FORMER

"FORMER" is a puzzle-platformer where the roles are reversed: you make the platforms, while a small creature called a "Construct" does the platforming! It was created over the course of 2 weeks for the 2023 Game-Wisdom Game Jam.

This was my first (and most recent, still) game jam. I'm torn on the concept of them. On one hand, they're incredibly good for learning. You get such strict time constraints that really hold you accountable. Themes keep ideas focused and limit your mind from branching out too far. These are both great things. But on the other hand for me, jams encourage you designing things "quick and dirty" & have an innate competitive aspect that I'm not really big on. This jam was a positive experience for me nonetheless!

Well, let me talk about FORMER a bit. I really like this little game, but it's far from perfect! The jam's theme was a "reversal" concept, where you flip a genre on its head. So I decided to make a platformer where you never actually platform. Instead, the main mechanic is placing platforms for the Constructs to use! I programmed the little things to have unique pathfinding logic where they jump over gaps, against walls, or run & jump otherwise. The concept is getting used to how the construct moves so you can effectively complete levels. Later levels also have a unique collectable that gives you small bits of lore about the world, with you getting a secret ending if you collect all of them!

FORMER was an example of a game that would've benefited majorly from playtesting. The core mechanic had two things that were pretty difficult to deal with: jump distance and speed. A visual indicator for the distance a construct jumps would aid the player quite a bit, as a lot of gametime is spent on simply underestimating the distance a construct jumps. And secondly, even more important, is the fact that you place platforms as the construct moves. This turns the "puzzle" aspect of the game on its head, meaning that FORMER becomes a "speed test" for the player later on. It can be quite frustrating and difficult to handle. If I ever were to revisit this concept, these are the things I'd change.

There are some other small issues with FORMER, like certain platforms not being too fun to use, or many level designs being overwhelming. However, I'm very happy with this two week project. I especially like the art style I landed on, the grid system I made for placing, and little world I managed to create.