GID18 - 24 Hour Game Maker
by J Lesko · 02/14/2006 (2:01 am) · 4 comments
Download 24 Hour Game Maker (1.3 MB)
Going into this weekend, I was planning to either polish up some of my past GIDs, or try out an idea I had for a game *about* doing GIDs. Once I found out the theme was ripoffs, the whole "meta" thing seemed like the way to go.
I had one mechanic already in mind: typing in code the way programming is depicted in the movies. What would it look like? Well, given the theme, my only option was to create a cheesy knock-off of everyone's favorite game engine. =)
The jist of the game is to code, debug, and compile a certain number of "subroutines" before the time limit expires (about 8 minutes). If you finish in time, you get to actually play the game you made, which is based on the great idea you came up with at the beginning.
After deciding on a rough direction, I started working on the most useless things possible: a fake IRC Client and MP3 Player that... um, doesn't make any sound. I eventually found a way to make them part of the game, though. For instance, you can get free subroutines from people posting in the IRC channel. And, naturally, listening to raging music makes it easier to find bugs.
Due to the fact that I was following a "details first" approach, the game didn't start coming together until around hour 20. There were a lot of ideas that didn't make it in, like a Dorque version of Clippy and a mini-game to increase your polygon count. I even made a parody of the GarageGames logo for a mock .plan posting. But, alas, time was running out... just like in the game. (or was I IN the game?)
The 3D section was ripped off from my previous GID, Martian Meltdown. In fact it's one of the games you can create. I know what you're thinking: that means you can use my current GID, which rips off the GID concept, to make a GID that is a ripoff of my past GID.
A shot of the Wolfenstein ripoff:
I'm not sure how difficult it will be for other people. Once you figure out the right way to type, it's possible to advance quickly but you still need to use the optimizer. I suggest you read the entire help page before playing or it might be very confusing.
There are a few entries charting my progress at my blog:
www.joelesko.com/blog
Finally, playing this game doesn't mean you have an excuse for not trying the real thing! Check out gameinaday.com or drop by #gameinaday for all the details.
Joe
Going into this weekend, I was planning to either polish up some of my past GIDs, or try out an idea I had for a game *about* doing GIDs. Once I found out the theme was ripoffs, the whole "meta" thing seemed like the way to go.
I had one mechanic already in mind: typing in code the way programming is depicted in the movies. What would it look like? Well, given the theme, my only option was to create a cheesy knock-off of everyone's favorite game engine. =)
The jist of the game is to code, debug, and compile a certain number of "subroutines" before the time limit expires (about 8 minutes). If you finish in time, you get to actually play the game you made, which is based on the great idea you came up with at the beginning.
After deciding on a rough direction, I started working on the most useless things possible: a fake IRC Client and MP3 Player that... um, doesn't make any sound. I eventually found a way to make them part of the game, though. For instance, you can get free subroutines from people posting in the IRC channel. And, naturally, listening to raging music makes it easier to find bugs.
Due to the fact that I was following a "details first" approach, the game didn't start coming together until around hour 20. There were a lot of ideas that didn't make it in, like a Dorque version of Clippy and a mini-game to increase your polygon count. I even made a parody of the GarageGames logo for a mock .plan posting. But, alas, time was running out... just like in the game. (or was I IN the game?)
The 3D section was ripped off from my previous GID, Martian Meltdown. In fact it's one of the games you can create. I know what you're thinking: that means you can use my current GID, which rips off the GID concept, to make a GID that is a ripoff of my past GID.
A shot of the Wolfenstein ripoff:
I'm not sure how difficult it will be for other people. Once you figure out the right way to type, it's possible to advance quickly but you still need to use the optimizer. I suggest you read the entire help page before playing or it might be very confusing.
There are a few entries charting my progress at my blog:
www.joelesko.com/blog
Finally, playing this game doesn't mean you have an excuse for not trying the real thing! Check out gameinaday.com or drop by #gameinaday for all the details.
Joe
About the author
Torque 3D Owner Tom Bampton
T.