It’s true!
A week ago, I had no idea what I was going to make for the Synty Game Jam. Seven days later, I’ve shipped a game. Before biasing my thoughts with any feedback, I wanted to compile my thoughts on what went well, and what didn’t.
But first, let me show off the game:
In Operation Cover-Up, you play as a spy that’s exceptionally terrible at covering their tracks. You’re sent back to the scene of your latest mission to find the evidence you left, and decide the best way to deal with it.
Not bad for 7 days!
What Went Well?
So, I completed a game! Technically. But it counts, right? I have made and shipped a game.
I’m obviously a little biased, but I think my take on the theme is pretty novel. Kind of like you’re a detective, but investigating yourself. I haven’t seen anything that takes that idea before.
Since I had recently got my hands on Synty assets from their Humble Bundle offering, I had quite a bit to use in terms of assets for building a level. Still, it was time-consuming adding the details and, while fun, I also found it quite tedious when on the clock and trying to rush.
I’m not an artist by a long shot. Give me a blank piece of paper and chances are, I’ll struggle. Which is why I was surprised by the UI assets I managed to pull together. The paper and manilla folders were a lot of fun to put together. I got to experiment with new brushes and some new techniques for 2D work, and got some results that I’m extremely proud of.
I’m also particularly pleased with the handler remarks aspect of the game. There are many possible remarks, and they are scored based on how the player interacts with the game. So despite the fact that evidence is placed manually, players may just get different end-level remarks based on how they interacted with it. Break a bunch of cameras? Good chance that’ll be there. Forget to pick up your ID? Almost certain that will get a mention. It makes for a fun way for the behaviour of players to influence the outcome and I have several ideas on how to expand upon this in the future.
What Went Wrong?
Of course, it wasn’t all plain sailing. My first hitch was early on – trying to get the basic player animation and movement put together. I hadn’t used the animation pack before, so it took me half a day trying to understand all of the variables in the animation system, just to get it working. It’s not perfect by a long shot but it works for now.
Initially, blocking out the level design was pretty challenging. I didn’t really have any great concepts in my head of where to go with it, so I was mostly just ‘wandering’ about and wasted a fair bit of time. Since I didn’t really have anyone to bounce thoughts off of, I almost ended up getting nowhere and throwing in the towel.
The biggest feature I wanted to include was handler voice lines. But a lack of time and cost meant I couldn’t get this added – which in hindsight, isn’t the worst thing, but equally I still think it would add a much needed dimension to the general experience of the game. I considered subtitles as a temporary alternative, but decided to not make the player have to stop and read every time there’s an interaction.
Performance isn’t great, generally. The lighting is a mess. Both are important for a well running game, so I would benefit from putting in some more time learning how these workflow function rather than just getting them in and working. Neither are massive issues here, but still worth mentioning.
Finally, I feel that the moment-to-moment experience of the game is a bit bland. Perhaps it’s just because I’ve played the game a bunch while making it, but I feel that it’s a little repetitive. I had in mind other aspects for this, but time constraints prevented me from going there.
Summary
Overall, I’m actually thrilled with the progress I’ve made. A week ago, I was waking up to see the theme, and I immediately could not think of a single idea. Maybe because I had just woken up. Turns out, I had four other ideas before this one cropped up and was settled on pretty quick. And now, I have a completed game! Who’d have thought?!
I firmly believe in learning-by-doing. In a way, that’s exactly what’s happened here and personally, I don’t think it could have gone better. I had so much fun putting this together (and spent many, many moments giggling to myself like a maniac at some of the sarcastic lines the handler could offer)
What’s Next?
I don’t really know. Submissions are closed, so I’ll be going over other entries to give my thoughts and vote. Beyond the game jam, I have a number of options, some of which are identified above. Whether I look into developing this further, starting a new project, or just learning more about my shortcomings in this one, I’m sure there are many avenues to consider. I’m not in a rush. Well, maybe I am really. Who knows?