games/followspot
NOTE: this gameplay video and gifs are from before the latest update of the game so there are some minor differences from the current version!
EDIT: This project was not completed during the duration of the jam as I grew too attached to this adorable animated frog and wanted to give him the performance that he deserved (and that I couldn’t achieve in the given time)!
WASD
…but also it really isn’t, because I immediately realized these controls didn’t really suit the game.
Basic WASD controls really limits the speeds at which Mr. Frog can move across the stage. If the spotlight moves at a set speed, the game pretty much only feels good when Mr. Frog is moving at the same speed as the spotlight. Otherwise, when Mr. Frog is slower (and obviously it wouldn’t be fair for Mr. Frog to be faster), the spotlight stutters across the stage as the player tries to manage the light’s speed—not a great show, not a great player experience.
Now theorizing a bit here: I think there could be a cool game where Mr. Frog and the spotlight move at the same speed. I think it might work best if Mr. Frog’s choreography has him constantly moving, and there’s no option to stop the spotlight, only to change the direction. Each time the player isn’t perfectly coordinated with him, he’ll seem a little less centered in the light, and this could be a pretty cool way to build tension. BUT, I just don’t like how much it limits the choreography, and I feel that it’s a bit like another game’s mechanic being pasted on this premise.
TL;DR: Not really into the WASD, limits choreography and not really the right vibes.
Time to try some other things.
follows mouse, speed is distance away
I like this much more! It’s quite simple, but these weighty follow controls add some smoothness as well as captures the feeling of moving something heavy—like I’d imagine moving a spotlight might feel. I think it’s also quite intuitive, which I like! Now the question is can I create a choreography that complements these controls to create a game that is a fun level of difficulty?
I was hoping my lazy solution of using a collision shape where the spotlight hit the floor/walls would work…but it didn’t. Despite playing with the size and shape of the collision, there were always spots and angles where it didn’t detect the spotlight as it should.
Not touching collision though character is clearly lit by spotlight.
Touching collision though character is not lit by spotlight.
Took a bit longer, but built a proper solve for it!
Update 3/24/26: In an update to the game, I added a little exclamation mark indicator that shows up over Mr. Frog’s head when he’s outside the spotlight. This came with some changes to scoring that made it a bit more difficult to get a perfect score, so I felt it necessary to add clearer feedback on how to get that perfect score.
I
Animating was the aspect of this project that I most underestimated. It was my first time animating in 3D, and it was quite a challenge to get the movements to look even remotely natural. I ended up redoing the choreo multiple times till I got something I was happy with!
I wanted to create a choreography that both felt like an actual choreo but would also make for fun gameplay. I tried to do this by incorporating big movements across the stage, changes in direction and speed, and such. I also tried to have the difficulty increase over the course of the choreo by having the more “surprising” moves toward the end of the routine.
I didn’t exactly accomplish everything I wanted to in terms of gameplay, and I know my animating is far from clean. But I’m absolutely delighted just seeing Mr. Frog dance across the stage! Wow, it’s so fun!
I was super excited about creating the music for this game! I knew it would play a big role in this project and not only set the tone but also influence the animation. My goal was to create a concise tune that felt like it could be a whole number. I knew the song would be called “keep the light on me”, but didn’t want it to break the fourth wall and directly call out the game’s mechanics. Rather, I wanted it to be a song that existed in the universe of the show that was happening. Maybe the story is about a passionate aspiring performer asking that he be given a chance to prove himself…
One of the early ideas I had that I ended up scrapping because it was just a bit too long for the 20 second time limit, and it would have to be sped up so much that it felt clearly rushed.
And here’s an almost final (before final mix) version of the song!
I wrote some lyrics, and then recorded and arranged a bit of orchestra for the accompaniment in Ableton!
I do like this little tune but really wish I could orchestrate better. I almost fell down an orchestration rabbit hole, but realized that anything I could learn in a reasonable amount of time probably wouldn’t make a huge difference for the project. So this’ll have to do for now!
I wanted the game to have an old black and white aesthetic that would make the stage and spotlight feel dramatic. I played around with the lighting quite a bit to find the right balance of atmosphere, visibility, shape—and most importantly, to ensure the spotlight felt striking and clear.
To fill out the space, I modeled some quick curtains and audience members in Blender and threw them into the scene.
And last, I added a grain and a vignette shader over top to further sell the look!
When I exported it for the first time, I learned that exports for the web run in a different graphics setting and it was causing some wild stuff with the lighting. However, with a little tinkering, I was able to match the web version fairly closely to the original.
Web version!
Original graphics!
The main menu was inspired a lot by old time-y movie title cards. I ended up going with a fairly simple design, but I think the little polish bits—like having house lights dim and the audience clap as the curtains rise—add a lot to the transition!
After the curtain falls, the player is given a score and a short review from an audience member depending on how well they were able to keep the light on Mr. Frog. These are the possible “endings”. In the first iteration, there weren’t star ratings that accompanied the reviews, but I wanted to give players a little more clarity on where they landed among the possible outcomes.
And we’ve come to the end to this scrapbook devlog! It’s been quite the deep dive into the many different part that went into creating this little game. I’ve really enjoyed capturing my thought process through this project. It will have taken much longer to read through this than to play the game, so if you’re here, thanks for taking a look.
With this project, I tried to approach every decision with intention and care—with the goal of creating a distinct and, I hope, delightful experience. I learned a ton, and I’m quite proud of how this turned out. I hope Mr. Frog is too!
Thanks again for checking out this devlog!
