err0rpj/awesomedemogame-gsoc2020

Awesome Demo Game Project

Google Summer of Code 2020 - Catrobat

The Awesome Demo Game Project of Catrobat (GSoC 2020) required me to create a full- fledged game and a showcase-project on the award winning app ‘Pocket Code’ (available on both iOS and Android). I had to submit a proposal for a game idea which can be developed on the Pocket Code app. I made a prototype for my game with pixel art and some self-made music. I got the chance to be a part of Catrobat Community and make the complete game during this summer. The game is called ‘Batroid’ which is inspired by the popular Nintendo title ‘Metroid’. A Metroid clone on Pocket Code truly shines and shows the potential of the app. I was solely responsible for all the game design, code and game art assets used in Batroid. Some music pieces were also composed by me. All the assets can be found in this repository.

What I planned for the summer

I have always been fascinated and impacted by games that are not just about gameplay, but that carry a whole universe. One such game is Metroid, which motivated me to make my own version of the game, on the Pocket Code app through the Awesome Demo Game Project. After getting selected in GSoC 2020 for this project, I immediately started working on the Game Design, including story development and game progression. After getting inspired by Metroid and many other titles, I finalized the game story. Pocket Code provides the perfect tools to express my ideas and with the help of it, I wanted to showcase how the app could be used to create big game-projects like Metroid. Pocket Code has functionalities like storing the data locally on a device, which can be utilized to create save points in the game. There are various sensors like accelerometer and multi-touch which are used in the game to showcase the potential of Pocket Code. The feeling of isolation, adventure, and the curiosity to explore game-worlds helped me solidify the game aesthetics and design.

My Experience throughout the summer

The prototype I worked on in my proposal included pixel art and some basic sound-effects. However, as I started to actually work on the project, I confronted myself with much more challenging, yet innovative ideas, and the game reached an altogether amazing level, as I overcame those challenges and learned through each. Some of my major challenges are mentioned below

• In the bonding period, I decided to completely change my game aesthetic from pixel art to a 2.5D and after discussing the same with the mentor, I spent a lot of time practicing game art and creating proper levels in a 2.5D scenario. Art is a field which cannot be rushed and the more time I spent on my artwork, the more it looked better. So I had fun creating all the assets of the game and I learnt a lot of digital and game art.
• The next major problem I faced was to implement proper player collisions behaviour. The physics I used for the game initially had some small glitches, but I could not overlook them. So I worked on improving and polishing the physics of the game. It took me a while but I figured it out after discussions with the mentor and the community members on Discord. This helped me gain confidence about seeking help from fellow members and also gave me a greater depth about the inner workings of the Pocket Code app.
• The final big issue I am still dealing with is uploading my project file to the Pocket Community. After completing my project in the third phase, I always got upload errors on my app. Initially, I thought the problem can be solved after optimizing the images and other assets by compressing them and reducing the size of the project. After discussing it with the mentors, I got a hint that my project file had some unused assets, so now I’ll be creating a proper project file which can be shared on the online platform of Pocket Code. Right now the game is playable through the project file available through the latest releases.

About the game

The main character of Batroid, ‘Batrix’ is heavily inspired by the logo of Catrobat. The player follows Batrix in his journey of freeing his friends who are captured by the evil enemies, named Espians. The game-story is easily depicted through cinematic cutscenes as well as a document in the google drive, for better insight. The game is very easy to play and get into, with on-screen controls, and a fairly simple UI. All the art assets are minimal, and are created by me. The 2.5D look of the game can be easily noticed as soon as the game starts. This game shows how the ‘Pocket Code’ app can be used to develop high-quality video games, if used efficiently and effectively.

Contributing to the Project

The project files (.catrobat files) created during this summer are in the ‘Projects’ folder inside the drive link. All the project files, along with the amount of content they hold, are in the “Project Summaries” document in the directory. Download the desired project file and remix it as you want!