Lately, I have been getting visits from search engines under the keyword “panda run”. It got me a little curious as my game is still in development and is relatively unknown to the non-gamedev world. After a little searching I found out that there is actually an existing game on the Google Play marketplace called “Panda Run“.
Our games are somewhat similar but there are differences. “Panda Run” is clearly derived from “Temple Run” which is evident from the controls and the randomly generated levels. It was something I considered before but decided against as my influences lies more from Crash Bandicoot.
This discovery got me concerned though. Particularly, with the name of my game. Will the similarities in name affect my visibility in the marketplace? There’s a possibility that the other game will be mistaken as mine and might affect its credibility.
I might get a new name before release maybe somewhere along the lines of “Penny and Bobo” named after the main protagonists. Although that too may pose some problems especially on the name-recall front.
Whatever the case, this requires a lot of thought. I shall post my decision here soon. For now, it’s time to finish this game!
I’ve been a little busy this past week due to other commitments. I wasn’t able to follow my timetable to the letter but things are still moving forward.
This week’s recap combines all the changes from week 5 to 7.
Here are some screenshots showing the evolution of the environmental design from sketch to concept art to in-game.
Here are the finished tasks in list form:
Added a countdown timer
Added more test levels
Added a level completed area
Added a level select screen
Players can now finish a level and move on to the next one
Made level creation and editing easier using prefabs
Face changing fixes
New environment concept
Created new environment models
Optimization changes
Fixed bugs
Deployed a development build for browsers
For next week, I might concentrate on adding new models and textures to the test level I’ve made. If I have the time, I might work on new obstacles as well.
I didn’t have the time to post the week 5 recap for Run, Panda, Run as I was out-of-town during the Holy Week. To bring the balance back to the universe I will be squeezing the missed recap onto week 6. This means that you can expect one long video this coming Saturday.
I also took the time to plot out a timetable for the project to see what tasks are left to work on. I’ve only done this now because prior to this week I didn’t have a good grasp of the amount of work involved on the project.
Month 2
Week 5 ( the week with the missing recap )
Level changing
Face changing
Week 6 ( the week with the long video to expect )
Obstacles and other objects
Obstacle collisions
Week 7 ( the week where I will try to dabble with game analytics )
Analytics
Menus
Week 8 ( the week where the world will come alive )
Backgrounds
Story
Month 3
Week 9 ( the week for playtesters )
Polish
GUI
Bug fixes
Playtesting
Week 10 ( the week where we add music! )
Obstacles and other objects
Backgrounds
Music
Sound effects
Week 11 ( The week where there are two more weeks left! Eek! )
Optimization
Cutscenes
Week 12 ( The week where I can’t wait to have this game shipped! )
Polish
Final playtesting
So looking at the table above we can assume that I can have the game released by the first week of June.
To see if my game would work on mobiles, I decided to concentrate on mobile deployment for this week.
The big problems that I encountered this week was the very slow loading times when changing between scenes and that frame rates differ from one device to another ( Samsung Galaxy S is around 30-35 fps but on Samsung Galaxy Tab the frame rates were halved ). It’s a good thing that I encountered them early as it would guide my decisions for optimization in the future.
Here’s the devlog video for Week 3:
Here are the finished tasks in list form:
Tested game to Samsung Galaxy S and Samsung Galaxy Tab
Added mobile controls
Mobile controls now work even in the Unity editor
Sprinting gradually increases speed
Sliding is now brought back
Added a menu scene
Fixed bug where two simultaneous touches affects the camera in a weird way
Added picked up items GUI
Picked up objects are respawned when the player dies
Changed the camera position in reverse mode
Added blob shadow projector
Fixed bug where camera isn’t turning anymore after respawn
For next week I shall be reducing the polygons on my character models and work on a new background and obstacle models.
For this week I concentrated on making the assets for the game. Since I am fairly new to 3D modeling and animation, most of the week was spent learning through the help of tutorials and a lot of trial and error. In spite of the headaches, I really enjoyed it.
Here’s a list of all the finished tasks for this week:
Created and added Panda model with running and jumping animations
Created amd Added Penny model with running and jumping animations
Fixed tearing problems with the imported models
Added animation handlers for the imported models
Added abunatuib syncing for objects
Some minor code fixes and optimization
For next week I’ll go back to coding the engine and if time permits, test out the game on a mobile phone.
Since last week was all about getting the basic engine stuff done for Run Panda Run, this week I decided to mix things up by working on the art assets.
It took me a day to learn the ropes with Blender 3D. And after a couple of tries I finally ended up with something that I’m happy with ( Check out the older versions of Penny the Panda at the bottom of the page for some giggles ).
I decided to go with a cutesy-look inspired by the game Costume Quest since I am also targeting the kids and female demographics. I might do a few changes in the future but I like it as it is.
All of this won’t be possible without the super awesome 3D modeling and animation software called Blender3D. It’s easy to use, powerful, and best of all FREE! For those who are interested in learning I suggest checking out the tutorials over at Blender Cookie.
Below is a view of Penny from the back. I’ve added a zipper to remind the players that she is just wearing a costume.
Here are the previous versions of Penny the Panda.
Penny the Serial killer
Penny the Panda after she got lost in a fastfood kitchen
Since my latest game development project is all about avoiding obstacles, a lot of thought has been placed on the camera view.
My criteria are as follows (arranged from most important to the least):
Balance between visibility, clutter and challenge - The player must be able to see the obstacles up ahead clearly. If the level needs to be challenging, proper care should be observed when designing the level as to not build up visual clutter. Also, we want the player to worry about the immediate obstacles and not all of those preceding it.
Character must be visible from head to toe - The important thing is to let the player see their feet on the ground. This helps in judging the player’s distance from objects and with the timing when jumping. Placing a blob shadow below the player also helps.
Proper camera turning - Since the camera is on-rails, the player must be able to traverse the course without worrying about the camera. It must move smoothly and precisely when it is needed.
The picture below shows the camera turning behavior in normal mode.
As seen above, the player acts as the trigger that rotates the camera.
Next we have the camera behavior on “Reverse Mode”. The old version still uses the player as the trigger but because of this, the camera is already out of the obstacle which makes things confusing.
The new camera behavior fixes this problem by having a turn handler, which triggers the turning keeping the camera in the middle of the track at all times.
Smart camera – Cameras should also not go through walls. It is distracting and doesn’t look right. The camera should be able to navigate it’s way through obstacles making sure that no object is obstructing the camera’s view.
Must not waste any space - Since the game is also targeted towards mobile platforms, every space counts! The first iteration has wasted a lot of space as seen below:
Surroundings must be visible – Since the surroundings also help with the player experience, they need to be visible as well.
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For more information about my latest game, go here.
(This game was previously called Riding Mr. Panda)
I always feel motivated every time I start a new project. Knowing this, I decided to push myself and get a lot done before the enthusiasm starts to fade out. Looking at my progress, I’d say I did a good job as most of the basic stuff are already finished.
Here are the latest updates in list form:
Imported Penelope assets as placeholder
Camera view tweaks
Continuous sliding under low-ceiling obstacles
Obstacle collisions
Player spawning and checkpoints
Improved camera turning in reverse mode
Fixed camera movement on slopes in reverse mode
Lots of tweaks and performance improvements
For this coming week I will be focusing on learning how to create 3D models. I hope this doesn’t take long.
Yes, you’ve read it right. Unity3D is giving away their basic licenses for iOS and Android for free until April 8. This will save you USD800! And from what I’ve heard, the licenses have no expiration!
To get this awesome deal, all you need to do is to download it from their store. Good luck accessing their site though. With a deal like this, servers are bound to crash.
