ClickJam
This weekend is the first annual 24-hour ClickJam.
A Game Jam is (generally) a 24-48 hour contest in which designers, programmers, artists, and... um, sound people(?) are divided into teams and given the set period of time and create a game from scratch.
I'm pretty lucky for this one - John, the guy from school that I've really clicked with and we've been working together to get our own indie studio off the ground is teaming up with me. Together we're forming the design part of the team, and potentially (depending on how the teams are assigned) the programming as well. As far as design goes we should be okay, we work really well together and both tend to pull more than our own weight. I'm a bit stronger on the creative aspect, the concept, story, mechanics, and so on, while he's a little stronger on the organizing my brainspews, finding and fixing the intricate details, and looking at things from a much more technical perspective. We definitely fill each other's gaps, and that's a good thing.
Hoping the programming part goes decently. I'm able to do it, and I like it, for the most part, but this is a program I've never touched before and I've had less than a week to play with the dumbed-down demo. Saturday morning will be my first chance to actually touch the full version of the game, and I tend to be slow with things when I'm first picking them up. We're not going to have time to go slow this time, however.
From what we've researched, you usually want to have a solid design ready to go within an hour of start for a 48-hour Game Jam. We've got half that total time, so... we're going to have to pull a concept out of our asses fast and go way outside my usual method of "play with ideas, sleep on it, take notes, tweak" when it comes to making games. On top of this we've got to make the game according to a "mystery theme" that will be announced that morning. Woo, good times.
I'm so very excited, this will be my first opportunity to work with actual artists and... sound people(?) on a game. This will be fantastic for my portfolio. It will push me to my very limits.
On the other hand, I'm so very nervous. John's technically the leader of the team, though he's acting remotely and I'll be the go-between for design to the other "departments" and that's scary. I'm hoping this all goes well and I don't make too huge a fool of myself.
But in the end, no matter what happens... I'll get a $119 program free, and it'll be a good learning experience. I hope.
A Game Jam is (generally) a 24-48 hour contest in which designers, programmers, artists, and... um, sound people(?) are divided into teams and given the set period of time and create a game from scratch.
I'm pretty lucky for this one - John, the guy from school that I've really clicked with and we've been working together to get our own indie studio off the ground is teaming up with me. Together we're forming the design part of the team, and potentially (depending on how the teams are assigned) the programming as well. As far as design goes we should be okay, we work really well together and both tend to pull more than our own weight. I'm a bit stronger on the creative aspect, the concept, story, mechanics, and so on, while he's a little stronger on the organizing my brainspews, finding and fixing the intricate details, and looking at things from a much more technical perspective. We definitely fill each other's gaps, and that's a good thing.
Hoping the programming part goes decently. I'm able to do it, and I like it, for the most part, but this is a program I've never touched before and I've had less than a week to play with the dumbed-down demo. Saturday morning will be my first chance to actually touch the full version of the game, and I tend to be slow with things when I'm first picking them up. We're not going to have time to go slow this time, however.
From what we've researched, you usually want to have a solid design ready to go within an hour of start for a 48-hour Game Jam. We've got half that total time, so... we're going to have to pull a concept out of our asses fast and go way outside my usual method of "play with ideas, sleep on it, take notes, tweak" when it comes to making games. On top of this we've got to make the game according to a "mystery theme" that will be announced that morning. Woo, good times.
I'm so very excited, this will be my first opportunity to work with actual artists and... sound people(?) on a game. This will be fantastic for my portfolio. It will push me to my very limits.
On the other hand, I'm so very nervous. John's technically the leader of the team, though he's acting remotely and I'll be the go-between for design to the other "departments" and that's scary. I'm hoping this all goes well and I don't make too huge a fool of myself.
But in the end, no matter what happens... I'll get a $119 program free, and it'll be a good learning experience. I hope.