This is an archive, stream of consciousness style, devblog of my adventures trying to code up a game for the first time.

One interesting feature is how the interactables–stones, pits, etc–for each level exist independant of the layer. What this means is that if you move a stone on one layer, it will move on another. This is an interesting gameplay mechanic I was trying to achieve. My goal was to force the player to use multiple layers in order to complete that level. From a level design standpoint, I wasn't content with the idea of having multiple layers and only using them once or twice per level. From a symbolism standpoint, this is very important to the stoy. I'm happy to say that I've finally managed to have the stone/pit combo work exactly how I want it to. I'm still toying with exit placement–to have it act in the same way. Right now I could design each level to only ever be exitable on one layer… I don't think its that important, as each level should present the player with an ever increasing challenge. It also create phantom white spaces, on the layers where there isn't a natural path to the exit.

I'm still procrastinating on writing the story elements. Right now I"m having a lot more fun designing the levels. Making sure the difficulty curve isn't too sharp is actually harder than designing difficult levels. Each level has a "trick" to it, that has to be figured out. For now I'm trying to stay away from "quicktime" style ways–where you have to be at the right place at the right time doing the right thing, or the level restarts. The goal of this game isn't to babysit the player, each level must be completed with precision or you will replay it. The unfortunate side effect of this is that, while I have 8 levels created so far, they only provide about 5-7 minutes of gameplay. At this rate it will take me over 50 to hit that 1-2h gameplay mark (assuming each subsequent level takes, on average, longer than the previous one), while I only planned 29, split into 5 acts.

[Instead of turning in I decided to stay up…]

Writing the story is… difficult. There is so much emotion I want to pour into it, but I can't find the words to express these thoughts of mine. They come unbidden, and it is this world I live in that I want to share with the player. How can I translate that which I don't understand, in a way that doesn't come across as trite? This "game' is not meant to be a way to unwind. There are some inspirations, yes, but this is not meant to be a derivative work. The gameplay is a tool to show the user what it feels like to be trapped, wholly and completely. The artwork is simple, which suits my purpose. The imagination is a powerful force, one which I know all too well.

Will this project of mine be taken seriously? Or will it be doomed to be a victim to spite and malice.