• 

  Help your buddy!

WARNING:

• Demo video has terrible resolution and obscenely out-of-sync sound. Couldn't get OBS to cooperate. Use the itch.io link! * * Using long-press to quit breaks the game in-browser even on reload. So don't do that.

Inspiration

Everyone loves wall jumping. It's the best part of platformers and Metroidvanias. Also, I've become deeply interested in accessibility and one-button games are one avenue.

What it does

A single-level proof-of-concept that uses only the space bar for menu interaction and 3 kinds of jumping:

• regular
• double
• dash
  
  Includes hazards (spikes) and a goal (platform with exit)

How I built it

Implemented in Godot, which I had never even heard of (thanks, Dimmer!). I relied heavily on:

• Godot docs
• Complete 2D Platformer in Godot 4 Tutorial by Brett Makes Games
• My Python knowledge
  
  The vast majority of the logic is in the player character script. I used a lot of manual scripting where better knowledge of Godot's signals would have probably helped.

Challenges I ran into

• I've never made a game or tried to before the start of this GHW
• Deciding on an engine... and a project; didn't get started until Day 4
• Related: I wanted to form a group but couldn't justify it at that point
• Wall jump guides all assume you have directional input; I had to just figure it out
• Broke the game completely several times by not testing often enough
• I got sick. I'm sick right now

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

• The debug version works surprisingly well for my level of experience and how much time I've spent on it
• Camera and micro-playtime aside, it almost feels like a real game
• I really didn't want to refactor when I got everything working but I did anyway. That must be worth something

What I learned

• Signals are important
• Making games is both easier and harder than I expected
• A stable debug build is meaningless in the face of multi-platform compatibility

What's next for One-Button Wall Jumper

• More use of signals
• Physics tweaks
• Bug fixes
• A dash charge sound
• Custom sprites
• Particle effects
• Colors?
• Will probably become an endless jumper instead of having lots of hand-crafted levels

Built With

• gdscript
• git
• github
• godot
• itch.io
• kenny.nl
• opengameart.org
• sfxr.me