End.of.Line
Unity, Responsive UX, Ludum Dare Compo
End.of.Line is a simple infinite platformer made for The Compo category of Ludum Dare 42 for the theme: Running Out of Space. I made this game in the 48 hours required by The Compo, creating all of the code and assets from scratch.
I used Unity and Gimp for development.
Background
For this short game jam, I wanted to make something simple yet still engaging and fun to interact with. I decided on a simple click and hold mechanic with as much impactful design that I could fit by the deadline in the form of sleek design, dynamic game reactions, and an ever-present analysis of player enjoyment.
Project Goals
Process
With only 48 hours to create this game, I had to quickly come up with a concept well scoped for the short time frame. Because the theme was ‘Running Out of Space’ and I wanted a simple mechanic, I decided to create an infinite platformer where the player is forced to jump to the next platform as they run out of space. I also wanted to give the player a sense of speed and impact that transcends the simple button input they’re required to press. I decided on the name End.of.Line fairly early on and used that to drive many of the design decisions for this game.
Once I had the idea and title, I quickly developed the features I needed: basic art, the click and release mechanic for riding a line, the procedural line generation, etc. I chose orange as a visually popping main color and its contrast blue as a highlighting/opposing color for other aspects of the game, referencing the visuals of Tron as it is somewhat related to the game’s name (the end of line character, to me, is reminiscent of the same age of programming that Tron represents). The click and release was simply handled with a few key press triggers and collider volumes. The spacing of the procedurally generating lines was moderately tricky, as I had to ensure that the new line would be placed in such a way as to be reachable from the prior line; this meant calculating a distance based on the player’s air time and predicted velocity, with a little margin for error to make the play experience more comfortable.
After finishing the core of the game, I started to look at what I could add to make the game juicier. I managed to fit in a camera shake on landing, a particle effect while riding the line, particles in the background to help indicate a sense of speed, and a fun spinning animation for jumping. I tweaked each of these elements to maximize the impact they had on the play experience while maintaining the cohesion of the game. For instance, the camera shake had to be visceral enough to feel like a hard landing but not too strong as to disrupt the player’s vision of the upcoming gaps.
Here is video of a typical game loop. The player clicks and holds to ride the line and then releases to jump to the next. As they land on the following line they must click and hold again or fall and restart.
Takeaways
It was very enjoyable making this minimalistic game and seeing how far I could take the simple mechanic in terms of game feel via experiential complexity. This enforced the idea that any and every element of a game can greatly improve the overall feeling of that game, and that each element should be given the time and polish to shine. I love thinking outside the box and always improving with a naturally critical mindset, and I believe adding these elements helped make the game more enjoyable and interactive.
Game:
richard-pittman.itch.io/endofline
Source:
github.com/rdpgamedev/End-of-Line