This week marks my final week as a Game Designer at Edurino as I've made the decision to shift my
focus fully back to my studies. While I've absolutely loved my time there and would have ideally
juggled both, it's become clear that I need to dedicate my full energy to finishing my degree right
now.
Working at Edurino, and creating games that genuinely have a positive impact on our next generation,
has been incredibly rewarding. I've had a fantastic time working alongside such a talented and
supportive team, and I've learned an immense amount from them and my Design Lead. I've also made
some truly great friends there that I'll definitely keep in touch with.
I'll miss the team and the unique atmosphere at Edurino, but I'm also really looking forward to the
road ahead.
Master's Project Progress
We have, for the most part, decided together what kind of game we want to make. To sum it up, we
want to make a game where two players with asymmetrical roles arrive at a distant planet to help the
inhabitants survive a major catastrophe which is endangering their lives. We have outlined the rough
core pillars that are important to us and on which the rest of the design
will depend:
2-Player Co-op Dynamic:
Both players have different roles but are dependent on each other to manage resources, progress, and
win. Selfish playstyles lead to consequences.
Democracy System:
The planet's inhabitants should play a central role. Players have an effect on the inhabitants, and
the inhabitants have an effect on the players.
Accessible for Casual Co-op Gamers of All Ages:
The game should be accessible to everyone interested in video games and should match the average
gamer in terms of both difficulty and hardware requirements.
Learning Effect:
The central game systems, such as democracy and resource management, should show players what an
ideal interaction with a planet's population can look like and what consequences negligence or
selfishness entail.
In preparation for this, I have set up a couple of C++ classes that will allow us to create
procedurally generated planets and place buildings on a grid on that planet. This took me like 5
days to get up and running, but I learned a lot about Goldberg polyhedral and basic procedural
generation.
Marathon Impressions
Marathon has been teased and rumored about for a while now, but today we finally got official
gameplay trailers and hands-on impressions. Right off the bat, I have to say that I'm very excited
for this game. I think the visual style and gunplay are exactly what I like, and the PvPvE aspect
looks promising. I must admit, I've never played an extraction shooter, since to me they look like
games you have to invest a ton of time into to get even remotely good, but I'm more than willing to
give this one a try. From what I've seen, Marathon is trying to make the extraction shooter genre
more approachable and add the Bungie DNA into the mix. So, as a former D2 veteran, I would consider
myself the prime target audience for this game.
Of course, it's not all sunshine and roses. I've heard some of the bounties can get pretty boring
and repetitive, and that encounters with other players are a bit too rare. Still, I think those
issues can be ironed out in the months leading up to launch, so I'm not too worried about the
details.
Like I said, I'm really excited for this and definitely willing to give it a shot, even if it's a
premium game. That said, I can only really share an opinion once I've actually played it, so I'll
post my thoughts after the game launches and I've had some time with it.
Lies of P - Review
With Lies of P Overture approaching fast, I finally sat down to play this game and see what it has
to offer. I finished my playthrough in around 25 hours, and have to say my overall impression is
very positive. I think the combat is good and approachable, even for people who haven't had any
experience with Souls-like games. The difficulty is fair, even though I think you can become very
powerful very soon into the game, making a lot of bosses seem a bit weak in the early to mid-game.
That said, I do like the addition of the Specter, giving new players a bit of help when they're
struggling with a certain boss.
The biggest gripe I have when it comes to difficulty is the normal enemies in the late game. Most of
them are so tanky that it makes no sense to fight them at all. I found myself often running through
the later levels just to get to the next boss where the game would shine again.
I think the prosthetic arm is well designed, even if it doesn't offer as much depth as in Sekiro,
for example. I used it quite a lot and it often helped defeat some of the tougher bosses like Walker
of Illusions or Nameless Puppet.
The weapon crafting is fine, but I don't think it adds much value in comparison to just finding and
upgrading weapons, at least for me. I understand the intent behind it but I found the options quite
limited and it didn't fulfill the buildcrafting fantasy for me.
One thing where the game really shines is the story. In Souls games, I'm usually never able to grasp
what's going on the first time I play through one, and I'm forced to watch a 30 min video summing up
the story which is hidden in item descriptions and subtle messages. I appreciate this opt-in
storytelling, but I think Lies of P nailed it when it comes to telling a story without making it too
on the nose and showering you with cutscenes.
Overall, I enjoyed this game. I think it's a perfect entry for anyone trying to get into Souls games
and not knowing where to start. I'm looking forward to the Overture DLC.
TLAGD Podcast
Today, I finally caught up on all the episodes of the podcast "Think Like a Game Designer" by Justin
Gary. I ended up taking over 100 pages of notes from interviews with amazing designers like Richard
Garfield, Eric Lang, Ben Brode, Alex Seropian, and many others. They offered invaluable advice and
insights for anyone looking to get into game design or the games industry. I learned so much from
every episode and can highly recommend it to any game designer or creative. I'm really thankful to
Justin Gary for conducting these interviews and hosting the podcast for free, which is incredibly
generous and means a lot to the community.
Start of my Master's Project
Last semester I finished my Bachelor's degree in Interactive Media at the University of Applied
Sciences Augsburg
and this semester I'm continuing my specialization in game development with the Master's program
Interactive Media Systems, which is a direct follow-up on my Bachelor's program. The core of this is
a
two-semester Master's Project where we will develop a game in a team of 9 people, with each team
member
choosing their specialization. In my case, this is game design and programming. I'm not seeking to
primarily be a programmer, but I think it's a really good opportunity for me to hone my skills in
programming in UE5 and getting to grips with C++. I think this is important for creating prototypes
and
having a deeper understanding of what's going on under the hood. I will be looking into things like
optimization, maintainability, code structure, and much more. I will share some progress and
highlights
over the coming year.
"Blink" Gameplay
Here are 60 seconds of gameplay from the prototype I showed in a previous post. As you can see, it's
Five Nights at Freddy's meets On Observation Duty. The game is all about paying close attention to
your surroundings while managing your blink and flashlight resources.
From the start, the player's vision becomes blurry over 15 seconds. If the player does not blink
within that time, they die. This means blinking is essential for survival, but each blink gives the
puppets around the room a chance to move closer. If they get too close, the player dies. However,
the player has a flashlight to defend themselves. With every blink, the player has three uses of the
flashlight before it runs out and is recharged with the next blink. Flashing an enemy sets that
enemy back
to its original position. The puppets can approach from many different angles and many puppets can
be active at once, so keeping them in check is crucial.
I'm continuing to work on this game and here are a few features I still want to add:
A second enemy type called the Stalker, which will come through the vents at the back of the
room.
The option to pan the camera left and right to increase the angles from which the puppets can
come.
Different poses depending on where a puppet currently is (for example, clinging to a table leg,
standing, or crawling).
I also shared this with some fellow students at the university, and one of them expressed interest
in creating art for the game. I'll need to finish the implementation and test it several times
before
accepting that offer, though. But if it works out, we can probably put the game on itch.io for
everyone to play.
The Role Of A Great Game Designer
I just finished another book on game design, or more specifically, on what goes into being a great
game designer. It was considerably shorter and less in-depth than Tynan Sylvester's Designing Games,
yet it still provided incredibly valuable insights. I have applied the idea of inspiring the team
rather than simply explaining the design to my work as a working student in game design at Edurino,
and it has made a big
difference. When the team is inspired, great ideas and the will to put them into action come from
every team member. Particularly in the art department, the
artists I work with often have fantastic suggestions for the visuals of each mini-game. By allowing
them to take ownership while still ensuring their ideas fit the overall goal we set, they create
something
amazing every time.
Another important takeaway is the question "What problem are you trying to solve?" This helped me
tremendously when random feature requests came in or when I caught myself adding something to a game
just because I thought it might be fun. It is one of the most important questions to ask yourself
when examining a new idea, even if it may not always make sense during the brainstorming phase for a
new experience.
Overall, a great book. I am currently reading Justin Gary's Think Like a Game Designer and will
share some of the insights that stood out to me once I finish that as well.
"Blink" Prototype
I'm currently working on a game called "Blink". It's a horror-survival game where blinking is a
vital
resource. Players must manage their vision, balancing the need to blink with the risk of enemies
moving
or the environment shifting in their brief moments of blindness. Keeping eyes open for too long
leads to
hallucinations and eventual death, while blinking too often accelerates danger. Players must
observe,
blink strategically, and react quickly to threats, using a limited flashlight to fend off enemies
and
secure vents. I'll post another update when I progress further and the enemy AI is fully
implemented.
More Car MOCs
As you might have guessed from my previous Lego MOCs, I really like building cars. Here are three
MOCs I
have made over the last couple of weeks.
Improving Drawing Fundamentals
Since I was just writing about drawing practice in my previous post, I want to share two more tips.
I'm
not a pro artist or
anything, but these helped me improve more quickly. The first is tracing basic shapes like squares,
circles, and triangles to get a feel for how to draw them, especially circles. You can use the
circle
tool in Krita to place perfect circles on the screen, then trace over them and try to stay as close
to
the original as possible. After that, try drawing some without tracing.
The next tip is a bit more personal. Since I have a 3D printer, I printed a few "Dummy 13" figures,
which you can pose however you like. This helped me with gesture drawing and improving my flow when
drawing humans or human-like creatures like robots. If you don't have a 3D printer, you can just buy
one
of those drawing mannequins and it will work just fine. But with Dummy 13, you can print your own
accessories and customize it however you want.
Back to the Basics
For me, the best way to improve my fundamentals in drawing, like line and shape practice, is through
graffiti. I study alphabets and pieces from famous artists, trying to learn from each one by
incorporating certain elements into my own work. Graffiti is great for practicing clean lines of
different lengths and really tests your understanding of shapes. I used to do graffiti on actual
walls,
but since a can of spray paint now costs around 6-7€, and you go through them pretty quickly, it has
become too expensive for me. Still, I enjoy doing digital graffiti or just grabbing a marker and
sketching in my sketchbook.
Designing Games
I recently finished reading Designing Games by Tynan Sylvester, and I found it to be an excellent
resource for anyone interested in game design. The book offers a wealth of valuable insights into
the
collaborative process of creating games, as well as a deep dive into the elements that contribute to
a
great design. Additionally, it provides clear definitions of many key terms, helping me better
put abstract concepts into words. I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone looking to break into the
field of
game design or to elevate their existing skills to the next level.
Cursor + Claude 3.7
I've been playing around with Claude 3.7 since it just came out, and I must say, I'm impressed. It
can
create fully functional programs and apps, often in just one shot. I'm currently working on a card
game
with Claude, and it seems promising.
The game itself revolves around building your own cards by drawing abilities and attributes from a
shared pool,
then spending currency to apply them to empty card frames. I went with a standard turn-based duel
system, similar to many
TCGs, but it doesn't seem to work as well in this context. I'll tinker with it some more.
Pixel Art Practice
I'm continually working on improving both my concept art and pixel art skills. Lately, I've been
creating
character 360-degree spritesheets to get a better feel for proportions and perspective. I'm also
storing
these assets, as they might come in handy for future game prototypes.
Steins;Gate
I played Steins;Gate over the course of this week, and while I don't usually play visual novels, I
wanted to revisit this franchise since I watched the anime about 10 years ago. I couldn't remember
much
about it, partly because a lot of time has passed and partly because I was too young to fully
understand
everything Steins;Gate has to offer.
One of my fellow university students made a visual novel for their bachelor's project, which drew me
back into the genre. I thought Steins;Gate might be worth a try since it's one of the highest-rated
VNs
ever. And after finishing it, I can definitely say it deserves that rating. The game hooked me and
pulled me in like very few others have. I actually felt like I was living through Okarin's
experiences
and was part of the Future Gadget Lab.
I ended up getting the Suzuha Ending first, then replayed parts of the game to reach the True
Ending.
Probably some of the best storytelling I've seen so far. Even though the game has some pacing
issues,
the overall experience makes it easy to overlook most of its flaws.
I do have to riff a bit on the email-replying mechanic, though. If the game had made it clearer that
your responses were meaningful decisions, I would have actually cared about them. But the way it's
set
up, I thought it was just a fun gimmick with no real impact. That's also why I got the Suzuha Ending
first, I wasn't aware I had the option to manipulate the D-Mails.
Other than that, it's a really good game, and I can recommend it to anyone interested in a great
story
who has about 25 hours to spare. El Psy Congroo.
My Own AI Code Assistant
This was a fun little code experiment. I downloaded a program called LM Studio, which lets you
download
and run different LLMs locally and host
a local server that can be accessed via API. I used it to create my own Visual Studio Code extension
as a challenge since I always wanted to know what goes into making an extension like that.
I'm currently using a 14B distilled version of Deepseek R1 since my hardware doesn't support
higher-quality versions. The extension is still in its infancy, but I want to experiment and see
what I
can do with it. I'll
probably continue development whenever I have time to work on it.
Ludus AI
There's a project called Ludus AI that aims to help developers create content in Unreal Engine 5. I
downloaded the plugin and experimented a bit, but I couldn't get it to work. It seemed like the
servers
were down at the time or there were some issues with the API. If you want to see what it can do, I
found
a video on it that you can watch above. I highly recommend checking it out since it's not just about
Ludus AI but also explores what a game entirely made by AI looks like. Really interesting. I'll be
keeping my eye on this plugin and try it out again another time.
Printing And Painting Figurines
I picked up my first 3D printer from Bambu Lab a while ago and have mostly been printing practical
things like boxes, clips, and stands. But recently, I got a lot more interested in printing
miniatures
and figurines. I subscribed to a group of artists on Patreon called Bulkamancer and printed one of
their
many awesome figurines.
After tweaking the settings, printing, and assembling all the parts, I painted the figurine with
simple
acrylic paints and quickly realized I have a loooong way to go when it comes to painting miniatures.
Still, it's a really fun hobby, and I plan on printing and painting a lot more to decorate my
otherwise
pretty barren room.
Mortal Kombat 11
I picked up Mortal Kombat 11 recently and played through the entire campaign in one sitting. The
last
Mortal Kombat game I played was Mortal Kombat X, but I never touched the campaign, just local 1v1s
against friends. So, even though I had no idea about the lore or story, I still found myself really
enjoying MK11's campaign. It felt like playing an interactive action movie. The cutscenes and
gameplay
were paced really well, with only a few small exceptions. The dialogue and characters were exactly
what
you'd expect from an action movie, and they delivered on every front.
Just like MKX, the combat in MK11 feels insanely good. The punches are meaty, and the animations are
brutal. But the biggest props have to go to the sound designers. They did an amazing job of making
every
punch and kick feel weighty, while also giving the cutscenes and characters extra impact.
Overall, it's a really great game, and now I kinda want to check out the new MK1.
Paperswithcode
I came across a website called paperswithcode.com today.
It
has a lot of recent research and scientific
articles on machine learning. I browsed through some of the papers, and there's some really
interesting
stuff in there. If you're into the latest developments in AI and machine learning, it's definitely
worth
checking out.
Google Genie 2 Creating Games
While researching how AI can be used to create games more efficiently, I came across a video that
does
an excellent job of summarizing the progress Google DeepMind has made in using AI for game
development.
It's amazing to see how far we've come and where this is headed. I believe the focus is shifting
more
toward what we create rather than how we create it. As mentioned in the video, this is
the
worst it will
ever be. And it's advancing pretty rapidly.
DeepSeek R1 and Game Dev
DeepSeek just released their new R1 model with API access, enabling it to work with the Cline
extension
for VSCode. This opens up the possibility of using R1 to create games without having to pay 200$ a
month
for OpenAI's O1. I'm still experimenting with it, but I believe I can develop an efficient workflow
to
create prototypes and maybe even incorporate R1 into some of my games.
Sci-fi Car MOC
I designed a cyberpunk-style car with a black and red theme that functions as an air/ground hybrid.
It
has extendable wings which are equipped with laser cannons. This MOC took me about one evening to
build. Maybe you can guess which set I got the windscreen from. ;)
Witch's Groove
As I mentioned in my Slide & Solve project, I wanted to explore Phaser a bit more to see if it's
something I'd use for future projects. So, I decided to make a small rhythm game called Witch's
Groove,
where you pop bubbles in sync with the song. Took about two days to make, including the music,
sprites,
code and level maps. It was interesting learning how to handle input delays and
use .json files as level maps, but while Phaser is definitely a great framework for getting these
sort
of games up and
running quickly, I still prefer Godot for creating my web games because you're not just looking at
code all the time.
Spritesheet Automation
I created a Lua script for Aseprite that lets you preview an animation from a spritesheet. Simply
select
all the sprites you want to include and run the script. It opens a new file where you can play and
adjust the animation without having to stack a lot of frames in your main file. You can download it
below!
I started playing LET IT DIE today, and five hours flew by like nothing. The game-within-a-game
concept
creates a great dynamic between the characters in the arcade and those in the game itself. It feels
like
you're part of two different worlds that are partially linked to each other.
As for the gameplay, I think it's really fun. It's challenging but not unfair, since you get plenty
of
chances to return to your safe room and restock supplies. In my five hours, I managed to beat the
first
boss and escape the tunnels, which brought me to the surface. I can tell there's an insane amount of
content here, but it'll probably take some time to experience most of it. I'll have to see if I can
make
the time, but if you're looking for a game you can really grind, this one's worth checking out.
Also, there's some Uncle Death fanart I made above.
Tumbler MOC
Here's a Mini-Tumbler MOC I put together using some spare parts left over from another build. For
the
wheels, I used the ones that come with the Lego Speed Champions set. Took me about two hours to
complete.
My New Blog
Happy New Year!!! As part of my 2024 reflection, I realized how nice it would be to have my own
blog.
I've
been working on plenty of projects that don't make it onto the front pages of my portfolio, but I
still
want to share them. I used to rely on platforms like X for this sort of thing, but the character
limit
is frustrating, and without being verified, it feels like no one sees your posts anyway. So, I
wanted to
create a space where I can write as much as I want, adjust posts to my needs, and share everything
with
you, including non-game-related stuff. My goal is to post updates every 3-5 days. Hope you enjoy!
