Werewolf in the Wild - Development Oddments

Werewolf in the Wild - Development Oddments

Here are some old screenshots I found from the time I spent developing Werewolf in the Wild in 2016.

I liked 'em, so here they are.  :D

Secrets of the Waves: Behind the Scenes

A few behind the scenes shots from the Global Game Jam 2017, where I made...

"Secrets of the Waves"

You can download the game here.

"Secrets of the Waves" - Global Game Jam 2017

I'm really happy with my Global Game Jam effort for 2017!  

Here's a teaser video that show the first 7 minutes or so.  The full journey goes for about 20 minutes.  




I made the game entirely on my own, and I got a nice little sailing exploring game finished!

It's was a bit inspired by the music of Secret Exploration Society, a band/album I made with my friend Jim Batt... four of those tracks make up the soundtrack for this game. The album itself was very much about exploring and sailing, and I made this thinking of it as a sort of music-video for the album.  :D

The game features numerous things...

• An ever changing sky / fog color, as the weather and time of day turns.
• Quite a nice feeling sailing mechanic.
• Nice camera controls that are mostly smooth and cinematic.
• A compass that shows the direction you are facing at the top of the compass.
• Some OK little islands and environments.

Things that didn't make it in, but that I want to get in are...

• I aimed to get an actual storm into the game, but I didn't get time. 
• I wanted a better cloth-sim sail, and a little person in the boat with a cloth-sim cloak.  That would look cool in accompaniment of a decent wind system in the game!
• Better sailing physics.
• An ocean that also grows and swells, waves become huge in the storm, then calm down again.
• More detailed and pretty little environments.  Trees, grass, stones, more finesse.
• Improvements to the way the sky color and fog colors work, to prevent distant lands popping in and out on the horizon clipping plane.
• Finish off the narrative better.  Currently there's no clear ending.
• Add sea foam around objects emerging from the ocean.
• Add more other islands and objects of interest in the ocean.
• And maybe being able to get out of the boat and walk around!?  :)

- Murray

Rocket Frood: A game-jam prototype

This is an old prototype that I made in 2012 at TIGJam, a two day game jam.

Game Instructions

• The goal is to save all the astronauts by picking them up with your rocket.
• But the rocket can't pass through the debris that blocks the way (grey blocks).
• You can destroy the dirt blocks with explosives.

Click here to play Rocket Frood in your browser now!

Prototype Goals

I wanted to try out some ideas with simulating a few different systems that tie together to make interesting gameplay.  Specifically I came up with:

• Resources (fuel, health, air and coolant) which combined interestingly with
• Environmental elements (air, water, lava) and also...
• Level design (dirt blocks, debris barriers) and...
• Physics gameplay (flying around, bumping the astronauts around the level).

Future Thoughts

It's pretty rough around the edges, and the level design was rushed in the last few hours of the game jam!

I'd like to come back to this idea some time and bring in all my other ideas that I've had since!  I think I'd make this in Unity if I were to come back to it again.

It would be a cool game for Android TV with a gamepad, perhaps!




Here's a bunch of photos from that weekend...  :D

Looking back now, I realise this was a sort of launching point into becoming part of the local Melbourne indie community, and it felt great to go and work amongst a whole bunch of people who are still strong members of the Melbourne scene today.

Gathering up all the junk to take to the jam!

Packed!

Everything strapped on, and riding to the jam!

Arriving at Inspire 9 in Richmond for the jam.

I'd been listening to the glorious Looking Glass Podcasts by Matthew Weise at MIT Gambit, and I took inspiration from these, wanting to make a systems based game.

This was the end of the jam when people could volunteer to show off their stuff!

Rescue Squad: Global Game Jam 2015

I got together with Pranee McKinlay and Paul Baker for the Global Game Jam 2015, and we made a 3 player co-op game called Rescue Squad!



You can download the game here!

Players must control a single ship and co-operate with each other to avoid and destroy asteroids. The aim is to rescue Space Chickens from death by burning star. Rescue Squad can be played with 1-3 players. It's a co-operative game, designed to be a local multi-player & made in 48 hours for Global Game Jam 2015.

You can use three gamepads, or have all players use the keyboard!

Player 1 - MOVE using the Arrow Keys

Player 2 - SHOOT using SPACE or W, and use A & D to aim the turret

Player 3 - RESCUE using the sucker - rotate with J & L, extend the arm using I & K

Sonar Pulse: Global Game Jam 2013

I got together with Pranee McKinlay, Nick London and Tom Harris for the Global Game Jam 2013, and we made a kind of strategic action game called Sonar Pulse.

In the game you mustn't let any submarines past... but you can only see them as your sonar pulse passes over them!

You can download the game here!

It's simple to play...

• Left & Right to move
• Space to drop a bomb