What kind of art? What kind of future? What kind of engine?

[SwordPlay]

so a while ago i was working on a platformer in the OHR

[SwordPlay]

I also tried out other game concepts.
I like the OHR for simplicity, rapid prototyping, debugging and portability

[Bob the Hamster]

so a while ago i was working on a platformer in the OHR

This is delightful! :D

[SwordPlay]

I was working on a tactics engine thingy recently.

[charbile]

note, sword says:

tactics

but when we pressed him against the wall in chat, he said it was a RealTimeSystem

the more you know.

[SwordPlay]

it could easily be extended to a turn based system (I dont really intend to. or want to) or a nuclear missile launch utility (trivial. considering it)

also, i'll say anything if you press me up against the wall.

[TMC]

Whoa! Blindsighted. Impressive. I mustn't be watching discord at the right time of day, because I saw nothing.
Am I king?
Yes, OK, you can have your pathfinding improvements for tactical combat. Just as long as it's not military purpose.

[SwordPlay]

This is a personal project where I prototyped some ideas.
In it you play as a cell, collect genes which grant powers, and manage your resources/organs/metabolic processes.

[TMC]

Ah, you did some more on that crazy thing, whatever it is! (A description maybe?)
It looks intriguing but I'm not sure whether it's aiming to be a game, or a Dwarf Fortress-level simulation.

[SwordPlay]

its not as deep as dwarf fortress sadly.
I have an idea that its a generated world, you build your own weapons, negotiate and fight with other generated cells (and colonies) and there's some kind of progression, with the end goal being either to leave the planet and brave the harsh ravages of space, becoming an alien in another world, or something...
or you become the dominant life form. or both. I dunno yet

[TMC]

Well if you pulled that off, it sounds like it'd be great. I heard some other people didn't pull it off (but I wouldn't know).

But, really, it's a promising concept and wide-open for invention. You're so unconstrained by conventions set by games that have come before. That kind of (necessity of) invention looks in practice like randomly thrashing about, misshapen ideas and prototypes, so don't be discouraged if that's all you've got. I think the key ingredient of experimental search is testing.

[Pepsi Ranger]

But, really, it's a promising concept and wide-open for invention. You're so unconstrained by conventions set by games that have come before. That kind of (necessity of) invention looks in practice like randomly thrashing about, misshapen ideas and prototypes, so don't be discouraged if that's all you've got. I think the key ingredient of experimental search is testing.

Works for me most of the time.

[SwordPlay]

I thought I might talk a little bit about my design philosophy for Hamstervania....

As always for me, the most important thing is resolution, screen size, and proportion.
I find this especially true for action games.

What good is it to have fancy effects if they occurring off-screen?
Can a game really be fair if they are being sniped or at the whim of off-screen elements?
If players constantly have to move around just to see their surroundings, doesn't that undermine the player character?

So, making sure the player can see or observe all important things easily is a priority.

This applies somewhat to HUD and other displayed elements, such as text floats and what-have-you

Following on from this we have something like camera-work, direction, and (visual) pacing.

How long does it take to register new items or objects? What is the quickest rate that is reasonable to expect of players?
What is the slowest rate that does not turn off players?

How should scenes movement be directed?
Given the screen size/ratio, likely to be rectangular, it makes more sense to have important things in the larger (horizontal) axis.
It's annoying to not be able to see as well in some directions (up/down) compared to others (left/right)
so scenes, maps, direction etc., should all consider this important fact.

On the other hand, the limited size of the vertical axis can make for unique situations, e.g, surprises

In so many ways, constraints dictate our method.
This includes self-imposed constraints, such as the game style, theme, etc., which may exclude certain possibilities.

[Spoonweaver]

love all the tech demos
your platformer, hamstervania looks interesting. Would love to see that expanded upon.

[SwordPlay]

Hamstervania is ongoing. I sometimes post updates (and demos) to the ss discord (for some reason. sorry)
Gaplan is taking on most graphical duties... i actually need help in other departments too, at some point.

I want to enter a demo in HOTOHR if possible