2024 Kingston University Game Jam Game Production Blog: Boom!
Jun,13,2024
BOOM
Overview
From May 15th to May 17th, my teammates and I participated in Kingston University's annual game jam, creating a game titled Boom. The theme for this year's jam was "Everything Falls Apart." Given the 48-hour time constraint, we aimed to design a game that was both fun and feasible to develop. We settled on a concept centered around the demolition of unauthorized buildings, aligning with the theme perfectly.
Background
Boom is a stress-relief game designed to provide players with the ultimate thrill. In this game, players take on the role of a demolition expert hired by a contractor to demolish buildings. The main objective is to strategically plant bombs to ensure the entire building collapses within the given timeframe, all while avoiding being crushed by the debris.
Game Objective
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Place bombs strategically within the time limit to ensure the flags on the buildings fall to the ground.
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Avoid being hit by the bombs you plant.
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Evade falling debris from the collapsing buildings.
Gameplay
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Movement: Use the right and left sticks (RL) to move.
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Jumping: Press 'A' to jump.
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Speed Boost: Press 'LT' to speed up.
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Bomb Placement: Press 'B' to plant powerful bombs.
Game Levels
The game features five levels, each escalating in difficulty to challenge the player’s strategic thinking and reflexes.
Game Mechanics
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Skill Cooldown:
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Players can place an unlimited number of bombs per game, but there is a cooldown period between each bomb placement. After placing a bomb, the button changes to a wait button until the cooldown period ends.
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Materials:
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Each level features buildings made of three materials: glass, concrete, and iron. Iron is unbreakable, while concrete and glass can be destroyed, with glass shattering into dangerous shards.
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Game Style
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Visual Style:
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The game employs a cartoon aesthetic to create a relaxing and engaging atmosphere.
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Music:
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The soundtrack complements the cartoon style with cheerful, upbeat music. Utilizing GarageBand, we crafted background music and integrated special sound effects to enhance the overall experience.
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Personal Experience
In this project, my responsibilities included gameplay conception, as well as the UI and music design. Given the 48-hour timeframe, we aimed for simplicity in our gameplay mechanics. Although our team lacked professional programming experience, we leveraged basic physical effects to create engaging gameplay that fit the theme. The time limit and visual impact of bomb explosions are designed to provide players with an exciting and novel experience.
For the UI, I aimed to make it intuitive and consistent with the game's style, ensuring players can easily understand and focus on important information. As for the music, despite not being a professional musician, I used GarageBand to mix a background track and incorporated ambient construction sounds to immerse the player in the game's environment.
Summary
Although I haven't participated in many game jams, this experience was incredibly valuable. It allowed me to gain practical insights into game development, from conceptualization to execution, under tight deadlines. The lessons learned here will undoubtedly influence my future projects.
BOOM