August 4th, 2024

Jerk

The author reflects on their transition from indie game development to sound art, emphasizing tempo as a constant, blending programming with music, and the importance of adaptability and innovation in creativity.

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Jerk

first, then gradually speeding up, creating a dynamic interplay between the instruments. This process allowed me to explore the concept of tempo as a constant that could change, reflecting the core idea of my earlier game concepts. The music evolved into a rich tapestry of sound, embodying the essence of growth and transformation. I found joy in this creative resurgence, blending my programming skills with musical expression. The experience reignited my passion for sound art, leading me to experiment further with recording and composition. This journey has been a reminder of the importance of adaptability and the potential for innovation in both music and game design, as I continue to explore the boundaries of my creativity.

- The author reflects on their journey from indie game development to sound art.

- They emphasize the concept of constants in game mechanics and music, particularly tempo.

- The author has recently returned to music, experimenting with recording and composition.

- The creative process involves blending programming skills with musical expression.

- The experience highlights the importance of adaptability and innovation in artistic endeavors.

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By @thih9 - 7 months
I enjoyed reading that!

> I haven’t seen anyone do a shrinking game.

While I'm also not aware of a shrinking game, there are more than a few[1] growing games. Some aspects of the mechanic are the same - "what was dangerous before is not a problem now and vice versa"; it's just the plot that changes.

So: in a shrinking game a small enemy will become a large threat and a narrow passage will become a large escape route - and in a growing game a large enemy will turn into a small threat and a previously large passage will become inaccessible.

[1]: E.g. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katamari_Damacy

By @lisper - 7 months
This is a great example of why HN's policy of not changing headlines from the originals doesn't work well sometimes. This headline is almost necessarily clickbait. There is nothihng this article could possibly be about that is actually related to the four-letter title, except maybe this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerk_%28physics%29

But that is not what this article is about. It's about (spoiler alert) quitting your job to write games.

By @pokpokpok - 7 months
I really enjoyed the story and music in this post!

If anyone was intrigued by the idea of a game about shrinking, I wanted to recommend this tiny indie game about using laboratory equipment as your body gets smaller and smaller:

https://darelooks.itch.io/inch-by-inch

By @sporkl - 7 months
Cool stuff, nicely fleshed-out. Sort of like a Risset rhythm, which I’ve explored a bit myself [1]. One of my favorite pieces that uses this technique is Black Rain, by Daniele Ghisi [2].

[1]: https://www.dmitrivolkov.com/misc/risset-polyrhythm/ [2]: https://soundcloud.com/danieleghisi/black-rain

By @zem - 7 months
the idea of a shrinking game is fascinating - you would start off exploring the macroscopic world, and as you get smaller and smaller a whole microscopic world opens up, and as you're exploring it you also know that every pixel of the original map contained entire worlds as rich and complex as the one you are currently navigating, and which you will never see.
By @singleshot_ - 7 months
> You don’t hear distorted bass all that often

Cliff would like a word with you, sir.

By @jagged-chisel - 7 months
Why is the audio player askew? It's mildly disconcerting until you know that's the issue. Is that the point?