Starting Fresh With AS ONE

"AS ONE" was my first attempt at turning one of my game ideas into something playable. Seeing one of my ideas come alive on a computer screen felt really good. But it also exposed how rough it still was, and how much more it needed to mature.

Past

Version 1 of AS ONE was made for a 2026 vibe jam contest. I had never used AI to create a game — or anything, really — so when a friend told me about it, I thought it would be an interesting challenge. I even documented my process. I had to learn basically everything as I went, but in about two-ish weeks, I had a finished game.

Well, "finished" might be too strong of a word. More accurately, I managed to submit something that kind of worked right before the deadline. But I did submit it! So, I count it as done.

The process taught me a lot about game design, what it means to be a programmer, and the role of AI. And despite not getting it exactly how I wanted, I'm glad I stuck with it and saw it through to the end. Though I guess that raises the question:

Why bother with a version 2 of a 2-week game jam game?

Why Make a New Version

Because I want to! That's why.

I jest (kinda). Of course, I am ultimately doing it because I want to. But I think the long answer is more interesting, and probably why you're reading this.

After submitting my game, I took a break from learning about spritesheets and how to get AI to understand simple instructions (apparently "don't change this" means "change everything"). It felt good to not have to race to beat a contest deadline anymore, so I was able to put more of my energy back into my studies. But even though my focus had shifted, it still stayed in the back of my mind.

About 2-3 weeks passed. I got a notification on my X account of one of the vibe jam judges giving feedback on AS ONE.

Feedback from one of the Vibe Jam judges: "Visually interesting and ambitious." But it notes the challenging controls, lacking audio, and rushed nature due to time constraints.

He described AS ONE as “visually interesting and ambitious,” which felt good because I was trying to translate my big idea into something playable. But he also noted some of the biggest flaws with it: the lack of music and audio, challenging controls, and the general lack of polish due to lack of time. I don't disagree with any of that and think it's completely fair. What stood out most to me though was his last line. "... I hope they'll keep working."

It caught my attention because despite how unfinished and rushed it was, he could still see that the idea itself had potential. All my game needed was time and attention. That stuck with me. I even replied "now that I'll have more time, I might try to add more features in the future."

What I Wanted AS ONE To Be

As of the time of writing, it's been about 2 months since that tweet. The semester is over and summer vacation has begun. I have a lot more free time to dedicate to refining and implementing things I didn't have the chance to before. Trust me, there is a lot.

The game jam version of AS ONE was a heavily simplified version of what I originally envisioned. At its core, AS ONE is about people who do not naturally belong together coming together to overcome a greater enemy. The game jam version had pieces of that idea, but it did not have enough room to make the characters, story, and mechanics support that theme properly.

I wanted to add a story, levels, a grading system, different endings, and many other things that just weren't feasible for a vibe jam game. Honestly, I probably should have just gone with something simpler. I would have had a higher chance of finishing and maybe even winning. But I just feel so strongly about this one that I had to let it out.

Plan

Over the next few months, I will work on AS ONE and make it make it closer to what I originally imagined. In no particular order, I want to work on:

• story and prologue structure
• character identities and roles
• level design
• gameplay systems
• audio and feedback
• controls and UI polish

This list may get longer depending on what comes up during development. I'm still very new to game design, so I'm pretty sure I'll quickly come across even more things to work on that I'm just incapable of thinking of right now.

To be honest, the end of summer isn't so much a deadline as it is a benchmark. I hope that I can get a working version by the time it ends but it's not a huge deal if I don't. It's more to see where I start and where I end up. I'm not going to rush this.

Goal

I'm excited about this. I’m looking forward to making my first proper game and learning new skills along the way. I also want to document as much of the journey as I can. Right now, I’m working on the story, so that will probably be the next thing I write about.

Time to get to work.