PICO-8 Devlog 5: Juice and pivoting

Full disclosure: my devlog chronology no longer describes my progress as literally as the first few episodes. Progress comes in fits and starts and the various dramas of life and work don't necessarily allow me to work or document work in as linear a way as I'd like.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing. I've reached a very interesting point in the development process, and a summary is probably better than a blow-by-blow account.

Objective

I'd refined the implementation of my mechanics, so I was looking forward to layering in some UX juice to make the whole business more engaging and exciting.

It went pretty smoothly. I figured out a system by which block sprites would decay on being struck, emit particle effects, emit shockwaves…

In fact, here's a snapshot of the game at this time.

The weirdness

The thing is, I didn't expect to not enjoy this success. According to my design document / elevator pitch, whatever you want to call it, I was completely on track. Theoretically, the next UX stage would involve ramping these effects up so they're even more frantic, kinetic, sonic etc.

But I was finding the process unpleasant. Even at this stage, the SFX and VFX are harsh and disorienting. My partner, who has no background of playing videogames but who had enjoyed the previous iteration, was also alienated by the FX I'd introduced.

So there's this unexpected choice on the table: persist with the original concept as it was briefed, and which I'm successfully meeting my own implementation milestones for. Or revise my goal and pivot into a new direction with less clarity but more personal satisfaction.

If this was my job? If I was being paid to realise someone else's creative vision, fine. But this is a hobby thing and I'm definitely not going to spend my own time making something I don't like.

So this is an odd moment for me. I set out to make something with a very limited, well-defined scope; something I could approach clinically — almost cynically — with the aim of developing technical skills.

But some kind of threshold has been crossed, and my perception has flipped, and this is now something I care about artistically. My overall pitch remains the same: simple mechanics, presented engagingly, but my interpreation of "engaging" has changed.

Next steps

Translate the jarring, violent interaction feedback into something satisfying and addictive rather than shocking and off-putting.

END