What makes a character?

At first I had the idea that it is mostly the look of the character.
Just the way it looks.
But that is not all for sure.

I had the idea of the coffee bean from the begining.
Checked different eyes, legs and arms - but the general idea was constant.

When I started to work on animation I realized that what makes the full appearance
it is also the way it moves and behaves. The way it runs, jumps and so on...
Uploaded two different movement types to YT channel to see how it works:

So it is more levels that give the overall impression.
Like in real life...

For sure adding sound/voice will bring another level to the appearance.

Idea

The idea for the first game came by itself.
From an everyday activity. A morning ritual of making coffee.

Every morning I get up and start a day with a freshly grinded drip coffee.
I use a manual grinder and it happens quite often that my 5-year-old son helps me preparing the coffee.
He measures time, prepares the filters and of course - helps me grind the beans.
As the grinder has an open bin almost every time one of the beans pops-out of the grinder.
At these moments my son shouts out something like: "Hey bean! where are you going?"

So let's imagine where the bean goes if we don't catch it and put it back in the grinder.
Doesn't that sound like a simple idea for a story and a character?
A simple background for a platformer game?

Let's see...

Retention

One of the most discussed and watched parameters of the modern games.
A holy grail which every game dev is searching for.
Dependant on game features, updates and mods.
Dependant on bonuses, in-app purchases etc.

Looking at my previous posts I have a strong feeling these all (mood / characters / story) provide a good basis for keeping good retention rates.
When a game hits your emotions you want to play it more and more.
Simple as that? or not?

Will see and revise this thought again in time.

Mood

There is a lot of games out there which have a great mood.
What makes the mood?

I guess a few things:
1. graphics
2. music / sound fx
3. story and characters
4. gameplay
5. visual FX

Probably might be more to the list.
But a mix of these creates the mood.

As the two previous elements (a story & a character) are something solid, catchable,
this element is more emotional. Related to feelings.
It involves and requires player's sensibilty.

Why to search for it in a hyper-casual games?

Same as before.
To bring emotions.
To make the fun a bit deeper.
To leave a memory.

A story

It is an essential part of any adventure, strategy or an FPS game.

One might wonder why I would need a story for a hyper-casual game?

The reason is to give the player an aim. A goal. A destination to reach.
To give the game a meaning. To tell a story and make the player a part of the adventure.

We all know SuperMarioBros. Simple game yet with a story (and great characters).

Personally when I search for a game with a simple story in my mind I remind myself a cool platformer called "The Lost Vikings" by Blizzard (published in 1992).
Three Vikings moved to the future world, going through all the levels to return to their world.
Not much of a story.
But perfectly enough for the needs of the game.

I don't need more for a simple game.

It is not that I do not enjoy for example bouncing from wall to wall and avoiding the spikes.
But I prefer to have that extra value and a feeling of an adventure.

A character

Most of the hyper-casual games seem cold to me.

One of the things they lack is a character.
A hero of a story.
A person, an element that you lead through the game or that leads you through the story.
Someone that you may like.
Someone that brings the emotions into the game.

What I need is to bring new characters to life in my games.
Searching in my memory for game characters that enjoyed.... that I remember... that are the first shot when I am asked about them.... I think it would be actually all the characters from Amanita Design games. (http://amanita-design.net/games.html)
Starting from Samorost. Characters full of life. A bit funny. A bit strange. But always making the player emotional about them.
And this is the point - emotions.

Even in a hyper-casual game you could have such a character.
One that makes you feel emotional.
One that makes you smile when you see it.

That is what is necessary for me to bring into my games.
Player's emotions.
Even if the game is beeing played for a short while during a daily subway ride,
the player should have a chance to meet a character.
To meet a character and to open up for the emotions that it brings.

That is how I would like my children to spend their time if they need to play mobile games.
That is what I would wish for all the children playing mobile games.
And not only children.

What I lack

What brought me to the point where I started to think about making games?

Mostly the things I lacked in the hyper-casual games I watched and played.
What would that be?

The feel.
I saw quite a lot of games which were "cold".
Sure it is possible to have such a game fun and playable but personally, I want more:

A character.
A story.
A mood.

A character.
Well... of course you can bounce a ball or a square, but it seems to me that using a character
that brings your emotions (whatever they are) is much more valuable.
Personally I prefer jumping the Doodle from Doodle jump than any geometrical object.
(https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/doodle-jump/id307727765?mt=8)

A story.
Not in a casual game? Why not?
It is not necessary to tell a very rich story... but something that shows you the aim.
A story that somehow leads you bouncing from the start to the end.
So that the bouncing gets a purpose?

A mood.
Something that I love in many games.
A mood that is achieved by both the gameplay itself, the characters involved,
but mostly by graphics in high esthetical standards. An idea which is visible and consistent throughout.

Setting up a blog

Setting up a blog today to start documenting the indie game dev process that I am taking part in.
Sort of a diary.
A form of a notebook.
To get back to some of the ideas after some time.
To revise.


Getting into this branch of activity was partially inspired by my daughter - I have been observing the games she is playing on her mobile. Looking at the games she is playing I found some of them amazing and some completely "not my story" to say the least.

I got this idea, that I want to add my few words to this world and make a difference.
My proffesssional life taught me to take up all different scales and types of projects.
Treating the game dev as one of them and using my architectural experience and skills to develop a new quality of casual mobile gaming.