At the beginning of September I took part in a game jam on the theme of information and fake news. We decided to embark on a project involving mythological propaganda on behalf of the gods Artemis and Apollo in their battle to find out Zeus' favourite!
Point & Click
Casual
Unity 2D
PC
Introduction video
Concept and Gameplay
The game jam context
Being creative under time pressure is the whole point of a game jam, but it's not always that easy. That's why we've tried to make the game fun as simply as possible, by limiting the number of game mechanics that need to be implemented.
A casual relaxing game
The player's objective will be to modify propaganda posters using the accessories at his disposal, according to the sponsors of the posters.
Scoring system
A screen gives feedback to the player based on the accessories they have selected in relation to the theme and the locations in which they have placed them. There are no defeat conditions as this did not seem suited to this type of game.
Some more pictures of the posters
My contribution
Design and further development
Firstly, as game designers, we were able to bring our relative expertise to the various ideas that came to us during the brainstorming phase of the project. We decided to go for a creative design game to capitalise on the strengths of our game artists, who have a particularly distinctive graphic style, and to limit the programming work with only two programmers at our disposal.
Make the link
I then ensured that I communicated continuously as the gameplay evolved, such as with the switch to a propaganda poster format that could be positive or negative, implying a certain neutrality. In the same way, I had to define with the programmers the ways in which the features were going to be implemented according to the game's overall design.
Organisation Excel
In line with the last point, I've started to draw up a table listing the scoring data with the different locations and attribute points assigned to each poster. This has helped to drastically reduce the workload on the programmers by importing the data retrospectively and allowing the game designers to modify it continuously to reflect any changes in balancing.
Learnings
Managing time in a game jam
Make sure you have a clear implementation plan, given the tight deadline for the game jam. Drawing up a Game Design document quickly ensures that there is a shared understanding of the project guidelines and avoids misunderstandings and over-ambitious goals.
Ensuring effective transmission of rules
The playtests revealed that the players could have difficulty understanding what was expected of them. In fact, in favour of the artistic direction, we lacked clarity about the way in which the themes were conveyed to the player. A point to bear in mind.
Linking designers and programmers
Since most of a game designer's work is carried out at the start of a project, it's essential to find ways of supporting the work of the various departments involved in production to ensure the ongoing participation of all group members.