A 2D Pixel Art semi-idle game made for TOJam 2023!
Takeaways
Since I was developing and designing alone, I was able to more dynamically scope the project during the Game Jam. While I was not able to iterate the game as much as I would have like, I was more motivated to avoid and fix technical issues that occurred throughout the project.
Another thought, scoping small allowed me to add a lot of Quality of Life improvements on top of the base game, drastically improving the player’s experience while playing the game.
Overall, after the showcase, I found that I didn’t have to guide the testers often or help debug on the fly. Spending time throughout the project to debug and improve the play experience was crucial.
This was the first TOJam I did Solo (technically). I designed and developed the game on my own, while I sought out TOJam’s available floaters for the assets I needed to use.
I had a goal to scope small as much as possible, being in the hybrid designer/developer role again made this easy to achieve.
Bait Watch was chosen to be one of the games showcased at : IO Connect: Summer Showcase 2023.
To support the showcase, I developed a quick mobile port to make it easier to play.
Process Work
Initial Ideas
I had recently watched a mini-documentary on Tamagotchi and this thought process led me to the idea of making a game that you could leave on your desktop and tend to it when you felt like it. Overall, requiring little input from the player.
Scoping small resulted in aiming towards 2D gameplay and art, and avoiding physics entirely. I wanted the game to be simple, both in terms of gameplay and graphics, since the initial plan would have it running in the background.
I detailed out what aspects of the game I needed to do and got to work.
The core gameplay loop would be to…
Wait for Creatures
Feed Them
Scare Them Away
Collect Money for Food
TOJam 2023 Theme
Rough Prototyping
Early on, I realized the game shared a lot of similarities with another Jam Game, Animal-Garden, the initial prototype ended up sharing a lot of DNA with it. Since the core system of the game was letting Creatures wander around into spaces seen by the player.
I was able to get substantial progress early on because of the similarity, and then built upon it further with a behaviour that would suit the game.
That being the fleeing action, it provided a noticeable moment that showed how the creatures reacted to the player.
Polishing
In the final stages of the Jam, I wanted to focus on polishing the game. In this case, it was…
Implementing remaining assets
Adding more Feedback on Player and Creature Actions
Quality of Life
and Debugging
I wanted the game to be a finished product by the time I needed to stop.
It was a great experience to add in many of the small features that I normally wouldn’t have been able to during a Game Jam.
Being able to check off all my to-do lists for this project was very satisfying.
Adding the “Game”
At this point, there was still no “game” for the player to play. I needed an illusion of a goal so that there was a reason to interact with the game at all.
So far, the Food had served no purpose other than to cause the eventual animation change, so I modified it to allow the creatures to change as it was eaten. Soon, the food became the focal point of the game. Serving as reason for why the player wants to interact with the creatures, and to add in progression.
The food affecting the creatures add so much needed motivation for the creatures.
It also helped create a simple economy that the player can use in game, and be viewed as a score.
Allowing the creatures to gradually change after eating was my way of encouraging the “Waiting” mechanic.
Summer Showcase Prep
I was surprised to have been picked for Interactive Ontario’s Summer Showcase!
In addition to fully debugging the game, I also really wanted to showcase the game differently, so I worked towards making a mobile port.
While I only had 6 days to do so, With plenty of research I was able to shoehorn an android build together!
It was a great opportunity to showcase Bait Watch, and to see people get their hands on the game and to play the game live!