Space Deviants
Space Deviants
Made for the sustainability UCSC game jam
Made for the sustainability UCSC game jam
On this project, I was one of two programmers on the team with three other people (the other two being artists). We designed this game to fit the theme "sustainability" by teaching about how we are polluting space with satellites and other debris. My goal going into the game jam was to create a custom physics engine that could somewhat closely represent how planets apply gravity to objects near them.Â
On this project, I was one of two programmers on the team with three other people (the other two being artists). We designed this game to fit the theme "sustainability" by teaching about how we are polluting space with satellites and other debris. My goal going into the game jam was to create a custom physics engine that could somewhat closely represent how planets apply gravity to objects near them.Â
Ultimately, the gravity aspect turned out well, but I did learn a valuable lesson: There's a difference between inherently hard games, and games that are hard because they utilize movement that isn't used often and require a strong tutorial. In game jams, I tend to just create a basic info page so I can budget more of my time towards experimenting with unique mechanics or new concepts, so this game may have been better in a game jam longer than two days so I would have extra time to make a polished tutorial.
Ultimately, the gravity aspect turned out well, but I did learn a valuable lesson: There's a difference between inherently hard games, and games that are hard because they utilize movement that isn't used often and require a strong tutorial. In game jams, I tend to just create a basic info page so I can budget more of my time towards experimenting with unique mechanics or new concepts, so this game may have been better in a game jam longer than two days so I would have extra time to make a polished tutorial.