This prototype
things were really different than the previous prototypes we have had. We
didn't have client this prototype. So, it was more like indie game style where
a team of 6-7 people design and develop a game with no controlling interests or
creative limitations. We had a chance to fully exploit our game ideas and we
had absolute control over the narrative, mechanics, viewpoint, aesthetics and
gameplay of our game.
We spent our first
week on designing the game and later time of the week on physical prototype. We
coalesced our ideas into one game idea. During physical prototype, we tested
our idea with using different camera viewpoints and kept iterating on the main
concept. At last we decided to go with 2.5D viewpoint- a side view but using 3D
art assets.
With less than two
weeks to develop the game and just one artist on the team I decided to go a
little artistic. I took the task of modeling the antagonist (The explorer) of
the game. I used Maya to model the character. Here are some screenshots of the
model-
Being a programmer, I didn't quite feel that I did my part
in this prototype as I had not contributed much on the code of the game. To overcome
this frustration I started pair programming on the AI of the game with Vaibhav
Bhalerao who is an engineer on the team. This was the first time I did pair
programming. Together, we resolved many AI related problems like best path
finding to catch the protagonist and also mechanics of the AI character like giving
correct impulses to the character to climb up. We also designed a level of the game.
Pair programming does help in a lot many ways, sometimes coming up with different feasible solutions.
This prototype was a firsthand experience of how things work
in indie game development. It will also help in the coming semesters where such
small groups would be developing games and competing for IGF.
This prototype I got
a chance to work on Maya and Unity3D. I really feel good that I stepped out of
the box and did something which was totally out of my grasp by not much losing
my identity as of a programmer.
