Week 27 - The comeback kid!

Hey everyone! So you're probably wondering why I've started back on the development Blog? Well, after I concluded my development series, I thought that there really wasn't much else I could show you until the release of the game. I had all of the character controls, pick-ups, and main mechanics working, all aesthetics had been added, and all initial features had been implemented. The only thing that I needed to add was music and sounds, and all I needed to refine was the traps themselves. Everything else had been completed... Or so I thought.
After countless hours of testing the game, playing it, getting others to play it and so on, I noticed something was missing. It wasn't as fun as I hoped it would be. It felt as if the simplicity of the game wasn't enough to warrant retention. Yes, there were medals and achievements to obtain while playing, but it didn't seem like that was enough. Also, it still felt the game was lacking "juiciness", hence why I'm putting the 'developer' hat back on.

I learn't quite a bit after releasing my first game. Firstly, don't rush game development. Secondly, don't roll out fundamental game play AFTER the game has been released. With this in mind, I decided to postpone the release until the game is at a point where it feels "fun". Now you're probably thinking that the GDD should have accommodated for these changes, and designs. Well it did to a certain point. It wasn't until the game was at it's initial end when I noticed it was still lacking something. So with that I decided to do some further research.

Initially, the game was designed to be simple and only have a few mechanics (similar to the popular game 'Flappy Bird'). The problem; simplicity wasn't enough. So rather than using 'Flappy Bird' as my main point of reference, I went on exploring more design ideas. Researching games such as fruit Ninja, Jet-Pack Joyride, Subway Surfer, and others. These games gave me some idea on what else I could do in order to make the game feel more "full".

Since reviewing these games, I noticed a common ground with them; collectibles. Collectibles are an amazing way to keep player retention, and to help player development and progression. So I decided to incorporate the same idea. These pick-ups will allow the player to purchase new character skins, arenas, and even take a chance at obtaining even more powerful items such as double coins next run, power ups, and more!

With Power-ups in mind, I have added a new one; Indomitable. This power-up is unlike the rest. This one allows the player to become not only invincible, but be able to destroy any obstacle in their way. This power-up is also available after the game ends through using collectibles.

I plan to incorporate a few more elements within the game before release, but since starting back at work, I'm afraid I won't have as much time to work on the game as I would like. But I will try to keep you all updated as often as I can!

Until next time,

Thanks for reading.

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