Fighting Game Jam report #1: I Was BORN Ready at 6:52 PM

It's an uh...acronym.

 

 So there was a game jam announced about a month ago. 

I have to admit, I was kinda all Jam'ed up. I did the Public Domain Jam in January and the Game Maker Game Jam after...

Apparently you had to interact with 10 other entries and I only interacted with like 4 because I forgot it was that many.

...but this was  a Fighting Game Jam. This one is for me.

You see, a few years ago. I downloaded. Gamemaker and after a couple things I decided I needed to make a fighting  game. Since Capcom wasn't  making the Vs Series  I figured why not make my own. I started.

Then Marvel vs Capcom 3 got announced. That's  right it was 15 long years ago...

Anyway I kept learning GM and trying to make a  that game. I would start, get frustrated, restart, get frustrated. I got a whole honking new computer last year  mainly for this (but also knowing computers are not going to become  cheaper with AI and Lord Child Rapist Von Genocide Hitler putting tariffs  on everything. ) 

"Why did you make this political" Idk Why don't you follow YOUR inevitable turn of history?

What all this has to do with the fighting  game jam is when I saw that jam announcement I was like  "I've  tried to make a fighting  game in my time. I can whip out  something from scratch in a month. And then...after...build on that to make the game I want."

So rules of the Jam...no using preexisting   game projects. I think making the game I've  been trying to make for 15 years   wouldn't  really count for this but...I wouldn't  want to do that. I wanted to do a different concept.

A... much hornier concept.

Besides...look, I have no problem  with other people using premade engines and older projects in jams but to me  I feel it would  violate the spirit of a game jam to start with most of a game already done? At least that's  how I feel about ME doing it. The point is proving what you can do in that time. Not that...I had a lot done. I was in the "frustrated" part of my loop.

Still while the axe came and went  I just sketched out a bunch of general ideas that could maybe fit on the general plane of what I'd  already decided to do, added if it fit the theme, or discarded.

It's  on DeviantArt. Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

So Jam Starts.  Theme announced. "All or Nothing".  Sub Theme: "Catgirls". My preplanning had one of those! See? Bonus if you  have custom controllers. I mean, I would like that, and I think. I know a way..  

I spent the first day painting stages like a madman.  Logic being, I don't  wanna be  cooking a stage on the tail ass end of the jam. That's  a recipe for disaster.

After that I spend like 10 days making a controller scheme that could be customized. Massaging it until it worked.  I had to make a whole scheme  to recognize key presses/ button presses before  even doing the buttons that the character would read. 

But...eventually,  this too was done.

Elated my good sirs...

 

I cooked up some moves. Walk. Jump. Crouch. To make sure  all types of moves could be done, I created several dummy moves, with my friends Momke, Chimkin, Birb, Froug and Bnuy. 

This is Ham and Snek erasure

 

Using this dummy sprites and a test body I tested everything: charge moves, button sequences, mashing. I took the time to add 360 moves even though I hate them.

Once I knew moves could be done and wouldn't  overlap (i.e.  you can punch while pressing forward instead of your punch being interrupted with the walk, or like your Haduken getting interrupted by a punch.) I got to work adding basic common type moves a fighting game needs based on the codes I tested.

 Of course every character has to have their own unique moves, so how do. Simple: I created  a code that's  constantly running, checking if a sprite exists  called (character name) + (name of the sprite) .

For example here's  a basic stand sprite .

I mean they may be simple but I did get into the habit of giving them little animations

The character's name is "TIM". I created a sprite called TIM_stand_sprt

I said it was a hornier project.

Alright listen...a guy gets lonely coding a game alright? Point is without any further input from me it goes "a sprite  named what? The object it is and the name o the character.Yeah that exists. Patch it through." and replaces it.  If it doesn't  exist, no harm no foul.Further later I will use this to  make individual move sets, once basic specials and supers are established.  See you don't  need 100 objects to 100 projectiles, just one who's  data you can alter.

But we have normals and  you can low kick the other guy until  they're  out of health. It's  on a very technical definition, a videogame.

You know...once I get around to making that.

I have also cooked up a main menu and a  character select. The graphics are place holder. But I AM using AI to make your blood levels go up by bringing up the spectre  of AI and the possibility something  you've  been reading about for 6 minutes might include some AI on it, when in fact I am not using AI on the project, even for previz that's  mostly for me to look at. 😜.  Did I mention I handpainted the stages? In like paper? But you're awake now! 

I am a God and you should worship me.

The Random is actually functional

You can toggle through options that'll one day be something.

 

Expounding on the code bit from earlier I also have a code checking if a music track named like the room you are in exists. So there's  placeholder music. It is my intent to create midis using walkband that can later be given cool soundfonts or the like, but for now I have chosen to put some ACE hood, some whatever the hell this is. 

So that's  the state of the Jam. As I write this and preparing for a weekend of creating all  the basic move types that will give each character personality and uniqueness. See you at the Finish Line, champs.