Starting Out
June 10, 2020.
When I first started out in game development, I used Java and Java's built-in graphics library. As a beginner learning how to make games, that was fine. Now, however, I needed a replacement, because said library is notorious for not being very efficient. My last 2D game project was having problems running at 60fps with minimal game elements being rendered. Also, lighting was near impossible to implement since Java's graphics' are horrible at rendering transparency and the like.
I discovered the Slick2D Java game engine and started implementing it immediately. I quickly came to love this library, because it combines LWJGL, GLFW, OpenGL, and OpenAL all under a very similar interface to Java's libraries, but with much more efficiency. It completely eliminated performance issues related to graphics in my game.
Now that I had a good framework to build my game on, I started experimenting with features to see what kind of game I might want to make. Initially, I had the idea of making an open-world survival game where the player would collect resources and fight off waves of monsters.
It started with some placeholder art and random generation and ended up with slightly better textures, perlin noise world generation, and the ability to mine tiles, gather items, and craft.
However, that's all I had planned out. I knew that I wanted to create a survival-based, interactive, destructible world environment with a boundless map. The main game loop was for the player to be able to discover new resources and create increasingly better tools for defending against monsters. Maybe this sounds interesting, but it doesn't really provide a unique experience that no other game has before (Minecraft has already mastered this concept, and with far better features like 3D building). And, more importantly, it was a fairly vague plan that I wasn't completely passionate about.
This brought me to scrap the idea. In order to find a better topic, I began thinking about games that I've enjoyed playing and why I enjoyed playing them. I eventually thought about Lego Rock Raiders, a game from my childhood that holds high nostalgic value for me. What I really enjoyed about the game was the underground theme paired with resource gathering and exploration in order to build and survive. It was also level based, and each level was designed around a different concept that introduced new game elements, keeping the player engaged.
Another game that has had a large impact on me, similarly to others in my generation, is Minecraft. Like Rock Raiders, I was fascinated by its survival, building, and exploration aspects. And, again, a large part of the game is underground cave exploration.
So, the thought finally occurred to me: I've always had a fascination with cave games, why not make one?
My game focus then changed to cave exploration: some kind of underground dungeon-crawler where the end goal is to reach the core of the planet. In order to do so the player must explore caves, build structures, and defend against both living and non-living dangers. While this goal is still somewhat vague, I believe it is more well-defined as a theme and is something I am more passionate about. That alone will make it much easier to come up with interesting game mechanics and to craft a unique experience.
(Sidenote: I recently watched a video by Jacob Geller about the "fear of depths" and why places like caves create so much mystery and curiousity. This certainly added to validating my decision).
Here is the game after my decision to switch topics. You may notice the addition of features like player health, lighting, and more tiles:
