In case you missed it, I recently took part in Adventure Jam 2023. In the following video, I discuss my experiences, strategies, and my thoughts on what went well and what I could have improved.
If you’re not a video fan, here it is for you to have a read of instead!
⚠️ Spoiler Alert ⚠️
This blog post contains major spoilers for my game, The Alignment Paradox. I encourage you to experience the game before proceeding. It will take about half an hour to play through unless you find yourself caught on that one notorious puzzle! Once done, feel free to return and read the rest.
What is Adventure Jam?
For those unfamiliar, Adventure Jam is an annual game jam where developers create an adventure game within two weeks. The games are then played and rated by the participants. As you may know, making a complete game in such a short time is quite a challenge, especially when juggling other commitments such as full-time jobs.
My Process
Writing
Before the jam commenced, I took advantage of the rule that allows for story and dialogue writing in advance. My initial plan was to complete all writing before the jam started, but it didn’t go as planned. So I spent the initial days of the jam writing and constructing a puzzle dependency chart to understand how the game elements would interconnect.
Scripting
Once satisfied with the writing, I moved on to building the game using Unity and a tool called PowerQuest, developed by Dave from Powerhoof. This tool streamlines the making of point & click adventure games, simplifying scripting with its easy-to-use interface.
Dialogue and Voice Acting
The dialogue was also handled during the first week to ensure my voice actors had sufficient time to record their lines. This allowed me to send the script off to the voice actors by the end of the first week. I was privileged to work with Rich Keeble and Naomi Miller who made the voiceover process completely stress-free.
Artwork
In the second week, I started working on the artwork. This was my first foray into pixel art, which proved a significant learning curve. But with the help of Aseprite and beginner tutorials, I was able to navigate through it.
Iterate
The final stage involved continuous testing, fixing, and tweaking. I also added music, sound effects, voiceover audio, and developed the title screen, credits, and itch.io page.
Reflections
What Could Have Gone Better
- Writing: While the storyline of The Alignment Paradox was well received, it had its share of plot holes due to the time constraint.
- Artwork: My initial experimentation with pixel art was obvious in some places, something I improved post-jam.
- Audio: Audio balancing was a minor issue, with voices drowned out by the music at times. This has been corrected in the updated version.
- Video Cutscene: The lab security video scene required more logic than anticipated due to the interactive nature of the rooms. Looking back, a simple video recording could have sufficed.
What Went Well
- Voice Acting: Working with professional voice actors was an absolute pleasure.
- Puzzles: Most of the puzzles were fair and logical. Feedback received suggested they were challenging yet satisfying to solve.
- Achievement: My game finished in 3rd place among 332 entries. A truly incredible achievement for me considering this was my first Adventure Jam and I’ve only been making games for a few months.
In conclusion, Adventure Jam 2023 was an incredible learning journey. A big thank you to everyone who played, rated, and provided valuable feedback. A special shout out to Dave from Powerhoof and my fellow PowerQuesters. Your support and encouragement were very much appreciated during the Jam.
Until next time, happy gaming!
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