Monthly Archives: May 2022

Updates for Work Environments

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So… I have been working on this game for a while. Naturally, during that time updates have come out for Unity. And almost every time I downloaded the latest version as soon as I could and updated my project. With one glaring exception. I am still using the 2020 build of Unity.

That build is still getting updates, and I install those whenever I can. But there is now (what appears to be) a fairly stable 2021 version and even a 2022 version available for download. So why wouldn’t I use the latest and greatest version of the engine? For a few reasons as it turns out.

Firstly, when you are in the middle of development you don’t change up the version of a program you are using without a very good reason. Updating always has risks. Perhaps that system you are relying on got tweaked just enough to break one of you mechanics. Or maybe a feature you relied on got changed out for a new one that works differently. Learning these new systems and idiosyncrasies takes time and can bog down a project to the point of an all out stop.

This is not to say you never update a program to a new version. Sometimes those changes that can bog you down? They might be exactly what you need to make something work or speed up production. Or perhaps your target platform changed somehow and the new version can handle that change better. As such, one shouldn’t  dismiss newer versions out of hand. But only done after long consideration.

With all that said, even if the newer version had something that would benefit design work game, I wouldn’t update at this point. The reason is quite simple: I am too close to the end. It makes no sense to refamiliarize myself with the new placement, layout, and controls of the various Unity systems at this point in development. Updates to the current version? Certainly, in fact I downloaded one as I wrote this. But, frankly, rather than speeding up development, at this point the time taken learning new systems could as much as double time I need to finish this project.

So the newer versions of Unity will simply have to wait for my next game.

Nothing Like a Finish Line

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When the finish line of a project is in sight a lot of things start coming into stark relief. The first, of course, is the relief you feel that it is almost over. But the next few are the important ones. The next thing you realize is that all those “good enough for now” solutions you had? Yep, need to deal with those. Any niggling doubts about design sitting in the back of your head? Better bring them out and examine them now before its too late. Had any last ideas? Better hurry and figure out if you even want to try them.

In short the finish line, or any kind of deadline, can force you to make decisions about a project that you otherwise might put off as “less important”. Not unimportant mind you, just things that can wait for a bit… and then a bit longer. And before you know it, the finish line is in sight and you haven’t gotten around to them yet.

And sometimes, this deadline can even help you find things you didn’t know you needed to address. For instance, I have been happy with my scene transitions up to this point. But in light of the finish line fast approaching I thought “Could I do better?” And so I tried something new… and loved the effect. And in deciding on that new effect I also chose to change a few other effects I was using.

As the saying goes “limitation breeds innovation.” And that limitation can be almost anything. Limit on the medium used, on budget, style, or even time frame. And nothing is quite as effective a deadline, and therefore a limitation, as the finish line.

So much to check and so many fiddly bits to bop

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I have “finished” pruning the levels for my game. In truth I could spend a great deal more time fine tuning what levels I include, but what I have will suffice. And now I move onto the next step. Now I am going through each scene and checking for any scripts I left in place “just in case” but are now unneeded or redundant. In addition I am checking to see that everything is connected properly. While some scripts can find the objects they need themselves, other scripts need to be pointed at the objects they are dealing with. And now I am in the tedious process of ensuring all those links are correct. On top of that a few scripts need to have these lists updated to account for new or changed objects… Which is even more tedious than simply checking that they are correct.

Next up is an effects review. First I will be checking the scene transition animations to ensure all are acting correctly. Then check the various settings for speed and placement to ensure I am happy with it. With that done, I will move onto the question of if I will be keeping a particle effect on button press for the play area. The central question being if it should remain and be updated to a more theme appropriate design. Or if it should be removed entirely.

And the final short term goal: If I should rework the hint system. Currently, hints are given out in a grid pattern starting from the top left and working across each row. Each press of the hint button gives the next hint in line. This makes the hints fairly predictable. Which can be good. But with a certain method makes the puzzles very easy to solve with minimal hints. The solution? I am not sure if it needs one. But if I was going to change the system I would make the hints come out at random. But… that will take a fair bit of tinkering with systems to make it possible. And I am not even sure if it is needed. So for now I just need to think about it while I work on other things.
And even writing this I think I worked out a solution for the “how to make them random” problem. So progress I guess.

What Does A Game Need To Be?

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Recently I saw a post online stating that a game does not need to be “anything”. And this argument has some merit, but I think games (and all art) actually have one requirement: they need to be “interesting”. But what does that mean? Because some people don’t seem to understand what I mean when I say that. So here we go.

Lets start with a simple definition of what interesting means. Interesting: Adjective, arousing curiosity or interest; holding or catching the attention. So in short it means to hold attention. But what I mean has a little more nuance to it so lets dive into that.

Lets start with the obvious, games that seek to be sold for profit need to be interesting in order to do that. This does not mean the game needs to be “fun”, “thoughtful”, “challenging”, or “complex” but it absolutely needs to be “interesting”. If it isn’t it gets rightfully left in the dust and forgotten. A game can be a bombastic action piece or a somber reflection on depression. Totally different games for which the only thing they likely have in common is that they are both games and therefore interactive but both can be just as “interesting” for totally different reasons.

In writing this I now see what the “Games don’t need anything to be called games” crowd is talking about. And it is fairly simple. The games that fail to capture attention… are still games, even if they aren’t commercial successes. But my counter argument is that those games were still at least trying to be interesting. However they lacked something, whether that be budget, vision, timing, graphics, playtesting, whatever, that prevented them from capturing the attention of their audience.

But you may have noticed I have made a point of talking about games “seeking to make a profit”, and that is because there is another type of game creation. That is when a creator makes a game for themselves. And I would argue that this game still needs to be “interesting”. Let me explain. When I say interesting that comes in many forms. Yes the primary form is that the final product finds the experience interesting. But when discussing a creation without an “end user” what needs to be “interesting” about it? The process itself. If neither the process of making the game nor the envisioned final product are interesting, I honestly cannot imagine someone creating that piece. (This of course ignores making the game as a job or commission)

And I would apply this to all forms of art. If an artist is making something for their own enjoyment/betterment I can only imagine them doing so if they find the process or goal to be interesting. That could be a painter wanting to use a new type of paint and playing with that. Or the same painter might just really want to paint that one composition just to have done it. Or a rapper might be experimenting with new rhymes just for the joy of the craft. And a game maker might challenge themselves to use a new tool or work in a new genre to get a new experience. But all of these endeavors are sustained by the artist’s interest in their craft. Therefore the craft itself or the final product of said craft must be interesting to, at minimum, the one creating it.

But this might all just be my ADHD brain not processing something that others find blindingly obvious. Perhaps I will try to defend the “games don’t need to be anything” angle next. Perhaps I should, after all it seems to be a shockingly niche opinion for something so demonstrably true.