Dev Log: *Before the Tempest* - Entry for Brackeys Game Jam 2024.2

Day 1 - Concept & Planning:

Today was all about brainstorming and locking in the core concept. The theme "Calm Before the Storm" got me thinking about how we process emotions before facing a challenge. From there, the idea of mental scans and emotion-based mini-games started taking shape. I researched and finalized the core emotions (Anger, Joy, Fear, etc.) and tied each to an idea of a mini-game. At this point I was thinking to have a main game as a world exploration game and have dialogues with NPCs and gather objects that were representative of the therapy tools. Time to put this plan into action!

Day 2 - Prototyping the Core Mechanics:

Today was all about getting the foundation up and running in Unity. I built the basic framework for the three key scenes: the main menu, the dialogue/story scene and the mini-game scene. I also wrote the script for the "mental scan" mechanic, where players stop rotating orbs to match an emotion. The snarky tone of the dialogue is shaping up nicely! Coding-wise, I ran into a few issues with managing button transitions and text delays, but after some tinkering, things are looking solid.

Day 3 - Implementing Mini-Games & Emotional NPCs:

Today was both fun and challenging. I started implementing the mini-games tied to each emotion. The first one up was Fear's maze-based game, where players must escape under pressure. I also scripted some NPC dialogues for when the player encounters each emotion, ensuring that each has its own quirky personality. I made the dialogues subtle and metaphorical, rather than directly saying “you’re feeling angry” or “you’re scared,” which keeps the narrative from being too on-the-nose.

Day 4 - Story and Dialogue Polish:

The focus today was on polishing the game's story and dialogue. I wanted a tutorial that sets the player up for their mental journey, with a bit of snark and charm. I wrote additional dialogue blocks for all the emotional NPCs, giving each of them their own distinct, quirky voice. I also spent time making sure the transitions between story, mental scans, and mini-games felt smooth. Debugging some scene-loading issues and ensuring the player's chosen emotion carries over properly took more time than expected!

Day 5 - Polish & Bug Fixes:

With the deadline fast approaching, today was all about final touches and polish. I added a camera-follow script to make the Fear maze mini-game feel more dynamic, and implemented an emotional wheel mechanic that players use during the mental scan. Finally, I added a system to carry scores between scenes and track player progress. I also managed to find some fitting sound effects for the game (inspired by Animal Crossing-style dialogue) and integrated background music from the Unity Asset Store.

Day 6 - Final Wrap-Up:

The game is done! I implemented the ending sequence, where players are congratulated after completing all the mini-games, and the final dialogue reflects how well they handled the “storm” of emotions. Final debugging went smoother than expected, and the game is running pretty well without any major crashes or issues (fingers crossed!).

Reflection:

I’m happy with how *Before the Tempest* turned out. This game jam has been a whirlwind of learning and problem-solving. Balancing emotion-driven narrative with engaging mini-games was tricky, but I think I’ve managed to create a game that aligns well with the theme. It’s not perfect and definitely not what I imagined when I first laid out the idea of the game. I wanted more action driven and wanted to finish preparing separate game for each emotion, which I was not able to complete as every basic feature I wanted to add took away hours I didn't have time for. But, looking back, I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished in this short time and that I stuck around until the end. Hopefully next game jam will be a smoother experience.