Train

I have a fairly long commute by train. Sometimes, the train itself is really comfortable. Working on a train is peaceful and it is easy to concentrate. The distance is shorter than a few years ago and I have to change trains inbetween which makes it harder to work uninterrupted for an extended period.

Game Dev

I do read and watch tv shows and movies during the train rides, but sometimes I want to be more productive. So I am creating small games. For a couple of years I have been using the Godot Engine and it just fits my skill level and the scope of my projects perfectly.

Hobby

Most of the time I don't work on complete games, but only on stubs. Recreating some aspect of a game I enjoy or some idea I had until I get bored of it.

Global Game Jam

I have been jamming in the Global Game Jam since 2019. It takes place every year at the end of January and it's my favourite time to game dev.

The theme of the Global Game Jam 2023 was Roots. I wanted to make a game where some objects become connected by growing roots between them. The challenge would be to find the necessary resources and place them strategically to create connections.

I have been experimenting with third-person cameras over the last year. The camera is in this game is pretty ok, but there are still cases, where the player has to align the camera manually. That is part of the gameplay though. The player has to check where he is in relation to other objects in the 3D space in order to solve the puzzles.

You can download the game from itch.io.

I like making 3D games more than 2D. I spent the entire first night creating the main character since the player will see it in the middle of the screen for most of the gameplay. Later, I added this solar-powered chopper which the player unlocks at the end of the game.

Fellow jammer Justin created the menus. It was his first Jam and the first time he used Godot Engine. We added instructions, input options and translations to the game.

This is the fourth time that I used the Godot Engine during the Jam. I am getting more comfortable with handling cameras and importing animations. This character is from an asset package. I added the wave animation.

The theme of the Global Game Jam 2021 was Duality. I came up with some concept involving silence and spoken words. That's why the overworld is silent when the player is close to a monster. Since rhymes often turn up in pairs I thought that fit well into the duality theme. I didn't like this theme as much as the other ones.

The game has two layers. The overworld is where the player explores ruins and encounters monsters. And another layer where the player fights the monsters similar to the battle systems found in some RPGs. To beat the monsters the player has to discover the lost rhymes scattered throughout the world by exploring ruins and other landmarks. Sadly, the world is rather empty and exploring isn't particulary interesting.

I wanted to try a rhythm game for this jam. On the technical side, getting the timing to match the music was difficult and I didn't get a satisfying solution. On the design side, creating that vibrating rhythmic flow that makes these games so entertaining is not easy. I could have researched a bit more what makes rhythm games work.

As in other rhythm games, the player must react at the right moment with the right action. In this game, the player has to counter the words "played" by the monster by countering with the correct rhyme. It adds a cognitive challenge to the rhythm gameplay: The player has to read the word and identify the right rhyme.

The theme of the Global Game Jam 2020 was Lost and Found. In this game everything came together perfectly: Gameplay, story, graphics and audio.

Gameplay

Story

Graphics

Audio

The theme of the Global Game Jam 2019 was Repair.


This was my very first foray into the Godot Engine. I wanted to recreate a Parisian neighborhood which the player can explore and mend relationships between people. I spent a lot of time in Blender creating the level.

The theme of the Global Game Jam 2018 was What home means to you


My first game jam where we used the Unity engine. It's a two player cooperative/competitive game of catch. The parent character takes care of the child character by earning money and providing toys and housing. The child character tries to leave. Both characters grow older until the parent character dies or the child leaves the play area. At that moment the child becomes the parent and the cycle begins anew. Despite the thought-provoking theme and serious overtones, play sessions proved to be hilarious.

A programming puzzle game for Android. I wanted do produce something quickly. This game was done in a few weeks.

I remade Paipa for Android.

I made this game for the Indie Games Channel on the XBox 360.

Pirates are cool.

I restarted this project several times. With OpenGL and Java on mobile, with Unity, with different themes. Now I am going at it again with the Godot Engine.

Capture traders and steal their cargo. But beware of other pirates and pirate hunters.

Find maps and hunt for the treasure.

Build a pirate utopia.

Gallery of past projects

Screenshots and videos of projects, tests and experiments I worked on at one point in the past few years.