Ascension: Belle's Offering
May 27, 2024
About the game
Ascension: Belle's Offering is a 2D platformer where you play as Belle, a soul trying to escape Hades. Belle will have to climb all the way to the top before time runs out, only being able to jump and use her grappling.
This game was made for Speed Jam #5. We were supposed to make a game that people could speed run with the theme of Ascend. The game counts with an online scoreboard made using LootLocker API.
I was responsible for coding all the mechanics, movement, and small components we used during the game jam. This included Locomotion, physics, grappling, adding the scoreboard, main menu, collectables, and other various things. It was quite challenging due to the short time, but with my friend's help and long days with almost no sleep, we placed in position #54 out of 209 submissions.
The challenges
We faced many challenges during the game jam, mainly because this was our first Game Jam. One of the first things we tried to do was come up with an idea to match the game jam's theme and the speed run element. We came up with a platformer where you have to move up and use the grappling (yes, that simple of an idea). We started working on the game while we were trying to get a theme, so o0shortcake0o was able to do the art for it; out of nowhere, we came up with the getting out of the underworld to the overworld and then to heaven… it was just a bit influenced by Minecraft, Religion, and Greeks.
This was my first game in GameMaker… and it was challenging, so I had many problems regarding the specifics of the physics system of GameMaker and the GML coding. After one and a half days of development, we had a playable demo, and we started showing progress on the Game Jam page. The feedback was good in terms of how good the art was, not in the gameplay or the other aspects of it that we wanted the feedback on.
We pushed our way to the Game Jam's end and got there. But Itch.io was down, so the game jam submission day was pushed one extra day, so we started doing what any developer that needs some sleep will do… yes, add more mechanics and functionality. We added an options menu, sound controls, a controls screen, and more… the only issue was that the SFX weren't working properly, and we figured that out 2 seconds after the submissions were closed. So, nothing to do there. The feedback we wanted since the beginning finally came out (yup, after the Game Jam was over). This was a big issue, but at the same time, it was okay. We focused on changing the stuff during the voting period to post a version of the game that worked properly after the winner was elected.
We solved the sound problems, we also solved many small bugs, and we added some improvements to the jump and the grappling.
My Gameplay Improvements
Jump
The jump now uses Coyote Time, which lets the player jump a couple of frames after they leave a platform, making the game feel more responsive. It also uses Jump Buffer, which stores if the player presses the jump button and uses the action as soon as possible (lands on a platform).
Grappling
The players complained about how difficult it was to grapple, so I increased the area for them to grapple with things; this greatly improved the experience.
My Contributions
Locomotion
The player movement uses GameMaker's built-in physics system for collision and gravity. The platform collision is disabled until the player is right on top of the platform. The jump uses Coyote Time and a Jump Buffer to make the player experience smother, and there is a double jump mechanic so the player can reach further.
Collectables and Score
This is one of the main parts of the game; it lets the player know if they have picked everything up and have an extra challenge to their journey towards the Olympus. The scoring system consists of 3 different leaderboards: one with the times of every person, the second with the times of people who did not die, and the last with the scores of people who collected all the items. Only the best score will be kept for each user on each table.
Time mechanics
An important part of every speed run is time, but we use this as a score and a way of punishment. If players take too long to reach the top, they will die. This might not affect the normal player trying to reach the top, but it does add an extra layer of difficulty for the player trying to get all the objects.
Grappling System
This system was a simple yet important feature; it enables the player to get to zones that weren't possible before and also lets the player get extra jumps while using it; it only works on the designated position, and it has protections to prevent the player from using it through walls.
Clouds, Birds, and Spikes
The game was missing difficulty, so we decided to add some; by adding "enemies," these entities kill the player upon collision. The Spikes don't move, but they are too many. These prevent the player from spamming the jump and grappling to the top, but these can only be found on the Hades. The Birds are moving enemies located in the overworld, which adds a layer of difficulty. The clouds are the calmest yet unexpected. Clouds are platforms that can be found near the entrance of the Olympus; if the player stays on them for too long, the cloud will zap the player to death.
Adaptive Music Code
There are three zones, each with the same music but different instruments, making a simple distinction between the different zones. I was in charge of coding the system that does this change.
Checkpoints
The checkpoints are objects the player can activate by getting close to them. These help the player when they die so they don't have to start from the bottom of the map.
The team
Creative people that worked on this game
