First posted July 29 2019
I’m not getting out much at the moment so I’m trying to get art made. Tough to do when you are super fukken depressed. I only worked out I was in another slump two or three weeks into it and damn I am desperate for any motivation.
You can play the game online here or see my hopefully growing list of projects here.
I guess this is a development diary
My second attempt at a Twine game (Twine is a program that lets you build an interactive game or experience in HTML that you can then play in a computer browser) is based in another real conflict in my life, minor as it is. I was thinking ‘what would have happened if I had done something different’ and it was a week after I made my first Twine so had a outlet.
First I wrote out the introduction which remains pretty intact. Then the main interactions with The Grandmother. I wanted the invisible game to be optional, just as it is in real life, so got to practice using ‘if’ statements. I’m not happy with the layout of the name prompt but it was proof of concept.
That was version one that I got online that night
Going back to it a couple of days after I fixed the variables ad ifs I’d spelt wrong or missed brackets on. I added context to the introduction and the ‘about’. I ended with adding in the win/lose statements and cover art I didn’t know how to embed.
Before posting the probably-final version I toned down some of the language and removed the option to set The Grandmother’s name as ‘SHE’ which I thought was a funny option when I was angry. My own Grandmother isn’t that bad. I also added a bit of text to be included if you take the same route I did in real life. I call it the true end as it is the true one 😉
Unused opening graphic
What I have learned
I think I have the hang of variables and am getting a feeling for if statements. I also know I should not post without really checking it all works properly. I still don’t know how to add images. Working with Harlowe as the language means I don’t have as many resources available. I might try doing the next one in Sugar Cube as there seams to be more documentation.
The lesson I learned long ago that motivation can strike within a nadir remains true but even now it is waning.
How I made the cover art
This is the first cover art I did and I think it is fun. The colours are not the best but if I spent much longer on it I would have stopped having fun. the text is from an online generator and the shoe rack deffo not a stole image put though a pixelation process.
2021 Remaster!
Seems it had disappeared from philome.la so I thought I would reupload to itchio. I had a look at the file first and found loads of little errors to fix. Nice to see how I have grown.