Details
Developer & Publisher: Darius Alvanez
Platforms: PC (Windows), Browser (Firefox, Google Chrome)
Engine: Gamemaker Studio
Release Date: 08-17-2020
Availability: Digital Download, Embedded Player on a Web page
File Size: 13MB
Languages: English (United States)
Source Code: Github
Summary
Journalist is my submission for Miz Jam 1 on Itch.io. My idea was to make a typing tutor-like game, but as a horror story. The main way I would make the game scary is by creating suspense and fear through the audio and visuals. The fear would be then multiplied by the stress and suspense felt because of a mysterious entity "chasing" after you in the text prompts.
Journalist has since been ported to the web browser, and can be played on any desktop computer with a modern web browser (i.e. Firefox, Opera GX, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge). See the bottom of the page for more.
Development
The game was made in about 10-12 hours. It features a tutorial level, a story, and then an endless mode which tracks your high score. I implemented the Art Kit Graphics, made the "pin hole" silhoutte effect, the flickering light, and keyboard prompts in about 2 hours. After that I managed to get a losing condition and "Evil AI" in shortly afterwards. By the 10 hour mark I had made the four levels plus a bonus endless mode, which is unlocked by beating the game. You can replace "words.txt" if you feel the distribution or words used are too hard or inconsistent.
What I've Learned:
I've learned how to handle large data files and use them as input for a program which runs in realtime. I also learned about designing simple applications which a wider audience can understand, using intuitive methods such as "natural" tutorials. Lastly, I've learned to work within defined time constraints and under pressure.
You can view the code on GitHub.