Taplets!

I'm building a game!

I think it's called Taplets, but there might be some other claims to that name already (here, same folks again here, and different folks here (is that a 90s MacBook on the table?)) ... 

Why do I want to build a game?

Because making a game is really, really hard.  It's an irresistible challenge.  The more impossible, the more attractive I find it.

So, I've started with something which seems simple.  The gameplay involves pressing buttons.  The mechanic is in the timing.

Each button on screen expires in a certain amount of time.  You have to deal with the button before its time runs out, or game over.  The catch is that each button's time is determined by the player.  When you tap a button the time it took you to do so becomes the expiration time for the next button.  The remaining time is added to your 'bank' which provides a time reserve in case you miss a button before it expires.  So, if you tap a button quickly, you can bank a lot of time to use later.  But, the next button will expire very quickly.  If you wait, the next button will have a leisurely expiration time but you'll bank very little time to use later.  Miss a button entirely and time from you bank is used until you tap the button or the bank is empty.  Of course, there are different kinds of buttons that behave in different ways, and things get complex once more than one button is on screen at the same time.

That's about it.  I want to see the whole development process, start to finish, to understand just what goes into building something even as simple as this.  What really interests me is how this initial mechanic will develop, what possibilities lie hidden within it which will only become apparent once you start to play.  If I get something playable, and I've learned something along the way, I'll consider the project a success.

Judging by my progress so far, I suspect development will be slow, as I've got a few other things to occupy my time, but every now and then I dust this off and do a little more work on it.

When I get a playable demo, of course, I'll share it.

Ta Da!

Right now, I've got a button.  Let's see what it does.