Between all of our tasks we of course also had to have a regular exchange of ideas. We employed modern technology like screen sharing, video conferences and of course the good old telephone. But by far the best were our actual meetings: discussion, testing and then a tasty business lunch. ;-)).
After some initial insecurities where to begin and what component I should build first (Everything is connected! Each element is dependent on other elements that also don’t yet exist!) I learned …
Far more difficult to me was a different drawing technique. Painting small elements like grass or flowers as a tilesheet that could be repeated infinitely without showing recognizable patterns.
Among other ideas our planning had shown that the best setting for our purposes and abilities would be the chapter (in Conner MacSheep) about the Highland Sheep Games.
I started working on the character design. My way was paved by countless more or less successful sketches of sheep. It is unbelievable how many sheep-themed franchises there are, e.g. Sheepworld, Shaun the Sheep etc.
At our first meeting we began to develop game concepts. Soon it became clear that the Highland Sheep Games from the book would be best suited for us. Now everything depended on the possibilities for digital implementation and enjoyable gameplay.
It all started on a summer evening out walking in a tiny village in the Scottish Highlands. We – my husband, daughter and I – enjoyed the spicy evening air. The sky was clear and adorned with a sensationally bright full moon. Silence. The silhouette of a large deciduous tree loomed against the horizon. Suddenly – a friendly Bähähä and another and another …
A whole flock of sheep greeted us. In my head came a picture that was firmly anchored in my head: a moon-addicted sheep stands on a hill and bluffs the moon with its pink ears upright, a kind of sheep.
I liked this idea so much that it became „The Legend of Conner MacSheep“. And because the images in my head were so vivid, the story was also created as a graphic novel. That could have been enough, but the sheep were still static.
Until now! My daughter and I breathed life into the sheep. I painted it. She digitally taught her to walk.
Mom mit Quängellamm – statisch –
Over the next few days we will tell the story of how the game was created, something different every day. We hope you enjoy reading!
Installation note: During installation, Windows asks if you really want to install because the app is from an „unknown manufacturer“. This is because we are brand new – that is, for the first time – on the market. Simply select „Install anyway“. We promise that the game contains only the game!
If you want to uninstall the game again (which we think would be a shame): Right click on the game button, open the file path; Click Uninstaller – and it will uninstall itself. Single games or tournament mode If you select a game using the corresponding rock button, you have several attempts to solve each level; very practical for practicing!
If you choose tournament mode, you will be guided through all games, but you will only have one attempt per level. BUT: In the end a nice surprise is waiting for you!
Gegen Langeweile und für ein Lächeln im Gesicht: Das PC-Spiel
zum kostenlosen Download! Vera Schöniger (Game Designerin) und Elfi Schöniger (Autorin und Illustratorin), haben in zweijähriger Arbeit ein Computerspiel erdacht, programmiert und gezeichnet. Das 2D PC-Spiel basiert auf dem sati(e)rischen Roman Die Legende von Conner Mac Sheep von Elfi Schöniger. Sie hat alles in Comic-Art gezeichnet und vertont mit selbst aufgenommenen Geräuschen und Musik aus Schottland. Vera Schöniger hat organisiert, programmiert und das spielerische Konzept gestaltet. Für jede der Macherinnen war es das Erstlingswerk und wer sich für diese Arbeit interessiert, kann die Entstehungsgeschichte (Postmortem) gerne auf www.elfi-schoeniger.de in Elfis Blog nachlesen.
Eigentlich sollte das Spiel glanzvoll mit einem Fest vorgestellt werden, weil es eine so lange „einsame“ Arbeit war, aber in Coronazeiten …
Und deswegen haben sich die Indiegamer entschlossen, allen Menschen ein bisschen Unterhaltung zu schenken. Das Spiel ist zwar ab 6 Jahren spielbar, aber alle TestspielerInnen so ab Mitte/Ende 30 hatten wirklich total viel Spaß daran und fanden es gar nicht soo leicht ;))