Read All About It (GameDev.tv Game Jam 2024)

UPDATE:  A post-jam version of the game is available where I hope to implement features I didn't have time for. I will be trying to add new features and build it more out over the next few months. If you are interested, you can find it here:

Read All About It: Clever Girl Edition

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   An asteroid has been spotted in the sky and it is headed towards us. It has been confirmed by our only scientist to be, "Hella huge!" and could wipe out all dinosaurs. Many dinosaurs interviewed seem unconvinced. Some believe it will miss our planet. Others welcome the extra light.

   Extra work will be needed to inform these dinosaurs about the serious impending threat. On a personal note, as a paperboy and amateur journalist, I feel it is my duty to prove to my fellow dinosaurs that we need to do something about the asteroid. I will use the power of the press to strike knowledge into the deniers and maybe we can solve this dangerous issue.

CONTROLS: Arrow Keys or WASD

MOBILE CONTROLS: Movement stick on bottom left of screen.

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Updates:
v.1.05: Updated the game with new numbers. You could not beat the game with the previous values.

v.1.06: Fixed a bug where the game keeps growling at you...

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From The Developer:
Thanks for checking out my game. Thanks to my family who put up with me for the past week as I got this game built for GameDev.tv Game Jam 2024.

Please post a comment on any and all criticisms you may have.

This has been a fun project to work on. I brainstormed with my kids on what to build from the theme "The Last Stand" and thought of the asteroid that wipes out the dinosaurs. I doubled down on the theme by incorporating the newsstand. After that, the game Vampire Survivors inspired the rest.

My main goals with this project were: 

1. To have fun. 
2. Work on my programming skills by applying some programming design patterns and SOLID principles.
3. Be better skilled with Unity. 

Unfortunately, I had bigger plans than the time allowed for. Some of those plans were:

• More newspaper (weapon) types.
• More variety in newspaper upgrades (throwing more boomerangs at once).
• Have the boomerang not exclusively be thrown to the right.
• More sponsors (permanent upgrades)
• More dinosaur types (I only have two, the Velociraptor and Triceratops)
  • I wanted to have a towering Brachiosaurus.
  • Also the movements for the dinosaurs would vary so then they don't just clump up.
• More variety in the clothes the dinosaurs wear.
• Animations, even simple ones.
• Variety in news sources.
  • I was considering a time traveler which offers lots of points.
• In-run power ups.
• Actually balance all the gameplay.
• Design something so there's a reason to go explore.
• Back-end stuff like factories and object pooling.
• Find a way to optimize all the sprites on the screen so that it can handle more.
• Save system.
• Make my own spin on the Vampire Survivors-likes.

I'm bummed I didn't have the time (and skill) to put all this in. I'm hoping to work more on this game post-jam and I'll post a link on this game page if something comes out of this.

Thanks again!