2009 Game Design in Review
Timpoline (March) I like this game a lot more than other players, I think. The difficulty is tuned to me as the game designer, which means it's way, way too hard for everyone else. I was planning on re-releasing with full level skips and free passage to the EX levels to anyone who beat the final boss. I ought to get around to that soon; some of the best levels are the ones players are less likely to have gotten around to. I will say that I have a real soft spot for this game and I wish other people were better at it. Maybe I should make some YouTube videos of me beating some of the levels.
Gohrillas (August) I made this game in something like three hours. The response I got was disproportionate. People like old QBASIC games.
Phantom Tactics (Chapter 1) (September) I'd been playing a little Fire Emblem, see, and I pitched an OHR version to Newbie. It turned out he was already making one. Whoops. So I played around with the mechanics to come up with the concept that became the Phantom Tactics battle system. This turned out to be my most popular game of the year. I do plan on getting back to work on this game, but since the release, I've had very little desire to do so. I think that's largely because, while I know how the game ends, I don't know how I'm going to get from A to B. Maybe a little plot planning would go a long way, or maybe I just need to replay the game to get back into the mood. And maybe it's just that I had a lot more fun making...
Do You Want to be a Hero? (October) I'd been playing a lot of 7th Saga, see... I think this game does a good job of making it fun to level up frantically. More to the point, though, it accomplishes very tactical turn-based RPG battles in a way that feels satisfying. Apparently, players found the game difficult, but the irony is that I balanced the game by adding something like 3 to 5 minutes to my first clear time for each stage. This was a lot of fun to work on.
Maze of the Red Mage (December) This is going to be hard to top as a 48-hour game. It's a full, complete, playable game, and it's pretty entertaining, too, even if you end up dying more often than not. If I'd had more time to make the game, I'd be really unsatisfied with the balance, but for a 48-hour entry, it's actually pretty amazing. I'd only entered one 48-hour competition before this. No one remembers my entry and it's best that way. I'm really satisfied with how this turned out, though, and I'm considering making a DS port.
A really good year. Phantom Tactics and Maze of the Red Mage won $50 and $25, respectively (although I gave half the PT cash to TwinHamster, who did the unit graphics/animations). I don't think that's the most I ever made in a year from game design, but I didn't have a job back in my $100 year.
Think my wife would kill me if I quit my career to make $75/yr making games?
Gohrillas (August) I made this game in something like three hours. The response I got was disproportionate. People like old QBASIC games.
Phantom Tactics (Chapter 1) (September) I'd been playing a little Fire Emblem, see, and I pitched an OHR version to Newbie. It turned out he was already making one. Whoops. So I played around with the mechanics to come up with the concept that became the Phantom Tactics battle system. This turned out to be my most popular game of the year. I do plan on getting back to work on this game, but since the release, I've had very little desire to do so. I think that's largely because, while I know how the game ends, I don't know how I'm going to get from A to B. Maybe a little plot planning would go a long way, or maybe I just need to replay the game to get back into the mood. And maybe it's just that I had a lot more fun making...
Do You Want to be a Hero? (October) I'd been playing a lot of 7th Saga, see... I think this game does a good job of making it fun to level up frantically. More to the point, though, it accomplishes very tactical turn-based RPG battles in a way that feels satisfying. Apparently, players found the game difficult, but the irony is that I balanced the game by adding something like 3 to 5 minutes to my first clear time for each stage. This was a lot of fun to work on.
Maze of the Red Mage (December) This is going to be hard to top as a 48-hour game. It's a full, complete, playable game, and it's pretty entertaining, too, even if you end up dying more often than not. If I'd had more time to make the game, I'd be really unsatisfied with the balance, but for a 48-hour entry, it's actually pretty amazing. I'd only entered one 48-hour competition before this. No one remembers my entry and it's best that way. I'm really satisfied with how this turned out, though, and I'm considering making a DS port.
A really good year. Phantom Tactics and Maze of the Red Mage won $50 and $25, respectively (although I gave half the PT cash to TwinHamster, who did the unit graphics/animations). I don't think that's the most I ever made in a year from game design, but I didn't have a job back in my $100 year.
Think my wife would kill me if I quit my career to make $75/yr making games?