Hey everyone, my name is David and if you know me from before, then it is most probably because I crafted Small Chronicles.
I am starting something new today as a way of learning and improving in the art of crafting games. I will be making a new game every month (#1GAM)!
If you are playing Small Chronicles Chapter 1 at the moment and are wondering if this will affect the development of Chapter 2 (the supposed continuation to Small Chronicles), it won't.
Starting with Folo Hearts, I will be making games that are simple to play but difficult to master. That means that it won't take away the time from Small Chronicles
So what's Folo Hearts? Well, to answer that, let's start with Day 0 of the development blog!
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1GAM #1 - Folo Hearts Day 0
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Conceptualizing the idea
As with Small Chronicles, crafting a game at WhiteSponge always starts with brainstorming ideas. A great way to do so is definitely through the use of the pencil and pieces of paper.
![sketches.png]()
As you can see, I always tend to draw and sketch random ideas all over the place which might seem messy to some. If you observe carefully though, you can notice that some of these sketches seem to indicate some sort of similarity between them.
With 1GAM, I aim to create games with only 1 goal in mind - to make their core gameplay fun and simple to understand. In other words, I am going to reduce the entry barrier that prevents anyone from trying or playing the game, due to its complexity.
So for a start, the first game from doing 1GAM will consist of only a single objective - getting a score as high as possible! To make things as simple as possible, it will also consist of a single gameplay mechanic - tapping!
![tap.png]()
Referring back to the sketches, the aim is to make a game that can be played with 1 hand. Doing so will allow you to play from virtually everywhere and anywhere. This also means that the game will be in a portrait view.
When I combined that with the simple objective of getting a high score, I arrived at the decision to make a game where you will be flying up and trying to avoid as many enemies as you can.
As I have no intention of making a clone, it will definitely not be like Flappy Bird. The core gameplay will require you to focus your eyes on where you are. There won't be any pipes and there certainly won't be any obstacles of such. Just pure evasion of enemies raining down on you.
The Tools
Now while Small Chronicles Chapter 1 was crafted using a game engine called Cocos2D, I will be switching to another engine called Unity for 1GAM. If you are wondering about the differences between these 2 engines, well for one Cocos2D is free and Unity costs a lot.
![unity-raw.png]()
![csharp-raw.png]()
However, Unity does allow me to quickly release games for multiple platforms ( iOS, Android, Windows, Xbox and more) . Luckily, Unity does have a free and stripped down version that should suffice for the games that I will be making for 1GAM.
On top of the game engine, I will also be making full use of my trustworthy Wacom Bamboo to create the graphics for the game.
![tablet.png]()
While some people do prefer using the mouse to do so, I certainly prefer using my tablet as it feels more natural holding a pen-like object in your hand. I have my friends to thank for that!
For sound effects, the blue yeti will definitely come in handy as it can record in almost professional sound quality (there's a blue yeti pro version) .
![yeti.png]()
If there is one thing that I have learnt from making games till now, that is when recording sounds, stay away from the walls as far as you can. Depending on your microphone, it may be sensitive enough to pick up on the subtle echo sound that is reflected from the walls. I am fairly certain that my blue yeti does that.
Instead, surround yourself with soft objects such as pillows, mattresses and even the sofa. These soft objects will absorb the sound projected from you so your microphone will not pick up on the echo sounds.
And so it is
Day zero of the first 1GAM! While there wasn't actual progress in regards to crafting the game, getting the game's core gameplay finalized is definitely important too!
Do subscribe to this thread for regular blog updates! Cheers!
I am starting something new today as a way of learning and improving in the art of crafting games. I will be making a new game every month (#1GAM)!
If you are playing Small Chronicles Chapter 1 at the moment and are wondering if this will affect the development of Chapter 2 (the supposed continuation to Small Chronicles), it won't.
Starting with Folo Hearts, I will be making games that are simple to play but difficult to master. That means that it won't take away the time from Small Chronicles
So what's Folo Hearts? Well, to answer that, let's start with Day 0 of the development blog!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1GAM #1 - Folo Hearts Day 0
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Conceptualizing the idea
As with Small Chronicles, crafting a game at WhiteSponge always starts with brainstorming ideas. A great way to do so is definitely through the use of the pencil and pieces of paper.
As you can see, I always tend to draw and sketch random ideas all over the place which might seem messy to some. If you observe carefully though, you can notice that some of these sketches seem to indicate some sort of similarity between them.
With 1GAM, I aim to create games with only 1 goal in mind - to make their core gameplay fun and simple to understand. In other words, I am going to reduce the entry barrier that prevents anyone from trying or playing the game, due to its complexity.
So for a start, the first game from doing 1GAM will consist of only a single objective - getting a score as high as possible! To make things as simple as possible, it will also consist of a single gameplay mechanic - tapping!
Referring back to the sketches, the aim is to make a game that can be played with 1 hand. Doing so will allow you to play from virtually everywhere and anywhere. This also means that the game will be in a portrait view.
When I combined that with the simple objective of getting a high score, I arrived at the decision to make a game where you will be flying up and trying to avoid as many enemies as you can.
As I have no intention of making a clone, it will definitely not be like Flappy Bird. The core gameplay will require you to focus your eyes on where you are. There won't be any pipes and there certainly won't be any obstacles of such. Just pure evasion of enemies raining down on you.
The Tools
Now while Small Chronicles Chapter 1 was crafted using a game engine called Cocos2D, I will be switching to another engine called Unity for 1GAM. If you are wondering about the differences between these 2 engines, well for one Cocos2D is free and Unity costs a lot.
However, Unity does allow me to quickly release games for multiple platforms ( iOS, Android, Windows, Xbox and more) . Luckily, Unity does have a free and stripped down version that should suffice for the games that I will be making for 1GAM.
On top of the game engine, I will also be making full use of my trustworthy Wacom Bamboo to create the graphics for the game.
While some people do prefer using the mouse to do so, I certainly prefer using my tablet as it feels more natural holding a pen-like object in your hand. I have my friends to thank for that!
For sound effects, the blue yeti will definitely come in handy as it can record in almost professional sound quality (there's a blue yeti pro version) .
If there is one thing that I have learnt from making games till now, that is when recording sounds, stay away from the walls as far as you can. Depending on your microphone, it may be sensitive enough to pick up on the subtle echo sound that is reflected from the walls. I am fairly certain that my blue yeti does that.
Instead, surround yourself with soft objects such as pillows, mattresses and even the sofa. These soft objects will absorb the sound projected from you so your microphone will not pick up on the echo sounds.
And so it is
Day zero of the first 1GAM! While there wasn't actual progress in regards to crafting the game, getting the game's core gameplay finalized is definitely important too!
Do subscribe to this thread for regular blog updates! Cheers!
