PGD Annual 2009 - Progress

[paul_nicholls]

Oh oh...another update

http://day-of-destruction.blogspot.com/

cheers,
Paul

[NecroDOME]

Postpone would be a good idea. I also would like to have more time.
Coming 2 weeks I have a lot to do besides work on our PGD entry.

[Ñuño Martínez]

We're out.

[NecroDOME]

@?ëu?±o Mart??nez: Why..? It's bad to see ppl abandon the compo just before the end .

[Ñuño Martínez]

@Ñuño Martínez: Why..? It's bad to see ppl abandon the compo just before the end .

A lot of problems including a bad planification by myself: initially we want to use a 3D environment but the library I decided to use wasn't the best option so we decided to move to 2D. I haven't even a simple map editor (right now you can only edit the "map entities palette"). In less than two weeks I can't finish the simplest game engine.

Also we have a problem with our "production designer" who said he will draft characters and levels but actually he didn't almost nothing so the animator can't create the characters, weapons and other stuff.

By the way, I'll still working on the editor and the tilemap renderer, may be an engine. I would use it in the future.

[NecroDOME]

Team problems... I also have them. I'm also not getting everything in place, but I hope to have a working game.
I also dropped network support and online scores.

[AthenaOfDelphi]

We, the admins, have pretty much agreed an extension, so DON'T WITHDRAW!!!

[chronozphere]

Cool.. Some extra time would be totally awesome.

I'm still not sure if I can make it though. But there is some good news: Today I started putting some things on paper (more detailed design for the game application itsself). Maybe I'll be able to do some programming this week.

[Traveler]

Hi Guys,

As Athena said we have decided to extend the competition. With no less than two whole months! The new deadline is now November 29th 2009! For your convenience, that is on a Sunday

Anyway, I would like to add that this is the final deadline, so make the best out of that time. Additionally, here are a few pointers that may or may not help you with the development.

• Make sure you plan your remaining work carefully. Make a list of points you still need to do and add hours to those points. This way you know how much work is still ahead of you. Make sure your list is complete and stick to it. Don't go adding new features and nice-to-haves, unless your game is nearing completion. And even then, second guess each feature.
  
• 
  Do not bother with custommade editors, they take up a lot of time and are not subject of our judging. If you need levels think up some other way of putting them in your game. Hardcode them in, use a textfile whatever. This is not a beauty contest to see who has the best coded game.
  
  
• 
  Carefully consider if feature xxxx is really necessary. Don't go overboard with something trivial that's taking 20% of the available time and adds next to nothing to the game.
  
  
• 
  Use existing code. Don't go reinventing the wheel. There are quite a few wrappers available that include things like Gui's, sound handling etc. Do not spend two weeks on a menu if you can get the code for free in say PhoenixLib.
  
  
  
  
• 
  Same goes for graphics. While you do get points for graphics, graphics should be way down in your priority list! I know firsthand that graphics take by far the longest to do. Always use temporary graphics and near the end if your game is done and you have time available replace them with something better. There are plenty of free resources available on the internet.
  
  
• 
  Try to maintain a consistent schedule. I find that if I do not keep working on something it gets harder to come back to it. Plan your time, for example, commit yourself to work on your game each Friday evening and the entire Sunday and save the other days for something else.
  
  
• 
  Put your work here on PGD. Let people see what you're doing and get some feedback. It fuels your motivation.
  
  
• 
  Try to have your game ready a week before the deadline and playtest the hell out of it (preferably by someone else). You'll find (get) enough bugs and other issues that'll keep you busy to the end of the deadline.
  
  
• 
  Nowhere does it say that you can't let us (the judges) test your game to see if it works or not. Don't make the mistake of assuming that it does only to find out that it wont run, because of some missing file!
  

That's it for now, good luck!

[NecroDOME]

Damn that's a lot of time, but it really comes handy now as I don't have much time comming 2 weeks