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Show HN: I'm 48 and finally learning how to be a game developer

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Re: Show HN: I'm 48 and finally learning how to be a game developer

#141

Post by bananabat »

freetinker wrote: post #139
harrisi wrote: post #109

I couldn't find a comment addressing my gameplay recommendations, so apologies if this was already stated. - Replaying shouldn't take two taps. I just want to get back into it! I now know the middle button replays, but it's not immediately obvious. - I don't understand what the floating aliens are for. I keep trying to get them but they don't seem to do anything. - My score doesn't stand out, it took several plays to…

Just wanted to corroborate this. I think this feedback is spot-on! I was thinking of sharing my perspective, but that would be repetitive. This nails it!

Thank you, too. I really dig constructive feedback.

Re: Show HN: I'm 48 and finally learning how to be a game developer

#142

Post by bananabat »

harrisi wrote: post #140
bananabat wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Great and detailed feedback, thanks! - UI has always been my weakest point in the sense that what seems logical to me might be puzzling to others. I've been taking notes on what's confusing to players and will implement improvements on the next go-around - Floating aliens are just...that. I've thought about making it more obvious that they are part of the environment or just removing them altogether - The score HUD n…

I think the floating aliens are fun and add environment. I think it could be a fun way to add bonus points (or multiplier!) when hit! There aren't many elements to the score HUD. It seems straightforward to just have a "pop up" at the top of the screen when a multiplier is increased and/or a big score increase happens. Maybe with a bit of a shake. I don't know what "regular" planets are. Maybe different colored outli…

And you've helped me a lot. Thank you very much. You'll see these tweaks soon.

Re: Show HN: I'm 48 and finally learning how to be a game developer

#143

Post by Osiris »

bananabat wrote: post #134
lowbloodsugar wrote: post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Start with something that works, that has code, and that can be hacked on. When my kid was 9 we did the whole "decompile Minecraft" thing, and he made some pretty cool changes with no help from me. But I'm sure there are game tools with published repos that you can download and hack on. That's how I learned, except it was "typing in games from magazines" and modifying them. Starting from scratch (with "Hello World")…

Question: what is "typing games from magazines?"

Back in the very old days, early 1980s, magazines like Byte would include games in the magazine in the form of code you had to manually type in and save. The ones I did were multiple pages of pure HEX.

Later, magazines would ship with floppies that had the free software on it.

Re: Show HN: I'm 48 and finally learning how to be a game developer

#144

Post by bananabat »

Osiris wrote: post #143
bananabat wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Question: what is "typing games from magazines?"

Back in the very old days, early 1980s, magazines like Byte would include games in the magazine in the form of code you had to manually type in and save. The ones I did were multiple pages of pure HEX. Later, magazines would ship with floppies that had the free software on it.

Wow, this was not a thing where I grew up. I never even saw a real pc until I was in uni. That sounds awesome. Thanks for explaining.

EDIT: Still totally fascinated by this. I asked my husband because I remembered that he had a much-beloved Spectrum when he was a kid and sure enough, he had digitized Your Sinclair issues on his iPad and he showed me several examples of games in Basic and hex. Super cool.

Re: Show HN: I'm 48 and finally learning how to be a game developer

#146

Post by cybernautique »

bananabat wrote: post #115
harrisi wrote: post #109

I couldn't find a comment addressing my gameplay recommendations, so apologies if this was already stated. - Replaying shouldn't take two taps. I just want to get back into it! I now know the middle button replays, but it's not immediately obvious. - I don't understand what the floating aliens are for. I keep trying to get them but they don't seem to do anything. - My score doesn't stand out, it took several plays to…

Great and detailed feedback, thanks! - UI has always been my weakest point in the sense that what seems logical to me might be puzzling to others. I've been taking notes on what's confusing to players and will implement improvements on the next go-around - Floating aliens are just...that. I've thought about making it more obvious that they are part of the environment or just removing them altogether - The score HUD n…

For context, this isn't from a player; I steadfastly refuse to run google services on any of my devices, so I'm incapable of downloading your game from the Google Play store. I'll keep an eye out for it, should you ever decide to release the .apk or host it on F-Droid!

Your personal story is nothing short of inspiring. A sincere kudos to you and your husband :) Your children are incredibly lucky to have two such productive role models, and I hope they grow up to see computers as not just tools but as friends (as it seems they were to you in childhood)

To me, computing is somewhere between a philosophy and a spirituality. I'm still very novice, but welcome to the rarefied air of technological wizardry! You had a vision, a meaning in your mind, and you manifested that into the devices of strangers. You created something wholly new and thereby opened a port from the rich inner world of bananabat &co. into the reality of our shared experiences. This capability, to me, is nothing short of miraculous. It was your combined passion and effort that seized upon such miracles to create novel spectacles. As I said: nothing short of inspiring!

Best of luck to you and your family as you continue down this journey! I wish all of you well, and who knows? Maybe in some years from now, someone will post a Show HN with their own project, their passion fueled by Slingshot Effect!

Keep rocking!

Re: Show HN: I'm 48 and finally learning how to be a game developer

#147

Post by Folcon »

Wow, as someone who hit their mid thirties and basically decided the same thing congratulations!

Do you have a next one in mind? Or are you going to see what the reception for this one is first?

I must admit I focused on game jams to start, I've tried going down this road a few times before with little success. Having managed to complete a jam game has given me enough confidence to try and build something small which I can slowly add to. My aim is to have a playable, if very likely ugly prototype ready by the end of the month. Followed by a bunch of requisite refining and iteration.

Re: Show HN: I'm 48 and finally learning how to be a game developer

#148

Post by topkai22 »

@bananabat, congrats on launching your game and on your beautiful write up here. It made me remember Randy Pausch‘a famous “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams”, better known as “The Last Lecture.” (https://youtu.be/ji5_MqicxSo). Like many others, I remember being deeply touched by it. It is ultimately being about a man reflecting on a life well lived and achieving some childhood dreams like this is part of it.

It is wonderful that you have been able to do something you find worthy in and of its self and find fulfillment here. Thank you for sharing.

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