I'm as failed game First game release using godot and other games on cocos2dx developer. Part 2

05.01.2025

Introduction or why I chose the Cocos2dx framework

The initial impetus to start using something more than just the SFML library was my incompetence. I didn't know how and couldn't design (or at least did it very poorly) such things as animations, a level editor, or a save system. This list can go on for a long time, but the point is that I wanted to speed up the development process and therefore decided to take a framework as a basis, not a library.

I found the following contenders:

Ogre2d
Urho3d
Cocos2dx
Raylib
SDL2

I honestly tried them all. But only with one, I managed to build an APK file for android. It was Cocos2dx.

I wanted to make games on Android not because it was easy, God no, but because I "heard" that such developers earn a lot. What can I say, capitalism¯\(°_o)/¯

Games developed by me using Cocos2dx

I was able to make, probably, if my memory still is in good shape, 3 games on this engine. AirDefence -> you need to protect the city from falling bombs (⊙ˍ⊙). ShipEscaper -> you need to dodge asteroids flying towards you.

No, I was not able to recompile these projects and make corresponding screenshots of their gameplay. But I was able to find the source code, so if you want, you can try to recompile them. And to be honest, I didn't really want to dive into the world of manual compilations and linking once again.

Now, let's move on to the game thanks to which I abandoned this strange and exotic engine. I called this game KittyMitty.

Start position

Main character in the jump state

This game had no concept or main idea. It was born, or rather, was conceived by the idea of creating an interesting combat system without HP, only organs and limbs, only hardcore.

I'm not really sure that I managed to implement an interesting combat system, but it was definitely hard to master.

I got stuck on creating AI for enemies. It was quite a task, but I solved it after about 2 months. And then Debian crashed, and I couldn't develop the game as before. I couldn't set up debugging on Arch.

It was for the best. It was clear that I needed not just a framework but a game engine. By the way, I was able to find an old build of this "game" and run it on my phone. So you can too.

My first and only released game, the LifeOfLoader

After I dropped the KittyMitty game, I didn't lose heart for a long time, maybe a month. I didn't do anything. It was somewhere between October and November 2021. But after that, I started choosing my game engine. It all came down to Unity and Godot. Of course, I chose Godot, because, firstly, it's not mainstream, and secondly, it's an open-source project. That's it.

This time, I was serious and thought out the concept, the main mechanics, and the end goal. And of course, the story.

I admit, honestly, I wanted to make an autobiographical game about how I worked at one such store. Even now I'm a little ashamed o(*////▽////*)q.

The main concept of the game is that you are a loader, and you must unload arriving trucks at the store and manage to put the goods on the shelves. Otherwise, first, you will be deprived of your bonus and then fired.

Main menu

One of the endings

A little bit of gameplay

Another one ending

Now, both the game and my developer account have been deleted by me. And the APK file itself is gone, but I was able to build a debug version on Windows. So you can download and try it now and write in the comments how bad this game is.

I published the first and only version of this game in January 2022 and was able to collect, if my memory serves me right, about 500 installations. I even published this game on itch.io ;)

Burnout and end

You know, it's not easy. I mean, learning something new by yourself, without being able to share it with anyone, because... There are many reasons. For example, they won't understand, they'll laugh at you or humiliate you. Okay, this Internet, social networks, and other online platforms. Here, no one knows anyone. They'll just walk by and forget. In life, it's more difficult.

I tried to recover, that is, to make another game. After about a year and a half, somewhere in late spring and early summer 2023, I started developing a new game. This time, not only with a concept but also a specific marketing and advertising plan. I called this game AssemblyHell.

I made it in Unity but soon abandoned it. Here are some screenshots:

A starting point

I jumped

I'm interacting with an object

The gist of it was that you are a foreman, and you need to set up a conveyor belt so that you can produce the required item in the required quantity. The game was supposed to be online. I still have an APK file with this game. If anyone is interested, they can try it. But that was the end of my "career" as a game developer.

Conclusion

I'm not sure if these articles about my past will be useful to anyone and if there is a lesson to be learned from them, but I have definitely learned one important lesson. Whatever you start, whatever activity you start doing, you always need to approach it with the utmost seriousness and responsibility. Because it can cost you your career and, most importantly, your time.