So I'm going to start a Dev Diary for my new, and so far most successful, game that I'm working on. Mainly I am doing this to keep my self on track, and if I'm lucky I might get some easy advertisement.
Currently I'm developing this game from scratch using JavaScript and HTML5, which I don't think I'll ever do again. But I'm currently using JS for my real job and I figured extra practice wouldn't hurt. And since the game is shaping up to run quite smoothly I don't think it wan't a huge mistake. On top of that I plan on just giving the game to some HTML5 game website once I'm done, so deployment and usability should be quite easy. I just wish I was using a real OOP language instead, oh well...
So anyway, the game! Corridors and Chambers? No idea what to call it. I'll probably go through many names until I find one that is fitting, but that is what we shall call it for now. The game is a 3D non-euclidean puzzle/map memorizing/maze game that will be split into 50 or so small levels where the goal is to get from point A to point B. It is going to be played in first person and probably feel a little bit like Portal, Antichamber, or Qube. It, of course, wont be anywhere close to the graphic detail of them but hopefully will be just (if not more so) as challenging and fun.
The core gameplay comes down to one key mechanic, and I have been awful at explaining it to people I know so hopefully I do a better job writing it down. The level is divided into multiply regions which (hopefully) appear seamlessly connected to each other. So if the player is in Region A (Connected to Region B, C, and D) with up being the Z axis and the player walks all the way to the left side of the region, they will appear on the right side of Region B with up being Z. If they walk all they way to the right side of Region B, they appear on the left side of Region A, Z still up.
Now this is where the tricky part come in. If the play walks all they way to the front of region B, they would appear on the top side of Region D with X being up, if they continue to the left side of Region D, they would then appear on the top side of Region A except the X axis would be up this time. So the player enters an area they have already been to at some point, except everything is oriented in a different direction. Hopefully that wasn't to confusing, on my next post I will try to include some screen shots.
The hardest part of this game is going to be designing the levels. The challenge is going to be trying to create a level that is simple enough it can be solved by observing your surrounding, but not to simple where one could just wander around randomly until they find the exit. Also making sure that the player can't trap them self in an area where there is no exit, along with making sure that the different orientation that the regions is part of the puzzle and not just a distraction.
I'm incredibly excited to get started on designing/playtesting the levels, but I'm just not far enough to focus sole on level design yet. I've thrown together a quick level to test the rendering, collision and region switching, and I must say it is turning out a lot better than I expected!
Anyways next post hopefully will be about where I'm at in the development of the game and the next parts I will work on. It will also include some screenshots to give a better description of how the game play will work.
-Parker Olson
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