duck jam

Our team of three decided to write down everything we knew relating to flow and came up with multiple ideas. Selecting the one we thought would be achievable in the relatively short time frame. We assigned roles and created a rough timeline and project plan, allowing us to focus. We opted for a game where you row a boat following the flow of the river, picking up ducks. Each duck you pick up adds another layer of music to the game. Once you reach the bottom of the river, the game finishes, taking you to another level. Each level was going to have its own unique music. It is to be a 2D pixel art game, as that was the easiest to create graphics for. One essential element we agreed on was that the game needed to feel polished; anything clunky would ruin the element of flow we worked hard on. The game was fittingly named Duck Jam.

Once we settled on the idea, we started coding a basic driving system; the boat always moves forward. Pressing A/D will change the rotation, so you move in a different direction. We then developed a camera system to follow the boat up and down with dampening to keep with the theme of flow, with an option for zoom and an option to centre the boat on the screen. Each level had a slightly different camera system in the end. We created a small collision system so if the boat intersects with the duck. It will add 1 to a counter, and then it will eventually add to the music. The movement script would also check to see if the y value of the boat was after a specific limit; if it were, then the game would finish as you have reached the end of the river.

The art was one of the most enjoyable aspects of the development as we got to experiment with different designs and themes. Due to time constraints, we downloaded a pixel art pack for the land texture. We animated pixel art water and created the boat, ducks, user interface, and map design. Each level had to be different from the last while still being very easy to grasp. We didn't want to make a difficult and frustrating game as we felt "Flow," characterized by relaxation and a calming vibe. We drew out each level on paper, refining each design until we came to a design we liked.

The music was an arduous process for us. We wanted the music to play on start, and each duck you collected would add a new "layer" to the music, eventually forming a complete melody. Unity's sound system made it so you cannot sync up sounds to start at a particular time with others. So, we came up with an intuitive system to prevent users from hearing any discrepancies in the music, such as stops/starts or slightly off-timed layers. For each level, we created six melodies, each with a different number of layers of music (For example, melody 1 has layer 1; melody 2 has layers 1 and 2; melody 3 has layers 1, 2, and 3, and so on). Then, play them all at the start, muting all but one each time. This system came from lots of trial and error. Then, a simple main menu and level select system will load a new scene for each level.

We completed Duck Jam in time for submission, presenting it to every other competitor and talking through our development. Despite being the youngest and least experienced participants, we won the competition clearly a very successful first game.

In my experience with the “Duck Sauce Game Jam”, I've come to realize how challenging it can be to develop a game within a limited time frame. However, it has also taught me the importance of teamwork and communication in such situations. Brainstorming, prototyping, and iterating on game ideas have also been valuable skills that I've gained through this experience.