Ideation
This was a prototype I made for a learning exercise based on an "Out of Time" theme. I decided to make a game that kept track of the time, day, date, and season in response to this.
This game is different from my other games because of this aesthetic and the inclusion of in-world time. This time was also tampered with so it would be a little faster as it may be on another planet. Below are some snippits of code, documentation of my ideation process, and a picture of my reference, Harvest Moon.
Emotions
Ultimately, I wanted to create a relaxing game with a stunning view. I also wanted the player to feel a sense of exploration with the variety of plants they could grow and curiosity towards this flora.
Environmental Design
I focused on a purple and orange color palette because I wanted to set this game apart from the traditional farming simulator by creating an ethereal, otherwordly aesthetic. I also had a very specific idea for the greenhouse, so I designed it myself.
Timeline
The timeline for this game was one week
For each of my one week prototypes, the timeline typically includes ideation, greyboxing, environmental design, and delivery. However, since the timeline is so short, the number of days I work and the day each phase is assigned to varies.
10/20: Ideation, General development plan
10/21: Greyboxing, Programming
10/22: Environmental design, Programming
10/23: Adding audio, Stylizing UI, Writing, Polishing
Responsibilities
Team size: 1 (solo project)
All assets except green house model are not my own
- Setting up time in game, creating inventory system and individual plants using scriptable objects
- Environmental Design
- Creating function of plants growing according to time and ability to harvest
- Writing descriptions for items in inventory
Playtest Notes
The playtesters thought the entire experience was really interesting due to the environment. However, they wished that the items in the inventory could be cycled through quickly instead of having to open the inventory each time again when they were swapping something out. I agreed that this would be a great addition to the game and could be implemented using the number pad.
Some also wished there was something to do while they used the napping function when waiting for plants to grow. Something like a mini-game could be sufficient or just making the time go even faster while napping. I thought the best and most interesting solution could be to set up a camera within the scene so you could see the time passing through the sunset and sunrise.
Challenges
The most difficult part of the development process in this game was creating the inventory. It was extremely tedious and a very time-consuming task. However, I think having an inventory was a great addition because it is crucial in gardening games like this.