The Story of "The Warehouse"

Or my experience in GoedWare Game Jam #11

Chapter 1: The beginning

Hi! I'm somehow new to game dev, and made some small games/demoes and participated in two game jams. This devlog is the story of my experience in the second game jam, GoedWare Game Jam #11.

Chapter 2: The Idea

Maybe the most important thing in a game jam, or gamedev overall, is the idea (besides making the game actually!). If you have a good idea, you've already completed 50% of the game! The other half is waiting for your hands to do something!

So the first 2-3 days I was just brainstorming with myself (because I'm  lone wolf!). I don't remember all the ideas that came into my mind, but I chose the idea of an isolated worker in an isolated warehouse, isolating boxes as a puzzle game. I've never made a grid base game, so I had difficulty even starting the game! I read tutorials about how to make a grid base movement, but wasn't satisfied with that. Besides that, I didn't know if I had the time to learn something new, and also didn't know how to implement all the features I wanted to add, with this new system. So I designed my own system! Array-based movement system! I know that seems crazy, but I was very familiar with arrays and I knew how to implement the game's features this way. Basically I just changed the game scene depending on the arrays in the codes. So there was no actual movement or pushing.

So I had the idea and prepared the system for it. It was time to make the game...

Chapter 3: Time management

I had to manage my time because I was making this game solo and as you all know, game jams are about time restraints. And I had to do everything, the programing, the art, the  sounds, the music, etc. So I had A LOT to do by myself!

I had about 7 days after I got the idea and how to implement it. I planned one day for art, half a day for sound/music (because I was going to download free stuff!), and a day for bug fixing and extra testing. So just about 4 days for programming and level design. But as you know, nothing goes perfectly as you've planned!

First of all, I needed a prototype for the game with the very basic art assets. This alone took a lot of time! It was at this moment that I realized I have to speed things up or I won't finish the game until the deadline.  I cut half on my ideas just so I can make it in 4 days or so. And it worked! I'm happy with what I've done in such a short time and I think I've improved a lot compared to my first game jam, but still have to learn more stuff in the future.

Chapter 4: theme

The theme was not hard and I could've done almost any sort of game with this theme. I already talked about the theme in "The Idea" chapter, but also have to mention that I implemented the theme in both the gameplay (isolating boxes) and the theme/story (isolated worker in an isolated warehouse). So everything was fine!

Chapter 5: puzzles

It was the hardest thing to design, to  balance and to fix.

Let me explain things with the very first room as an example. Room 1 had to be simple, non-overwhelming, easy to solve and easy to teach. With these criteria in my mind, I designed the first room.

The player's position is where they can move freely and nothing interrupt them, so they can get the hang of movement. Then the boxes positions are in a way that just by moving one box, the room solves itself. The door also is in a position where it's easy to see and reach.

Next puzzles each introduce new mechanics or teaching the player something new. There is no extra puzzle just for the sake of increasing the number of rooms. Instead rooms' meaning evolves as the game gives the player new knowledge. Although there are only five main rooms, but by exploring more, the player will discover more content within the same rooms (more on rooms in another section with a spoiler tag).

Difficulty was also a thing to keep in mind. I had to make sure the game feels fair, not very simple and not very hard. And it had to get more difficult with every progress the player makes. Also I wanted the game to be not that difficult and long so the players who play it, don't have to spend a lot of time to complete it, as it was just a game jam and games are meant to be completed somehow fast.

Also I had to balance every room so the player can solve the room no matter from which room they entered. It was especially important in room 4 as it was the most complex main room.

Chapter 6: Polish

It was somehow the hardest part for me as I'm neither an artist nor a sound designer! I know how to use Adobe Photoshop partly, so with the help of PS and Microsoft Paint, I made all the art for this game! it May not look pretty, but good enough for a beginner in art, as a solo dev, making a short game for a game jam!

Also added some animations to boxes so they can be distinguished from the non-boxes (tiles, doors, etc.). Non movable boxes and blocked tiles were also differentiated by different colors and animations.

Sound effects were not that good, I know! The music was good but there is a problem; it doesn't loop! My bad I guess!

Chapter 7: secrets (spoilers)

This is where the fun begins! Each room has one secret room which the door to it can be made visible by connecting (non-isolating) all boxes. There is no need for all the boxes to be connected to each other. For example you can have two boxes connected to each other in a place and 3 other boxes connected in another place. You just have to not leave any box isolated (boxes will get depressed if isolated!).

This mechanism is taught to the player in Room 5, where the player normally tries to isolate boxes, but there is no way for that. The only move is to move the movable box to the right. Doing so, will reveal the secret door. This way the player is taught how to open secret rooms, or at least to think of secret rooms in another rooms and how to reveal them.

I also added a text as a hint to guide the player. And also in the secret room there is another text to hint. The initial position of the boxes in the secret room 5 also telling the player to connect boxes. This secret room is also the easiest one to solve as it's introducing a new mechanic to the player: "Move Limit". This new mechanic is exclusive to secret rooms and is there for more challenging rooms.

The freedom to explore the rooms is a way for the player to experience a somehow semi-open-world game where they can reveal/solve any secret room and any seal breaks in any order they are more comfortable with. What are seal breaks?!

"Seal Breaks" are a way to reach the endings of the game. After solving each secret room, the arrangement of the boxes in the corresponding main room is shown to the player by demonic signs. So the players are introduced to yet another new set of puzzles within the same rooms.

After arranging the boxes on the given spots, you have to move to the center of the room to break the seal. The player doesn't know how to break a seal, but it is told to them in secret room 3. Also after completing secret room 4, the player goes back to room 4 to break the seal. I designed the room in a way that the player somehow have to move to the center tile to move to the next room, so they break the seal even if they are unaware of it.

Chapter 8: Lore / Story

This is the story of an isolated worker, working in an isolated - I know I know I've already typed this two times! So you know the theme. But what about the lore and the background story?

It's not fully explained in the game, but it's about a boss who runs a company in which he does demonic sacrifices. Every once in a while, he finds a worthy worker in there, isolate them, and tell them to isolate boxes (so no one can see the secret rooms, which their doors are revealed when all boxes in the room are connected. Then when they reach the stairs to exit the warehouse, the boss will block the door with boxes in a way that rearranging them reveals the secret room. Then by solving the puzzles and breaking the four "Seals of Hell", the boss removes some of the boxes so the worker can break the last seal and enter the sacrifice room. There he shuts the door behind them and by making them to suicide (like other workers who sacrificed there before), the ritual is then complete.

Chapter 9: What Went Wrong (WWW of game dev)

I tried to make the game without any bug and to do so, I constantly tested my game and with each new feature being added to the game or every new change, I instantly tested the game so if any bugs appear, I fix it instantly. I didn't do that in my last game jam and there were some serious bugs! In this game I also had this problem, not as much as my last game, like the music not looping and the character not facing correctly sometimes.

The art and the music were not great, but at least they were way better than my last game jam.

The game sometimes gets too difficult, especially in secret room and with move limit, but I wanted players to think more and strategize better instead of just moving and trying to solve puzzles mindlessly. But in the process I got a lot of feedback from players that they didn't get to finish the game.

+ Walkthrough (spoilers)

As the last section, I wanted to add a complete walkthrough so anyone can finish the game and reach it's endings and have fun!

Note: There may be infinite number of solutions to each puzzle, but here I wrote the fastest and easiest one.

U = Up

D= Down

R= Right

L = Left

Room 1:

UU

Room 2:

URD

Room 3: 

URUULULLDRRLD

Room 4:

UUULURRURULL

Room 5:

Can't solve it now, unlock the secret room by connecting all the boxes (no box should be isolated).

LLUUUR (Unlocks the secret room)

Secret rooms:

Secret Room 1:

Unlock:

RUUULDDDDUUUULDDDD

Solve (28 Moves):

ULUUURRDRDDLRUULULLLUURDURRD

Secret Room 2:

Unlock:

DDRRRU

Solve (28 Moves):

RRDDDDLDUULLDDRRUUUUDDLLUURR

Secret Room 3:

Unlock:

URUUULLLDRRURD

Solve (21 Moves):

RRDRRDDLLRURUULLRUULL

Secret Room 4:

Unlock:

RULUUURRUULD (It's unlocked but you can't reach, so you have to continue) RDLLDLLURR

Solve (25 Moves):

UDLDLLLUUURRDLRDRDLLRRDDL

Secret Room 5:

Unlock:

Already unlocked.

Solve (12 Moves):

DLUUULLDDDUR

Seal Breaks:

You learn how to break the seals by solving each room's secret level (shows you the position of boxes by demonic signs). After you arranged them right, you have to stand in the middle of the room to break the seals (the camera shakes and the screen goes a little red), as told to you in the secret room 3.

Also each level has a little help in the bottom left box to help you break the seals. The room name's color on top of the screen will change to red if you have completely broken the seal of that room. (Except room 5, which shows you that you have broken all the other seals).

Seal Break Room 1:

URUULDDDDRDLUUUULULDDD

Seal Break Room 2:

DRRRURDLLUULURRLLLDDRRR

Seal Break Room 3:

URUUULLLDRRURDDULLD

Seal Break Room 4:

For this seal you have to go to room 5 then go back, so you start from the top door.

RDRDLLLDLUDRRDDR

Seal Break Room 5:

Now you have two options; either go straight to the stairs and get the good ending. Or break the seal of this room and enter room 6.

ULLUURLUURRDDDUUURRDLULLLDDDDDRRRRUUUDLDDLLURRDRU (The room's name will change to "r00M 6sIx6")

When you enter the room, press "R" to end the game and get the bad/true ending.

+ There is a little Easter Egg for you to find! Don't expect anything big, but a demonic funny one!