We successfully completed our first-ever game jam and officially formed a team of developers!
The theme was “Winter,” which, for a winter-based jam, seemed somewhat easy and generic. However, we came up with a creative idea!
Originally consisting of just Ubre and Grobert, Smallfish expanded during this game jam (hosted by Eagle One), as Luke (NotGaylien) and rndtrash joined. With an additional artist and programmer, we successfully developed a unique and complete game. We also welcomed a bonus member, Ceitine, right at the end, adding three more developers to our team.
The game’s premise involves being trapped in a frozen wasteland (This being Finland) along the edge of a frozen lake. Desiring to escape, you risk your life, avoiding freezing to death, while drilling holes in the ice, fishing to sell fish for money, and aiming to buy a plane ticket. You can acquire upgrades along the way to enhance your chances of survival.
I created a dynamic screen freezing shader incorporating several layered effects:
- Edge-of-screen ice buildup
- Colors fading away to grey
- Blurring
These effects gradually set in as you adjust the freezing value on the shader, simulating your “eyes” slowly freezing over or rapidly “melting” away the ice. This visual indicator effectively represents how cold you are and how much more cold you can endure before losing.
For added immersion, I designed custom clothing, No game in s&box up till now has had custom clothing.
While lacking intricate details, these basic clothes can be recolored. Considering the gameplay perspective, the lack of close-up visibility, there wouldnt be a need for details anyway.
I also handled various props and hard surface models, including fishing rods, tools, the cabin, bench, etc. These models were quickly and efficiently created.
Every good games needs some particles. So I (Luke) quickly threw some together:
- water particles
- nice stinky and flies particles ( this will help you to find tiny fish you might not be able to notice! )
Lastly, Ubre humorously exclaimed, “HEHEHE HAHAHA WORMS!!!! ARGHHH FIRE FIRE FIRE!!!!” as he added some worm and fire particles.