Platformer Postmortem
I have successfully created my first game on Gdevelop! I have learnt a lot about using this engine and its limitations. Gdevelop is an excellent engine for beginners who are learning the basics in developing games. In the game, “Into the abyss” I have implemented different things into the game. I added walking and jumping animations that can change direction. I included a point system via collecting coins. Using a scoring system, I have made it visible for the player to see how many points they have collected. The score follows the character on the upper left part of the screen. I have also added enemies into the game to increase the difficulty factor. These enemies travel a predetermined path that will kill the player if touched however the player can kill the enemy if the player jumps on them.
After developing this game, I believe that I have learnt a lot and that if I were to redevelop the game I would do it differently. I would have made the game have a clear distinct goal to achieve that is easy to identify as soon as the player starts the game. A title screen with instructions on the screen that shows the control layout would be a necessary inclusion so that the player can visually understand how the game works and what the goal is. I would also introduce a larger variety of enemies in the game such as enemies that can fly, enemies that charge at the player and enemies that shoot at you. The enemies would also have animations that make it clear that the enemy is active and responsive so that the player can read the enemies easily and respond accordingly. Longer and more complex design should be implemented so that the gameplay isn’t too simple and boring. I would introduce different alternative paths for the player to explore and choose from which would further extend the game level more. As players can be killed by enemies, instead of restarting at the beginning I could introduce a checkpoint system so that not all progress is lost once the player dies. Moving platforms can be added so that the level isn’t too static and offers more variety and challenge for the user. I would further develop movement in the game by introducing a dash and a grapplehook swing. It was initially intended to implement a grapplehook however after many attempts, my understanding of the gdevelop physics engine was not enough for me to create a feature that I was happy with.