Role
Solo Indie Developer, Game Jam Host
Description
Veritas is a beat-the-clock Horror-Platformer centered around the concept of temporal balance.
Timeline
3 Days
Event
This project was created for the MGDC 15th Anniversary Game Jam, which I both hosted and participated in.
Start To Finish
Overview
Development Planning
I began this project by creating a list of features and thematic feelings that I wanted to achieve. These were broken out onto a discipline-specific checklist to be implemented over the course of the jam's 3 day timeline.
Rapid Iteration
From my checklist, I began prioritizing core gameplay features such as player checkpoints and timed platforming. Once my core loop was established, I could begin designing engaging platforming sections and obstacles for players to navigate.
Polish and Publish
Once I felt that the game had reached an acceptable state in its gameplay and player experience, I polished the environment and art to deliver on my initial core fantasy. I then released the game on Itch prior to game jam deadlines.
Production
Starting Out
In order to achieve my goal of creating a dark and gritty horror-inspired game in the limited amount of time we were allotted, I chose to use Discord as a quick, reliable, and familiar tool that could be adapted to a simple checklist of game features that I needed to create.
Iterate, Iterate, Iterate
From my initial list of features, I cut down elements of the game that weren't absolutely necessary to create the experience that I wanted. This included cutting a few sections of the map, skybox props that didn't quite fit the setting, and scaling back the UI to be more minimal and reflective of the game's core function.
Finishing Touches
As time ticked down on the jam clock, I wanted to add a few final details that sealed the feel of Veritas. This included items such as the title screen and its dark watery animation. That also meant deeper and more chilling music/SFX. By revising my game's soundscape, I was able to elevate the experience that players had as well as more concretely executing my original vision.
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Patch Party
Despite submitting a content-complete game at the end of this jam experience, I felt the need further refine the product based on feedback I'd received during the voting rounds of the game jam. This situation led me to issuing a number of patches over the following weeks. This resulted in the game gaining roughly 15-20% performance on laptops, a more complex and satisfying gameplay loop, and practice in receiving, sorting, and implementing real audience feedback.
