I started on a game a while back that I hoped would only take a few months to complete. TL;DR it took me two years of part-time work but opened many new avenues of exploration and adventure.
I was once a little embarrassed when a kid asked me if I had created a game yet when they found out I was a programmer. It seemed like such a disappointment to them when I said I hadn't yet, like, why else would you become a programmer? I realized that it was time to actually make a game.
So I decided to make a multiplayer mobile VR wave shooter. The multiplayer and mobile VR requirements were important to me. I wanted to make something I could play with my kids or friends. So I developed it to be somewhat kid-themed. I wanted the baddies to be animals or robots too. No blood.
Originally it was going to be robot bunny attacks. I made some concept designs. The players would have vegetable-based weapons like radish blasters and cabbage bombs. Ultimately, this design did not come to fruition.
I changed the storyline as people seemed to be more interested in cats. So my main villain became Count Scratchula, a powerful evil cat. The players would now defend against his minions. Zombie. Vampire. Cats. The enemies would all be cat mutations... bat-cats, spider-cats, dragon-cats, etc. The player would defend against their furball attacks.
I chose to use Epic's Unreal Engine (UE4) as the game engine. I wanted to use it because I had taken an online course on it and wanted to solidify the new knowledge a bit. I also knew that UE4 supported mobile VR and performed well. And I like C++. I won't argue that this was the best choice but it certainly wasn't a bad choice. Granted there were lots of technical hurdles. I had to tweak the UE4 source code to get networking and in-app purchases to work correctly, or at least the way I wanted them to work. In the end I still feel like I've only scratched the surface of UE4 but I think it's a great tool to feel confident with for future projects.
For this project I also wanted to incorporate Blender into a game development workflow. This turned out to be the most enjoyable part for me. I'm not a pro modeler but I had a blast creating original models and bringing them to life. It helped me improve my skills in modeling, UV mapping, rigging and texture painting. Of course I stuck with low-poly models and pretty flat designs but that was intentional ;)
Probably the most unexpected thing to come out of the project was a new love for creating music, specifically electronic music. Besides the graphics and sound, I also wanted to make the game music. This meant diving more into music theory and the technical aspects of music production. I learned about several digital audio workstations, especially Reaper. I also gained an understanding of synthesizers and the basics of sound design. This led me to explore software, hardware and modular synthesizers as well as drum machines and sequencers. I feel like I've entered this whole new world of creative possibilities. It's been really exciting for me.
The end result became Catbusters VR. Kind of a silly indie game. Sure it's not much to look at but it is challenging and can be fun when playing with someone else and that was the main point. I think it does offer something in the realm of mobile VR experiences in that there aren't many multiplayer mobile VR action games. A final hurdle prevented me from releasing the Android version on newer Android phones. This was a disappointment for the launch but if there is enough interest (i.e. purchases) then I will make the changes needed for more device support, more language support, etc.
I'm glad I embarked on this little journey. It definitely took more of my time than expected. Thankfully, my wife and family were very supportive. I'm super grateful to them for that! It's not likely to be a financial success but I feel good about completing the project in a way I can be proud of. It has opened so many new creative avenues to explore.
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