10 so other jammers can find your work! To get the most exposure you can also tag #gamedev or #ScreenshotSaturday for Saturdays! Share your work and link back to your devlog to get feedback.

Manage your time and tasks!

We updated our list of useful time and task management tools with tips and ideas for staying on top of your project. Set goals early and keep track of how fast it takes you to reach them!

Use our resources!

Still deciding on an engine? No problem. Check out this post to see what fits your project best or try the sortingh.at!

Unity resources

Gamemaker resources

RPGMaker resources

Ren'py resources

Twine resources

Free assets

Winter jam resource list

Resources tag on blog

If you still have questions about the jam itself, take a look at our rules page!

Join the jam chat!

Want to share your work or ask for help? Or even just take a break from dev? Join discord chat here! (Please note you must be at least 14 years old to join!) Feel free to say hi and share your work! If you need help with a specific skill or engine, you can @Unity or @2D Art to notify mentors. If you think you would like to help other people with some part of games–join us as a mentor! You can get notifications when someone has a question about engines or skills you have expertise in!

Here’s a quick guide to how you can become a mentor.

Heed advice from previous jammers

This jam we took the time to write up a quick summary of advice from previous jammers: Know how to scope.

You can read about the number one game jam killer here!

Take care of yourself!

Game-making can be exhausting as well as rewarding! You are more important than your work, and we compiled a list of helpful tools for getting the most out of you!

Aaaand good luck!

Game dev can be exciting, frustrating, and extremely rewarding. We hope to give you the tools to help you succeed in your goals in the next two weeks!

[cerberus-writes]

GAME JAM DEV LOG (DAY 01)

i’ve decided to indulge in a little game jam project as a treat for finishing this semester. it’s a mostly-linear story centering around small snippets of interactions, written in twine (my beloved) with some attempts at integrating bitsy, mostly for aesthetic reasons but also just for like. Vibes. u kno how it is

[cartyrs]

happy first day of the jam! got some character sprites for you (refs below the cut)

[sushis-first-game-jam]

Day 4

​​​I got the forward and backward running animations done this morning! i'm super happy with how they turned out- (I used this tutorial for the animating)​

On my list to get done today is

basic 4 direction movement

left/right facing still sprite

MC bedroom map set up in godot​

constructive criticism is appreciated!​

[sushis-first-game-jam]

Day 2

once again I don't have much material progress to show for, but I figured that I should start with the art as thats what I have experience in.

that means sprites for now! mc's bedroom is started and I have wall + floor tiles >:) I'm pretty happy with what I have cause I've never done pixel art before!

[sushis-first-game-jam]

Day 5

today has been pretty productive! once again I didn't do what I said I would, and I was actually going to spend today playing other games for some inspiration as I'm still in the process of fleshing out the story. hah, I was so wrong thinking I would relax today cause I got some important things done and now have a better grasp on GDscript!

basically I got these things done:

Place holder title screen with working buttons that send one to the first scene (used the GDscript tutorial assets, but I can just add mine when I make the art)

A *mostly* working textbox

doesn't look like too much on paper, but they are both on my "things that will be really hard to make work" list so I'm quite proud! I was also working on a fade animation to switch between scenes, but I couldn't get It working so I will have to pick it up again another time.

[sushis-first-game-jam]

Day 3.2

I know I should already have this considering its day 3 but I've got a dilemma cause I still don't know if I am going to use RPGmaker or Godot-

Godot seems to have plenty of options that would allow me to make the game exactly how I want it, but it takes proper knowledge of code that I don't have and I'm not sure how much I will be able to learn in the 2 weeks. They do have a visual script option which should make some things easier.

on the other hand RPGmaker seems much easier to use for beginners, being able to make a game without any-very little coding. But I still don't understand the interface and if its possible to add my own tile-set and sprites to the game(if impossible then thats a dealbreaker)

I think I'm just going to see how far I can get with Godot using plenty of tutorials, and if I don't get the code done on time for the jam then thats fine and I will just continue testing and writing until its complete.

[sushis-first-game-jam]

Day 1

I didn't get any physical results from day 1 because I spent most of my time creating the storyline, sketching things, and looking at engine tutorials! When I have the plot totally figured out I will post a synopsis of the game (like you would see in the game description)

originally the mc was going to be a child:

but after playing with the thought a bit I think he should be a teenager.

and here is how the monsters look for now~ kinda like endermen!

[sushis-first-game-jam]

so! I'm trying my hand at making a horror RPG game for @myfirstgamejam :D

I don't know if I will have a product finished by the time the jam is over(due to my lack of coding experience, this being my first time making a game, and my unwanted procrastination) but I still think it will be fun! Even if I don't finish a demo by the end of the jam i'm still going to continue making the game to get experience. I also don't know how much it will fit into "horror", buuuut thats what I'm going for!

Now: onto the game description! none of this completely finished, especially the end of the note and you might have to do something different to get the humans back. ​you wake from a painful dream, it felt like you were being struck with lightning. when you turn over you notice a note on your bedside table. its written in a strange language that you have never seen before, yet you understand what it says. 

It reads: You are lucky that you're still alive to read this. No one else is here. the only beings left are things we call "shadow demons".

"Another prank? Jacob must be working overtime!" you say to yourself

​You continue to read: As far as we can tell they don't attack in a pattern. if there is a pattern for when they strike, we have not found it yet. Too many of us have been terminated by them, we can't afford to loose you as well. Don't wait for them to kill you, you must strike first. If you can make your way to us, we will be able to help you bring them back.​

As soon as you read the last sentence, your TV switches on. the screen shows the morning news, but there is no presenter. A pitch black creature with glowing eyes sits in the chair. It looks directly at the camera, unmoving, as if it were watching you. 

"the note can't be true... Can it?"

[sushis-first-game-jam]

Day 6

*forgot to mention it but yesterday I also got some music+rain sounds with a license that lets me use it commercially or non-commercially which is perfect! I also drew out thumbnails for all the scenes that are kind of visual novel style, before the rpg elements come! its nice to have a reference for the script as well :D

I only got 3 hours of sleep last night then had to be out for 6 hours so I am super tired today. I tried to work a bit on the textbox and transition, but it wasn't going well and I wasn't vibing with the heat (pc is in a non-airconditioned room and it was 38c today-) so I decided to take today off as a break. especially because even though I know that I should, I don't mind if I don't have a working demo finished at the end of this jam. I'll work hard but I don't want to push myself if things just aren't working out and I'm tired! I will absolutely be back on the grind tmr tho hehe!

I'm having trouble with Godot, as after a while of working on the project I can no longer run/play the game from the editor (you know how theres like a button in the top right where you can check if the code works, yea it just doesn't open another window). it says its running from there, but the only way I can test it is by closing the editor, reopening godot, then playing it from the page where you select a project. I'm using mac with godot v3.3.2 stable.official and Ive tried restarting my computer,  closing and reopening godot doesn't help, and this is gonna really make the process harder if it doesn't magically fix itself whilst I sleep-

i've asked for help once before but if anyone knows anything about this glitch or how to fix it I would really appreciate a message,,

[sushis-first-game-jam]

Day 3.1

I've spent about 9 hours working today- I'm just having so much fun with this (other than the 3 hours spent fixing my programs and re-drawing the sprites I already made) and am quite slow so i gotta use my time well!

still working on the sprites, and I have most of the things for MC's bedroom (where the player will start) drawn which is nice! (also did some more sketching for the mc to get his design down!)

another thing I have is all the writing done up until the player leaves MC's bedroom!!

godot is pretty hard to understand when I have no coding experience,,, I'm relying on youtube tutorials to help me ;0 hopefully I can make something with all the features I want playable in time-

[sushis-first-game-jam]

Day 3

hah,,, I haven't got anything done today because I spent the whole time trying to get my programs working D:

I cant use asperite properly on my mac so I had to download it again on a pc and redraw the sprites that I started. Not very good use of time but hopefully all the issues are fixed and I can use the rest of today to continue my game!