The Hunger Of Zeeth

!!UNDER CONSTRUCTION!!

- How It all started -

How "The Hunger of Z'eeth" Started

The Hunger of Z'eeth! was an idea that came to me while I was working on learning the Game Engine Pico-8. I had just finished up a programming bootcamp learning Java, Javascript, and a bunch of other important building blocks for general Fullstack Development.

After wrapping up that bootcamp.. I really wanted to make a game and Launch it on Steam. One of my teammates from other game projects Tony ended up recommending Pico-8. Pico-8 uses its a language I had never learned called Lua (also used to program roblox btw) so I go right to work learning how to program in it studying Pico Documentation.

Zeeth Started out as an Off-center little guy

Studying Pico-8 Documentation

Learning Pico-9 and Lua

Sometimes its best to start small and when I first booted up pico 8 my goals were simple. Learn how to parse the logic and syntax so it does what I want, and Learn how to render sprites onto the screen. Below you can see my doing a bit of both!

I used the sprite editor built into Pico-8 but I found out I could render shapes directly onto the screen from the programming side of things and I really wanted to mess around with that, My playing around it actually how Zeeth first got created. Or "Aloy" as he was first called.

Testing The Pico-8 Game Engine

Testing both Rendering and WASD movement

Testing Strings, Concat and more

I don't know why i did this tbh

Basic Typing Orders in Pico-8

Messing around with If else, statements.

Practicing Loops

At a certain point I drew shapes and added logic! And a cursor. (this is a render bug, but its the first time I captured what would become Zeeth!

"Could These Eyes become a game?"

...Is what I thought to myself once I had discovered them. I started by just making a circle, then a single eye, and then three. I centered them on the screen and got to work testing more basic functions and Key inputs that would lead to outcomes.

Testing Basic inputs + Visuals

Zeeth used to be an off center set of Eyes

Fixing the cursor, Centered Zeeth gave him a mouth.

Thought "maybe you feed this thing?"

Whiteboarding the Logic for my Game.

After messng around in Pico-8, I turned around and started outling all the rules of a simple game I wanted to build. As a developer, I think whiteboards are the best thing that have ever been created. I decided because these three eyes are obviously a critter/Alien so we'd be making a game set int space. From my first bit of practicing, I also thought "surely we're going to be feeding this character something". Lastly, after learning how to render the mouse on the screen I thought this game would be a cursor based game rather then a WASD game.

Testing Basic inputs + Visuals

The Hunger of Zeeth: Win Screen

The Hunger Of Zeeth: Lose Screen

concept art #3

Pre-production Considerations

Once we decided that we were going to make a side scrolling platformer title, I considered how to ensure that everyone’s art styles could and would mesh well together. 2D artists can differ broadly in the colors they might pick, and the lineweights they might use for any given drawing. Not to mention hand drawn illustrations could be challenging to import into game engines not designed to use them. As a development team, we needed to be quick and scrappy because we only had a month to deliver on a product. Not only that, we also wanted to deliver on a product that looked good and played well.

This is where a software comes into play called: Aseprite

concept art #3

The Hunger of Zeeth: Win Screen

The Hunger Of Zeeth: Lose Screen

End Screens and Menu's

The Hunger of Zeeth: Win Screen

The Hunger Of Zeeth Menu + Lore

The Hunger Of Zeeth: Lose Screen

Thoughts about Menu's and win conditions

Once we decided that we were going to make a side scrolling platformer title, I considered how to ensure that everyone’s art styles could and would mesh well together. 2D artists can differ broadly in the colors they might pick, and the lineweights they might use for any given drawing. Not to mention hand drawn illustrations could be challenging to import into game engines not designed to use them. As a development team, we needed to be quick and scrappy because we only had a month to deliver on a product. Not only that, we also wanted to deliver on a product that looked good and played well.

This is where a software comes into play called: Aseprite

Hunger of Z'eeth Marketing

Thoughts going into Marketing

Once we decided that we were going to make a side scrolling platformer title, I considered how to ensure that everyone’s art styles could and would mesh well together. 2D artists can differ broadly in the colors they might pick, and the lineweights they might use for any given drawing. Not to mention hand drawn illustrations could be challenging to import into game engines not designed to use them. As a development team, we needed to be quick and scrappy because we only had a month to deliver on a product. Not only that, we also wanted to deliver on a product that looked good and played well.

This is where a software comes into play called: Aseprite

The Perils of Getting the game Steam Ready

Cheese Wizard™ Side scrolling platformer where you play as a cheese crazed wizard

During gameplay, you'll break into homes, fight against the law, and generally be a menace to society. All the while stealing as much cheese as possible.