Inspiration
I played many puzzle games such as Pokemon Trozei growing up and I realized that I have never built a puzzle game before. Hack Poly was the perfect time to take on the challenge. I wanted to make a game similar to Pokemon Trozei game where objects fall from the sky and you must clear them while someone is trying to sabotage you.
What it does
The game is very simple. Blocks of jello fall from the sky into a single column. Blocks at the bottom of the column can be cleared with the Q, W, E, or R keys on the keyboard dependent on color. Occasionally, an increased number of jello blocks will fall from the sky and the floor will disappear causing all the jello blocks fall through, impeding your ability to score points on them. The score counter also decreases at a constant rate so if you don't clear the blocks fast, your score will be very low. If you press the wrong key to clear the jello, your score will also decrease.
How I built it
I spent a long time researching how to use Unity since I am not very experienced in programming with C# or the Unity interface itself. I also spent a lot of time talking to multiple people who already know how to use this program. They provided more help than web search ever provided.
Challenges I ran into
I faced challenges at every step of this project. Each task I wanted to complete from creating an object generator, setting time delays, and even displaying text on the screen each took hours of my time. I did not expect the amount of hardships I would face building a game solo would cause. I spent most of my time trying to get the game to detect the bottom object of the stack and only destroy the bottom object when the correct key is pressed. I created three different scripts in attempt to make it work. I really wanted to make more challenges to make the game more difficult but that was what I ended up spending the least time on.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
I'm extremely proud of how much I've learned in this short span of time. I wasn't planning to finish this game at all. I have never made a game on my own and I usually end up being the artist for builds since the programmer's I team up with are usually far more skilled than I am, following someone else's idea.
What I learned
I learned my own capacity for programming. I've taken a lot of programming classes for colleges but I've never applied it this much. It was surprisingly quick how easily I problem-solved through each problem I faced. Programming for class is so slow and not motivating at all. I had so much fun and I learned so much about using Unity and C#, I can probably become a master of it in no time at all.
What's next for Jello Drops
I plan to create a even bigger game that includes Jello Drops as a feature. I've been writing out a game that is a role playing game that uses this game as its battle system. An easier mode will be created with an power bar that fills up if enough points are accumulated, unlocking power moves. Also, a harder mode will be made that include two columns: one the player controls and one an AI boss controls where the boss has the power up abilities too such as the seen increased jello drops from the sky and disappearing floor. I'm planning power ups that will mix the key bindings, change the map to monochrome, and possibly a rhythm aspect. I'm planning a very big game and Hack Poly 2017 is just the first step!
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