LOL - Lots of LÖVE

Olá, I'm really happy to have a working game out for Devtober 2024. 

Intro (I cannot think of a better header lol) - 

Burger Extreme is a game made with `LOVE2D` and exported into `HTML` with `Love.js` . This game is an inspiration from Burger Zang. A game I used to have lots of fun with growing up.

The Start was Rough But I found a Silver Lining?

I started Burger Extreme at the very last minute and made in 24 hours. I have many drafts of different ideas through the month of October. But why was I able to complete this one at a relatively faster pace? (at least for me)

As a beginner game developer (I am coming from a software engineering background with 2-3 years of experience. BUT game development is a whole different ball game.) , creating a game based on something I like really helped to scope things down. This allowed me to focus on how to make the mechanics and do mini enhancements. Which is a lot more fun than being stuck in ideation tbh

In my opinion, getting experience and spending more time familiarising with the framework is a more useful. Now, I know a little more about development i.e. what does `load()`, `update(dt)` and `draw()` do.

Scraping Ideas and Making Lots of Paper Ball in the Process (Back to the Drawing Board, Recursion)

The first half of the month was spent looking at different engines / frameworks. I was doing comparison and trying some of them out. Saw many posts and discussions on which one is the best. Then, I decided to learn `Godot`. However, it didn't work out as expected.

Spending / Owning seemingly Premium Features (at least to me lol) which I would probably never use... makes no sense and that is the reality right this moment. 

No matter how good the product is. If the user isn't aware / doesn't enjoy it, it will just end up becoming an expensive paperweight. Or in this case, taking up a good portion of my storage space. I do not need more clutter :(

Lua is a lot of fun to use. It is like a book I cannot put it down (I don't remember the last time I read a book)

I'm glad I decided to finally try out `Lua` and `LOVE2D`. I had been wanting to try it out because I like its name, Lua, a lot lol. And that is really the criteria and motivation during the last week of October. This language and framework made a lot of sense to me.

Sure, it might take a longer time to create a button (no it's not, at least for me). I like to use it and things just click. I got into a flow state, I was on the roll and enjoyed making Burger Extreme.

I got used to debugging, finding resources online and actually reading the documentation (I'm really proud of this part). There's probably libraries out there that can help to streamline some things in my game. However, I have come to enjoy thinking deeper into how things work and writing my own custom functions. Me thinks it helps me to become a better developer. 

Taking notes, Unique Trainer (My) Tips For (Myself)!

Have more confidence in myself. Learning is unique. Try not to compare yourself with others. It's important to create and do things you like. I think I really level'ed up here lol

Going forward, I would like to recreate games (the basics and classics like for example Solitaire) I like for practice or make small / mini components. 

Like with Pokémon, I need to train up and prepare my team (improve my skills) before facing the Elite Four (my goal of publishing)!

From Charmander to Charizard!

Game Development is an all rounder event. There is so many highly specialised parts that make up a game, every single item needs time.

As for development / coding specifics:

1. I think structuring my codes and files is something I need to improve on. So that I am more organised and actually know where things are (finding files and shifting through folders is no fun).

2. Follow DRY and KISS principles more. Learning it in university or as a junior developer just going through tickets, I didn't really get the importance. But after this experience, I get it. And I'm a fan. It really helps a lot with getting clean code and organisation. 5/5 highly recommend myself to look into this more thoroughly.

3. I would like to continue and document my progress. I find writing and explaining my thought process, really helps me to focus and stay accountable. And I really want to start vlogging about it too!

I am inspired. Eu gosto de Lua e LOVE2D. Muito Bom!