Global Game Jam 2012, Hilversum
Size Matters
During the Global Game Jam 2012 in Hilversum, me and my team Xtra faced some peculiar challenges. Due to circumstance our hastily formed team was very small and initially consisted of only programmers. Due to this we decided to make an extremely simple game which would not require much if any artwork or design. We decided to go for a concept that was very easy to implement yet fun to play, with a programmers’ art style.
Concept
Our concept was related to the theme we had been given for this particular jam. This theme was the ouroboros; a snake that eats it’s own tail. After some brainstorming we came up with a rolling snake that would eat itself, thereby becoming smaller. All that food could also make it grow again. The result was a game where the player can roll their way through simple levels while changing size when needed.
The Game
The core concept was very easy to implement using the physics functionality already present in the Unity game engine. We spent the first day tweaking the physics parameters, like friction, mass, torque etc. The remainder of the jam was spent polishing up and designing and creating 9 unique and challenging levels to complete. This was very easy, as we only used standard primitives already available in the engine. We didn’t need any extra models or textures which allowed us to focus purely on the gameplay and level design. Near the end we received assistance from a sound designer from another team, who made us a nice soundscape.
Reception
Our game was received extremely well. Both during initial play-testing and during the final presentations, we occasionally had quite a crowd of people interested in playing our game through word of mouth. In the end our game won the following awards:
- Jury contest: First prize
- Popularity contest: Third prize
Me and the rest of my team are now further developing this game in our free time.
Sanderman0 