Game Designer



The Start of Game Dev.

Category : GameDev · No Comments · by May 18th, 2019

Welcome to my journal/blog of one fool’s attempt to make a very simple game. There are multiple goals here. First, practice using the Unreal engine so that I can get better and faster at prototyping ideas for games. Second, make a game.

I will try to note pitfalls and epiphanies I gain about making games but again keep the bar low. No lower…yes, right there! (Then again only ones who will read this blog are spam bots. I think this paragraph might be a waste…)

About right…also foreshadowing!

Second goal is to make a simple game. That game is Doge Runner. It is an endless runner with a dog as the main character. The target for this game is IOS/Andoid title that all you have to do is tap to jump over obstacles. That’s it. Nothing fancy. Why so simple?

This great piece of advice is the reason:

“Imagine the dream game you want to make and list out all the features.

Now cut that list in half.

Do it again.

Again!

Once more!

Cut it again, this time with feeling!

Now you have a manageable game to start solo.” *

That is my plan here. Get this most basic gameplay solid then I might start adding the cool stuff like power ups, leaderboards, merchandise and movie deals.

Honestly, I mostly just wanted to make a game with my dog, Newton, in it.

Best Doge Ever!

OK, on to actual game dev work.

I love how Unreal 4 lets’ you start with premade game modes and lo they have a 3D side scrolling game mode. Just the one I wanted for this project. I love how these game modes they make great jumping off points to help get you where you want to go.

That end result is a grey robo man running on a path…endlessly running

Still no doges…yet

All of this thanks to lots of time reading/watching tutorials and documentation on how to make a path endless and making sure the character never stops running on that path…endlessly.

Yes, my (spam bot) friends, behold ~17 “glorious” seconds of robo man running and jumping when I press the spacebar:

Yeah, not much, but one step closer to my doge running on that path. Once I get the doge model working it’s time to add obstacles, fix the camera so you can always see the ground when you jump, and start tweaking jump height and response.

Till next time friends (spambots)!

*paraphrasing