CozySnuffy

My name is Alex Suffoletto. And I am an aspiring game developer.

Ever since I was little and watched my mom expose me to gaming, I knew this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. Not fly to the moon, not making the next biggest medical achievement for mankind but the next best game for so many to enjoy.

There is a certain atmosphere to game development that has constantly intrigued me, put me in a state of awe and even consistently challenged me. The biggest traits I have gained on my personality today have all been adopted from this major point of interest. With so much more to learn, the ceiling of possibility continues to make me explore more branches of design.

Starting as a shy introvert for a large portion of my life, I have grown out of my shell and learned to communicate, lead and work closely with so many people and bring many passionate ideas to life. Any concept that could be thought of can be brought into this world and that is all I could hope to bring out in my legacy. Works that can constantly push my limits, bring out the best ideas in me and even continue to work harder with more like minded creators and innovators.

To start off, I believe this is my first official post-mortem. Learning about post-mortem structures leading up to now, it made me realize I never personally did one for myself. When I released ‘Cat vs. Corgis’ with my college senior year group, we definitely had a discussion about the good the bad and the ugly of our development. Although, we never did get it on paper. So I think this will be a good thing to start keeping track of. Even though these first few documents are going to be on my tech demos, I think they will continue to hold a good reference for future projects to come.

Why Cozy Scroller?

After months, even years, of working on game projects, I have not been able to replicate the same level of satisfaction of developing something then when I was at college. Lucrative lesson encouraging consistent brainstorming, established deadlines to push my creative thinking forward and finishing game projects (for better or worse) all reminded me why I got into game development in the first place.

Faulted game projects, rough online asset infrastructures and lack of motivation. Not just from my co-developers but myself included, all consistently added up in projects I would try to start. So many failures, one after another made me question if I even wanted to develop games at some point. Since I was 6 years old. I always wanted to make video games. When my mom got me my first game, ‘Pitfall’, I knew this was what I wanted my life to revolve around. Not to be a firefighter, corporate man or police officer. I wanted to make video games. Create experiences for players, just like a legacy of veteran developers have done for me when I have grown up. Even now I am still moved, inspired and touched with video game development and presentation.

These failed projects for years on end have brought me here though. My personal ambition to be strained and tested to it’s breaking point. If I could not follow through with my personal connections or contracts, then I was going to put this passion into my own control. Bring together my diverse skill sets from the past decade and bring to fruition these ideas I have always concepted and fantasized about. To make sure this all works out like I hope, I am starting from square one. Pick a game engine to learn and master, start from the very bottom no matter how I know already and just make tech demos.

I chose Unreal since it is the most accessible in my skill sets already and I went with side-scrollers since those are on a 2D plane and less areas to worry about. At least for an introductory perspective. And closing out this first tech demo, came out as a huge success for me.

What Went Right?

Blueprint Fundamentals -

This was absolutely my biggest achievement when I made it to the finish line of this tech demo. Even though a large portion of my time was in watching tutorials, I did end up retaining the information of what Blueprints I was studying and implementing. Whenever I use to develop concepts before, it felt as though I was just copying and pasting whatever the video was presenting in front of me. With this side scroller however, I went above and beyond what was shown to me. I experimented with variable and function values and even added some new features that were not mentioned elsewhere. Just through exploring the Blueprint system. Just having this knowledge will be able to help me not only excel in the next tutorial series I approach but adding features I thematically want per project.

It was a big personal goal of mine to make sure by the end of this tech demo, I can create my own ideas from scratch. Without a video or guide by my hand every second. It is going to take a lot of re-iteration on the subject matter at hand but this has been a rewarding experience thus far. Never thought I would feel so much joy from just implementing something as simple as a health bar system without an aid at my side. Keeps the motivation going.

Time Usage -

When I started this project, there was not a set time to really get it done. Was not a huge priority really. Kind of just take everyday as it was until the project took shape. When I got to finalizing the tech demo as a whole, it definitely exceeded my expectations with how long it took to be completed.Two weeks, working a part time job and being able to spend personal time with friends and loved ones. I found a way to make it all work on all ends. Near the end of the last few tutorials, I spent more time on the project and it showed fantastic results with the commitment taken.

No time was wasted when it came to making the art assets either. Blueprint programming and designing was the primary focus for 90% of the project’s time. This was actually a huge hurdle for me since I have always been developing for the art portion of games for my development career. Every time I had a project I always thought of how the world should look, what characters should exist and how many props the game environment was going to need. Mentally saying, ‘focus on the design’. Heavily impacted my confidence on completion. As the results show, I now have a tech demo to present and show. Not just a pretty world to look. When the time comes down to it, I know I will be able to add the art assets with the functionality I am learning. It may have to be experimented with a bit for proper migration and execution but it will be a significant change of pace having knowledge of the engine as a whole. For now, functionality is key and my time was well spent learning and experimenting around those concepts and functions.

It is important to keep personal time in this kind of scheduling also. A huge issue I had before was forcing a lot of my personal works. Even when I was exhausted or depressed. Lack of knowledge or stress elsewhere in my life played a counterpart when it came to making time for game development. Having a clear headed mind will really open that excitement to want to jump in and develop the next day.

Flexibility -

This kind of goes hand in hand with my whole mental preparation phase. Telling myself to work daily but not exertive. It came with great results. The goal is to work at least one hour daily on your craft if you want to improve. It keeps the mind fresh and there will always be an uphill scale of your improvement if you manage to pull off the mental fortitude for such. Now obviously a day or two can be missed it’s not completely set in stone but that is the goal. Practice your craft. Thus, I pursued this tech demo everyday, at least an hour a day. If I was exhausted or not in the zone after that one hour, I called it for the day or just took a break to let me mind recuperate. If I did not end up working a day, I just came back the next. I didn’t break my mind down or say I was going to lose progress for missing a day. When you are all alone, you need to be able to provide as much positive feedback to yourself as you can.

All in all, this mind set really pushed exceptional participation from me overall. Just telling myself, “one hour a day”, made it feel rewarding when I would meet that goal. A reward for my minimal efforts and a sense of control over the direction I was taking. I know game development always falls into a mindset of crunch when things start closing but that will be for later. I needed to create a learning environment for myself so that I had the motivation to push and keep learning. I always had support but no one is telling me to make games. I am. It’s important to really be in that productive mind-set when you’re running solo. Then when the real deal comes around, I know I will be all set on every front for whatever plan comes my way.

Project Organization -

Git became my best friend and my mortal enemy throughout all of this. There are plenty of ways to back up projects but while I go through these tech demos, Git is a huge priority for me to really be able to work around. It is extremely accessible, can work remotely and proved to make sufficient progress logs throughout. I did spend a few days ironing out some upload issues but I always found a way to have a back-up of some sort. Do not make games without a backup. Ever.

Once the project was completed, I uploaded right to Git and immediately zipped the rest up and got it onto my Google Drive. Now I have two back-ups for if I wish to continue forward or gather it elsewhere for whatever purpose. Do not make games without a backup.

There have been too many projects in my lifetime that were lost to the void because of some corrupt data or assets causing load failures. Then obviously we would be back at square one because there was no back-up in sight. I learned from this after the first corrupt game I had way back and started uploading my files onto a USB drive every time I would finish for the day. This worked but it was such a slow process. Especially as the projects grew bigger. I refuse to let backups be an extra source of stress while I trek this learning procedure. Also, working inside the engine was neat too. Being able to comment on Blueprints the way Unreal does made for some convenient reference points and I am sure if I handed the project over to someone, they would see what I was going for. If even at a basic understanding. Good reference etiquette and organization goes a long way. And remember, DO NOT MAKE GAMES WITHOUT A BACKUP.

Experiments -

Although I was running through specific tutorial sets, I made sure to keep my mind fresh and invigorated on newfound knowledge. Whenever I went through a new feature, I always took a little extra time to fiddle with it to make sure I fully understood what said feature was actually doing. The ability system I did for this sides-croller for example, taught me how to do some tweaking to player values. Such as their movement speed and jump height and weight.

When I linked this functionality, HUD elements and animation sequences, I said to myself, “let’s try this again”. So I added a time dilation feature which slowed the game down. Like a ‘Slow-Mo’ effect. Time Dilation in Unreal is interesting to say the least. I didn’t end up finalizing this feature but I got an idea of how I could use it in future projects. Understanding to get the core fundamental indented into my brain.

That’s what kept that section of the tech demo exciting. Intrigued. Knowing I had something to learn. Even if it was beating me down a bit and deterred me from full usage of the ability. It became a learning experience.

Intermission

All these honorable mentions were pretty solid success pillars for me and will continue to be my standard to work on. There is a lot of obstacles when it comes to self-teaching. When I was in college I was at least in an enriching environment. Even if it was not around game design all the time, the area had eager minds and a resource for insight. Working from home on this, I have to find ways to adapt that myself. Get a good workflow and keeping my brain hydrated on recognition and educative awareness. Easier said than done really. Even going to a library didn’t help it just made it more of a hassle in some aspects for me. That is all part of the journey though. Challenges and frustration. Honestly, reading Gamasutra articles and playing videogames kept the learning spark lit for me. I got those built around me and it keeps me eager to make the fundamental choice of forwarding myself for the better. With that mentioned, this tech demo obviously came with some obstructions and inconveniences.

What Went Wrong?

Handling Engine Issues Last -

Just reading this sub title sounds horrible, I know. If the game engine is giving a big red exclamation mark error, you probably should go ahead and fix that. I heavily regret not doing that because now I cannot package without nuking the entire project on my computer (thankfully, I do have a back up so I will check on this in the future).

I had an oddly common issue with Unreal that my lightmass compiler was not building properly. It did not stop me from programming or playtesting and was only affecting the lighting portion of my project. So, stupid me, continued to develop all the way to finish line without a second thought. When I finalized my very last build, it would not even package the file so I could share it. All because I did not resolve the lightmass compiler issue.

So afterwards, I spent the next few days trying to figure out that issue. So CozyScroller remains in limbo but it has paved the gateway for future projects. Never disregard the simple things. Always give yourself some leeway for debugging and compiling. The end results will always thank you.

Lack of Naming Conventions -

If it was not for the organizational methods I had throughout this tech demo, I probably would have been fumbling about for hours trying to find my assets. More so than I already did.

I jumped between Blueprint scripts way too often. Just to find a simple processes and features like my damage systems or HUD reactions. It got very dense with Blueprint programs, widgets and project settings all around. With this being my first major project, learning the Unreal Engine ‘etiquette’ for proper naming on file types was kind of something I tried to adapt with. Near the end, I did question some of my particular choices but it will be something of muscle memory at this point.

This project included a small amount of features but it all added up pretty quick in the Blueprint structures. The unlocked creativity in the Unreal Engine is a blessing. It can also be a curse if you do not manage to tame it either. It can turn into a heaping bowl of spaghetti pretty quickly when it comes to navigating around.

Too Much Experimenting -

So I do not want to contradict my outlook on experimenting here. The way experimenting became an issue for me was when I was consuming a lot of development time in a not so major feature. If the feature does not add enough substance or depth to your project, then it may end up becoming more trouble than it is worth implementing. It really will come down to knowing when it is time to delve deeper or when to back out and move onto the next task. Especially if the content is something out of your comfort zone. I feel this aspect is a bit too broad but I know dedicated developers face the same issue and can estimate based off their other experiences.

For me, I was experimenting with Unreal’s ‘Time Dilation’ as an extra ability to have for the player. After two days, I realized it really was not worth adding to the presentation of the game. It fumbled all my HUD elements, was ruining my other abilities execution and it just did not blend in any cohesive matter. Once the pillars started collapsing on all fronts, I knew it was time to back out I can say that much.

Social Media Updates -

I am still really unsure of where the best place is to share a lot of the content I make for game development. There is Twitter, Instagram, Itch.Io, IndieDB and so much more. Yet, it all feels super… forced. At least in my perspective currently.

This feeling I believe is coming up because I really want my updates to have an impact when I share it around. The same as when I see a lot of talented developers and artists around me posting their work. Meaningful content and not just for the sake of sharing it. Or a self-made obligation. Just naturally.

I constantly analyze content creators around me so that I can do something similar. Bringing the personality into play to my online work. It is all a work in progress so it has been pretty flip floppy from time to time. I use to stream consistently for example and over time I found my niche for that kind of performance and emotional connection to my gameplay. Now it’s translating that excitement into the work I feel so proud and passionate about.

I do have to say though, there have been a lot of great people peeping in on my updates from time to time. Like there was a day I got some recommendations on my Blueprint processing procedures so my HUD would refresh in a more optimal manner. It is worth doing this no doubt. I just am still trying to find the best way to reach out and bring this information together.

Capturing a Legacy -

Even though I was doing social media updates since the very first day I began my work, I do not believe I captured the essence of this tech demo’s ‘legacy’. What to remember it for. Even though it was just two weeks, seeing development from start to finish can really draw up a sense of self improvement. Or a portrayal of accomplishment. This was achieved because I said to myself that I could do it. Yet I only captured a minimal amount of photos of gifs that were saved on my desktop.

There is a huge chunk of progress that is missing in my data and I really am upset I did not realize it sooner. Even though this can be interpreted for self-improvement, it really can be informative seeing the faults and skill inclinations of another. That’s why post-mortems exist right? Or your favorite company may show some behinds the scenes or in-progress updates? It invokes so many emotions, thoughts and maybe the next best thing out there. Gotta keep whatever you can record.

Coming to a Close

Again, a lot of these points mentioned may be completely obvious to some. I realized, without action, all this knowledge I have is going to waste. I have studied game design and theory crafting for almost 9 years. After college, a lot of my actions disappeared. This tech demo is the beginning for me. My aspirations being crafted into reality and it is because I finally fortified my mental state to make it a reality. My lack of refined programming skills and learning curves in the Unreal Engine have not deterred me but have made me more eager to delve into new tech demos. Gathering all my intrigue and excitement for game design into one place. And CozyScroller is the first official chapter on the road to making my very own game. There are way more demos and challenges ahead but at least I know I am on the right track. This is probably a very informal introduction to my development progress but I am happy I have been able to keep it genuine throughout. With this format obviously taking some refinement with the years to come.

The next tech demo is already on the way and it has been a really reassuring start so far. Spoilers, it is going to be pretty awesome. At least I think so. The lesson plan I put together seems like it will be immensely rewarding to finish. I look forward to writing my next post-mortem and gaining even more knowledge. #practicemakesprogress

And a big thank you to all my friends and loved ones who have been supporting and interacting with this dream of mine. It feels like I am taking small steps with every completed project but the support carries me more than I can put into words. Maybe one day, I will be able to express that admiration in my own self developed game. Thank you all again.