Garth's Blog

Hi, During December 2014, [Afrihost](http://afrihost.co.za/) was running a competition. [\#AfrihostXmasWish](https://www.afrihost.com/landing/summer_2014/#christmaswishlist), which requested that you attempt to convince them as to why you should win a prize (or present) from them. They also wanted you to be as creative as possible with your motivation. As I enjoy creating games, I thought that was the best way to creatively ask for a prize from Afrihost. So that's what I did. Now I get to tell you about that. Having never taken part in a [game jam](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Game_jam), I thought I'd use this moment to attempt to get a functional game out in as quick a time as possible. In order to accomplish this, certain aspects had to be, I don't want to say neglected but rather restricted to what could be accomplished in the given time with limited resources. I used [Unity](http://unity3d.com/) as the engine, since it is what I am most familiar with. Along with Unity, I used their new [Sample Assets](https://www.assetstore.unity3d.com/en/#!/content/21064) to avoid having to create too much of my own art. I did use Afrihost's logo for the orbs (I hope they aren't upset about that). I decided to create a platformer, as it is the one genre that I have never tried before. I also thought it was an easier genre to get basic functionality working well quite quickly. I chose to use collectible orbs that have a letter associated with them, that would eventually spell out my wish. The initial version that I was happy enough to post on [Afrihost's Facebook wall](https://www.facebook.com/Afrihost/posts/10205644752585251) took around 3 hours to get done. It didn't have sound effects or timing on levels, so there was very little in the way of fun gameplay but it did show my wish. So while it was functional, it wasn't much fun to play or replay. [](http://garth.snakebiteink.co.za/games/afrihost_game.png) A couple days later, I put some effort in overnight to get a high score system in, so the amount of time it takes people to complete a level. As well as added sounds to the doors, orbs and end of level chest. I spent most of the time refreshing my PHP knowledge to get the high scores working. There was a couple updates over the month from feedback from a couple friends, adding in the ability to play any level from the High Score menu for example. In conclusion, it was quite an awesome feeling to complete a game, albeit a small game. And I look forward to the next one. Please enjoy [I can Haz Prize](http://garth.snakebiteink.co.za/games/afrihost_game.html). _Garth_ _Update (2015/01/08): I have been [granted my wish](https://www.facebook.com/Afrihost/posts/871966766157800) by Afrihost, thanks a lot._