Hazard: Journey of Life Journal

I thought winning the IGF Technical Excellence award would feel good, but it just depressed me. I realized that I had no goal anymore. They had taken away my goal by giving me that prize. I realized that I was having a mental breakdown from the stress of making the game. I couldn’t give up because I was almost done. What really helped me was seeing " Indie Game: TheMovie ": it was reassuring that others were going through the same thing as me.

I announced that "Hazard: The Journey of Life"’s name has been changed to "Antichamber." It didn’t seem to be as big of a deal to everyone else as it was to me. I found that only Joystiq and Engadget had covered it.

At DICE, I was able to meet and make connections with a number of members of the press and some other indie developers. There was one thing I heard over and over: that they liked my game, but the name had to change. They said that the name, “Hazard” doesn’t really fit my game. I agree, but the name has gotten recognition and I am afraid that if I change it I will lose all that. I was also thinking about something Jonathan Blow and a couple other people said: that I need a GLaDOS in my game. I figured out what they really meant is that I need linear story thread in my game, something to give the player motivation other than solving puzzles. I am putting in a black tile that will be the only other living thing in this world. The player will see this "thing" along their journey, like they are chasing it, getting closer each time, with the end goal of catching it.

I am starting to see people sit down and play the game for longer, but one of the common complaints is that people are getting lost or getting stuck in dead ends. After getting suggestions that wouldn’t really work (mostly because they would break what I am trying to do with the game), I figured out a solution. I should just teleport them around. This actually solves a lot of problems. Not only does this reduce the number of dead ends, it allows me to move people after they learned one trick of the world and need to be able to apply it to another part of the map.

Going to E3 taught me something very important: how to pitch my game. I had to explain my game, which is not easy, to countless people during the week. Throughout my time there, I got better and more succinct in my explanation of my game. Also, on the last day something curious happened. This player trying out my game figured out that, on the top level when you start the game, if you jump trying to get across, you just fall; but if you walk across, you make it. The guy got frustrated at the middle level with the gap, when he tried to the same thing. This is part of the middle level in which you are supposed to air-control into. He told me that he didn’t understand my game. He said that the game was teaching that, if there is a gap too big to jump across, the player should try to walk across instead. I realized that I had not been consistent with my game logic. I told him that he was right, that I should fix that, and thanked him.

At GDC, I noticed something important: how to make real networking connections with people. I never heard back from any of the people I only handed out cards to, but the people who I had a meaningful conversation with, I did hear back from. Also, I wanted to stand out during my time there. I think most people will remember at least one of the things about me: they will either remember that I had a crazy, passionate speech; that I had a weird game; or that I wore a pink suit. Honestly, I don’t care which they remember.