Post-Mortem

I am writing this post-mortem over a year after "finishing" this game. 

A lot went wrong with this project, but I was very inexperienced so that should have been expected! At the same time, there were also a lot of things that went right.

My main failure with this project was lack of intent and lack of design. I also worked on this off-and-on throughout that whole time instead of staying consistent. Since I was working overtime every week of this games development, I spent next to no time at all actually asking myself the design questions I should have for the experience. 

My thought process was simple: I must make a game, a real game! (without having any prior experience with that.)

It was an ambitious thought to me at the time, since I had only ever made a few small projects before. While this thought process was misguided, it did result in me learning a lot about the overall development of a project that I would not have been able to learn as quickly if I didn't give myself such a lofty goal. 

My base idea was simple:  set up traps and gadgets during the day to survive the night. Instead of looking into target audiences or figuring out the specifics of the gameplay first, I decided to incorporate some gameplay from one of my favorite horror game, Five Nights at Freddys. I ended up with the concept that the player go through story segments like Amnesia during the day and would place camera's, spirit boxes, and sensors during the day to survive a night-time section like FNAF. Looking back now, I needed to change many things with the concept itself to be marketable and enjoyable for my target audience. 

Firstly, a "prep phase" works best in games where the sequence of "prep" and "play" are more quickly interchangeable and at the player's discretion. Think about how Tower Defense games operate in that manner. An arcade-style game would suit this much better. Secondly, the two gameplay styles I placed next to each other are so different from each other that the change is jarring to players. I also wanted to try my hand at incorporating a story for the first time, and that also muddied the waters for the gameplay design by adding in more time in between the two different game modes.

I was also very unhappy with the intro sequence of the game. I tried too hard to make the story of the intro suit the level I had already designed, instead of making a level that suits the story. This caused a pretty boring intro up until the player starts to learn how to place equipment. 

I do still consider this project a success, however. It's important to look back at our progress relative to where we started. In that regard, I grew a lot of skills through this project. Even something as basic as placing camera's was an obstacle I had to overcome, and I met obstacle after obstacle. This project became more about me learning how to actually create the mechanics I envisioned after awhile, rather than it being a complete experience. 

Looking back, the systems I created were way too much for how I was at the start! By the end, I had created a working inventory, object placement system, sprinting/crouching, enemy management and randomization, behavior trees, dialogue, and a night system similar to FNAF with unique aspects of gameplay. I remember the batteries in particular were quite a struggle. I had to account for the player switching them in and out of cameras and to drain the battery while the camera's were running. 

In summary:

    This project sparked a lot of development for me. My skills grew immensely throughout this project and set me up for a successful education in the following years. While the game itself isn't my magnum opus or anything, I am proud of the result of all my hard work during those early-stages of my career.