Timelapse, Post Mortem
Doing this now, because the longer I leave it, the less chance I’ll ever write it up.
I’ve uploaded OSX and Linux/source code versions. These ones have the stupid bug where you could click on buoys before you’d found them fixed (thanks TFernando 
), but I left the Windows version as it is, since that’s how I submitted it, and it’s not a huge bug.
Timelapse is here. I’m afraid it’s missing the music making though, since I did that on a different computer and forgot to record a corresponding timelapse. Post mortem after the jump:
I’m pretty happy with how it turned out, though having made the map first, I don’t think the rest of the game really lives up to its watery-coloury beauty. This was my 4th Ludum Dare, and I think I’ve found my feet now; the 1st one I started off really excited and enthusiastic, but the final slog to get the game finished really took it out of me; the 2nd one was the exact opposite – I hated the theme but got really excited towards the end. This one was much calmer – I never really felt under pressure, and the whole thing went pretty much to plan. I wasn’t too happy with the theme though – Islands (like Caverns and Exploration) is too expansive, imo. Creativity is stimulated most when it’s working within constraints, and as a theme, Islands isn’t much of a constraint.
Anyway, the game:
What went well:
- The map, the clouds. Really pleased with how these turned out. I couldn’t have produced a better effect had I been given a month to work on them.
- Also, the font. Credit goes to a Mr. William Boyd. I found the font at dafont.com. A good font makes all the difference. Oh, actually, I didn’t break the rule of only using your own assets, did I? I wouldn’t really expect many people to make their own fonts for Ludum Dare.
What went wrong:
- I think the game may be a little too obtuse. If you’ve played Weird Worlds etc. you’ll know what to expect (minus the space battles), but I don’t think the game really makes clear that you’re supposed to die frequently and start over. Certainly, even if you win on your first play-through, you’ll miss clues and stories(?) due to the random number generator only picking a handful of the possible options.
- Is it fun? I suspect it’s possibly a bit too random to really be much fun to play. In Weird Worlds you get into battles and have various strategies to maximise your potential gains, but there aren’t really many strategies in The Lost Hebrides (though the ‘divine’ button is there for a reason…). Also, it’s the kind of game whose replayability would probably benefit from a score, but that would kind of work against the story/setting. To be honest though, I was more interested in creating an atmosphere this time than making a really well-designed game.
- The cut-scenes. I’m not happy with the way these turned out. I don’t think they can remotely hold their own against the main map (map = kind of elegant; cut-scenes = clumsy children’s picture book). It’s the black lines as much as anything, plus I don’t think I really used the watercolours to their fullest potential.
What could be improved:
- The writing. There are parts of this I really like “She will return a thousand years old…” (though I stole that line), and I do like the main (folklore-ish) story, but a lot of it’s a bit clunky and could do with some editing.
Where the inspiration came from:
- Like I’ve said, rockettothesky‘s Medea album was a huge influence while I was making the game, and my aim was to make a game that had a similar atmosphere. Also, the islander who tells you “She will return a thousand years old…” is quoting from a couple of songs on the album.
- Scottish folklore. I have a slight obsession with creating games that reflect where I’m from, and this is probably the closest I’ve come to creating a properly Scottish game. It seems to me that most games don’t really reference their geographical roots, instead choosing to engage solely with the kind of internet digital monoculture that we’re all part of now. This game was an attempt to emulate the kind of storytelling you hear in Scottish fairy tales, stories that reference fairies and enchantment, and places like Land-under-Waves which can only be reached by certain paths.
- Weird Worlds/Strange Adventures in Infinite Space, natch. I love these games. Short play times, high replayability, not quite a roguelike…
I’ll finish with a picture of everything I drew/inked/painted for the game (barring the clouds, which are hiding under the watercolour pad. There’s a bit of a spoiler if you’ve not won the game yet:
Tags: postmortem, timelapse