2012 Dev Diary

Pre-Development

Prior to beginning development of A Hat in Time in August, Jonas began experimenting with UDK earlier in the year. Being a Team Fortress 2/Source modder, he was already familiar with some basic aspects of game design and programming. Below is one of the only surviving screenshots of this time before August, showing that Hat Kid’s original yellow design was based off of a character he modeled and imported on May 19 2012.

This was posted on Habboi’s kinja.com blog on September 26 2013.^[1]

August 2012

https://www.youtube.com/embed/eQpGRBD6Mc0 The first public development knowledge about the game’s development was openly shared on the MechaTheSlag.net forums, where he allegedly showcased his development of prototyping systems and modeling characters and objects almost every single day for about two weeks. Much of the information, screenshots, and videos shared during this time are missing, due to the game being brand new and not widely-known at all. According to archived information, the first video of development, titled “UDK Game Dev – Day 1”, was posted on Jonas’s Youtube channel on August 1 2012.^[2][3] The video only shows him walking and jumping around the default UDK template map as a default UDK robot player. However, it does show that the scrapped ‘targeting’ mechanic last seen in the 2013 prototype builds was pretty much the first mechanic Jonas programmed into the game. This makes sense, since he’s gone on record saying he wanted the game to be more combat-focused at first.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/GmWHq8vpL6Y The next day, on August 2 2012, Jonas posted the second video on the game’s development on Youtube, called “UDKGame [Day 2] – Hat Kid”.^[2] The video is largely the same as the first one, except the very first playable version of Hat Kid is shown, being yellow instead of purple and appearing as an extremely basic figure. Her trademark umbrella didn’t even exist at this point. There is also now a square pit in the ground, for what it’s worth. The textures for this version of Hat Kid could be found in the Prototype and Alpha builds of the game.

On August 7 2012, Jonas posted the third video on the game’s development on Youtube, called “UDKGame [Day 3] – Cameras? Could use some advice”. This video, however, is lost.^[4]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/_TYB4NMi0q4 On August 9 2012, Jonas uploaded another video on the game’s development on his Youtube channel, called “UDKGame [Day 6] – HatKid Goes Mental”. The video explains that he “accidentally” turned Hat Kid’s umbrella weapon (which now exists!) into a laser. It shows him walking around and zapping two other Hat Kids. Although perhaps unlikely, it’s possible the final’s Projectile Badge laser was partially inspired by this sequence (It was actually directly inspired by Geno’s laser beam attack in Super Mario RPG, according to Jonas).

https://www.youtube.com/embed/BVVgviyr2pw The same day, he also uploaded another video called “UDKGame [Day 7] – Basic Combat”. In it, it shows that Hat Kid now has the ability to attack with a basic whack of her umbrella. It also shows off basic enemy AI, with a yellow Hat Kid coming to attack him.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qL7xhjxMnJY On August 10, Jonas posted the first three known screenshots of Mustache Girl, using her “Pringles Man” design:^[5]

Jonas would then use this image as his avatar on the forums for a while during 2012:

He also uploaded a video called “UDKGame [Day 8] – Art”, showcasing these screenshots and more, including drawing out the first piece of concept art for Hat Kid:

This art was also later shared on the official Twitter and Facebook accounts for A Hat in Time in 2014, on June 19.^[6] The design is radically different in appearance and feel from the final Hat Kid design. Her outfit is still yellow, there’s pins in her hat, as well as a “time card”, her eyes are heavily stylized and unnatural, and she has face markings and wears plaid pants. She also doesn’t appear to have any hair.

On August 11 2012, Jonas posted three images with different health HUD designs and asked members of the forums to pick one. Sadly, these images were not archived along with the page, so it’s currently unknown what they looked like. Most users voted for the first one.^[7]

This screenshot was tweeted by Jonas in 2015^[8], and shows that the health HUD had a slightly different design than what can be seen in later screenshots. This is the only known surviving media that depicts this version of the HUD.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3fucC7xXQbg On August 12 2012, Jonas shared this image:

…And said he got the text system working. Compared to the text system used in later builds, including the Prototype builds, the font is different and there’s text indicating who is speaking the dialogue.^[9] A video of this was uploaded the following day. Mustache Girl appears three times in the map, using a basic hopping animation in which she moves back and forth. This animation is never seen after this version of Mustache Girl is replaced next year. The video shows that most of the basic text movement functionality seen in later builds and final are already in place at this point, being colored text, small text, waving text, and shaking text. The sound effect for progressing dialogue is also different.

Later the same day, Jonas posted that he declared Mustache Girl to be the villain.^[9]

A screenshot showing Mustache Girl flying(?) and speaking some villain dialogue.

On August 13 2012, this concept art of Yellow Hat Kid was uploaded onto Jonas’s blog.^[10] It depicts a fairly different design for Hat Kid compared to the previous one, looking more cartoonish and having a sun/moon motif appearing on her face and the umbrella.

On August 14 2012, Jonas posted screenshots that featured blockouts of the first planned level, which was currently unnamed:^[9][11]

The level is completely different from any future level design seen in any version of the game. The level design is even labelled so that the blockout structures can be understood. The level features a crash landing site alongside some NPCs that are never seen again after these screenshots. Given their dialogue, it’s assumed that Hat Kid would’ve arrived at the level via a crash landing in a space pod of sorts. Smoke can be seen coming off of the “pod” in one of the screenshots. The layout also depicts a lighthouse, something that wouldn’t be seen in game until Mafia Town.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0MDr6afUS0o On August 17 2012, Jonas uploaded a video to Youtube called “UDKGame [Day 15] – Giant Enemy Crab”.^[12] Sadly, the recovered video file was partially corrupted, and could only play the first ten seconds of the forty-five-second video. What can be seen in the footage is blockout of a basic crab that turns to face the player. The crab is not known to have been seen again outside of this footage and some concept art.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/p9Y0IUUTe8w On August 19 2012, Jonas uploaded another video called “UDKGame [Day 19] – Combos”^[13][14], showcasing the first instance of Hat Kid’s triple-swing attack. This also confirms that the umbrella attack combo has always been three swipes, although the motion shown in the video is completely different from the final. The final swipe shows Hat Kid doing a front flip. The lock-on cursor that was seen in the Prototype builds makes its first known appearance here. Sadly the recovered video file for this one was also partially corrupted, and can only show the first thirty-five seconds of the one minute and eight-second video.

On August 23 2012, Jonas made a post that said that the game’s official name is now A Hat in Time.^[13]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/237ttws_7lc Then, on August 28 2012, Jonas uploaded a video called “A HAT IN TIME”.^[15] The video shows yellow Hat Kid walking into a cave area with lava below. This cave area is never seen in any future builds of the game. Hanging on a couple stalactites are four purple bats with sunglasses on that have text reading “2 kool for skool”. These are the “Kool Bats”, who are not known to have been seen outside of this footage. The purple texture used by these bats could be found in the Prototype and Alpha builds of the game. Hat Kid jumps off the cliff and into the lava, after which the video cuts to Jonas talking about working really hard to get something to show off for his game for Steam Greenlight. He mentions a demo reel being made for this, however, this demo reel is currently lost.

On August 30 2012, Jonas shared a screenshot of Yellow Hat Kid battling one of the first enemies created for the game: a lava blob creature called “Blob Marley”^[16]. It’s unknown if Blob Marley had any animations, but it appeared to be able to attack with fire jets. Blob Marley was never known to have been seen again after this screenshot. Another shot of the enemy can be seen as an avatar for one of the users on the Slag Gaming forums:

On August 31 2012, Jonas uploaded his demo reel to Youtube, which was called “A Hat in Time – Aug 2012 Demo”.^[17]

September 2012

On September 5 2012, Jonas posted a lost image that allegedly showed a new model design for Hat Kid.^[18]

On September 7 2012, Jonas posted a lost video called “A Hat in Time – Platforming” that apparently demonstrated basic platforming.

On September 8 2012, Jonas tweeted out^[19] a picture that showcased the branching timeline concept planned for the game at this point:

He also posted concept art^[16] of “Harbor”:

The concept art shows lily pads in the water, various buildings and wooden structures.

On September 9 2012, Jonas posted another piece of concept art for “Harbor”^[16][20], showing more buildings, a boat in the water, and an unknown character in the window of a building:

On September 13 2012, Jonas posted a piece of concept art^[16].^[20] for a early version of the clock tower windmill, which can be seen in pre-release screenshots and footage of Mafia Town.

This building managed to survive all the way through the Beta builds, although by the Prototype builds it had lost its tunnel at the bottom.

On September 14 2012, Jonas shared another piece of concept art for “Harbor”^[16], showing bridge designs that would be used in the level:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nRklLSqrCfE On September 16 2012, Jonas posted three videos on YouTube called “A Hat in Time – Graphical Improvements Progress”^[21] and “A Hat in Time – Water”.
Out of three of these, only the water video has been recovered. The water video shows the water shader off, as well as lilypads floating in the water. These lilypads don’t exist in any future build, but the final game’s modding tools contains a leftover animset for them. Aside from that, this video is the first known one to show off the “Harbor” level, which can be interpreted as the very first version of Mafia Town. The start location where the player enters the level is shown off, Mustache girl is standing in front of the Juice Bar, which may or may not have its sign yet, and there’s some barrels and tables.

On September 18 2012, some concept art was created and released showing Hat Kid and Mustache Girl meeting in the “Harbor” level:^[22]

On September 19 2012, this concept art of Harbor was created and later shared on Jonas’s blog.^[10] The art shows a rough sketch of the level, with similar buildings and some structures that are not known to have ever actually been implemented into the area, such as the balconies on some of the buildings.

On September 22 2012, Jonas created a small bird model called “Chicky”^[16]. This particular bird model can actually be found in the Prototype builds’ data, but it has a purple cape, not a yellow one:

A screenshot of the “Harbor” level’s skybox, dated September 28 2012.^[20]

On September 27 2012, Jonas posted a lost video on YouTube called “A Hat in Time [Original Soundtrack] – The City of Calcite and Adventure”^[23][24]

A screenshot of a sprinkler in the “Harbor” level, dated September 29 2012.

The same day, Jonas uploaded a lost video called “A Hat in Time – Fountain Particle Test”.^[25] Jonas also shared one more piece of concept art for “Harbor”^[16], this being a drawing of the level’s sky with clouds. Some buildings that would appear in the level can be seen at the bottom:

October 2012

On October 4, an announcement on the Steam page for the game showed the first known concept art for mafia goons:^[26]

One of the drawings of the mafia in the middle would be used for a poster texture in some screenshots and footage of the game from 2012 and early 2013, as well as the Prototype builds.

A screenshot whose date is unknown but is prior to November 22 2012.^[27] It’s being grouped here due to the level of detail shown being very similar to the previous water video from September. The screenshot shows Mustache Girl standing around some watermelons in front of what would become the juice bar. Hat Kid is, strangely, nowhere to be seen. A very old logo design for the game is shown in the bottom right corner of the image.

A screenshot of the “Harbor” level, dated October 8 2012. Yellow Hat Kid is talking to Mustache Girl, whose dialogue reveals that the hatred for the mafia characteristic for her was already implemented at this point in development. Hat Kid’s umbrella is also shown to have the ability to close now.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/hvwVQXJFjuw On October 12 2012, Jonas posted a video under an announcement on the Steam page for the game, with the announcement being called “Town, Speech, Jumping + Joystick support”.^[28] Sadly, the recovered video file was heavily corrupted, and is only able to play the first seven seconds of the one minute and forty-five-second-long video. What can be seen in the video…is not much different from what has already been seen at this point. Yellow Hat Kid is still being used, and walks around a little and jumps. Jonas mentioned in the video description that he was playing around with keyboard and joystick support, as indicated by the keyboard icon that shows up on the right side in the video.

A screenshot of an updated Hat Kid model in “Harbor”, dated October 15 2012. This screenshot marks this design of Hat Kid’s first public appearance, and also marks when Yellow Hat Kid was abandoned. Hat Kid noticeably does not yet have her hat yet, because Jonas claimed it would take time to model. Two non-playable t-posing models of this version of Hat Kid and Yellow Hat Kid can be seen behind her standing next to each other.

On October 15 2012, Jonas uploaded a lost video to Youtube called “A Hat in Time – Eye Spin!”.^[29]

On October 16 2012, Jonas shared a screenshot of the new Hat Kid model looking at Mustache Girl with a surprised look on her face.^[30]

Also on the 16th, Jonas posted this image:^[31][20]

It appears to be a screenshot of some kind of intro to the game at this point, introducing Hat Kid as a time traveler with no friends. The unique starry background hasn’t been seen anywhere else.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/jMNlyfNBmsQ On October 17 2012, Jonas posted a video showcasing the brand new Hat Kid model.^[32][33] The video shows “Harbor” almost in its entirety, giving the first good full look at the level. Many new details have been added, including a clock on the clock tower, a windmill, an archway, and the interior of the cafe having been modeled out. This footage is the only known prerelease media to showcase what appears to be a carpenter selling “carpets and carpet accessories”, as their dialogue says. It also shows the cafe was originally going to have an owner, who at this point used what is most likely a placeholder name: ‘Sir Monsieur Mister’. Most of Hat Kid’s animations are completely different from even the Prototype builds, as well as the cursor for interacting with NPCs. Hat Kid is also shown to now have a somersaulting ability, which was completely scrapped by the Prototype builds.

Two screenshots dated October 19 2012^[20], showing Hat Kid talking to the ‘Ruthless Detective’, a character who was scrapped from the final game fairly early on. It’s very likely that this is an early version of Sam the Detective, who wouldn’t even receive concept art until 2013. Mustache Girl’s model is being used as placeholder for him at this point.

On October 26 2012, Jonas shared a basic concept of ‘power pins’, which appear to be an early concept for the game’s Badge system that it would receive by the Alpha builds in 2014. Power pins still appeared in the Prototype builds, although they were non-functional in those builds.
On October 30 2012, Jonas uploaded a lost video called “A Hat in Time – Swimming”.^[34]

A screenshot of the juice bar, a location that did make it into the final game, albeit with a completely different design. Just about everything about the juice bar’s design at this point, except for the style and colors chosen for the letters, which remained for the most part the same. This image is dated October 31 2012.

A screenshot of Hat Kid swimming underwater in “Harbor”, now wearing a hat. Also dated October 31 2012. A button HUD similar-looking to early button HUD designs seen in prerelease material for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker can be seen at the top right. Jonas has stated that the button HUD once originally had functionality where the player could assign items or attacks to them, which isn’t known to have been shown before.^[35] The textures and coding for this HUD managed to survive all the way into the Prototype and Alpha builds, but were deleted by the Beta builds.^[20]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/D9_b2ZgOxqo Finally, on the same day as the last two screenshots, Jonas uploaded a video called “A Hat in Time – Walk the Dinosaur?!”.^[36] It shows Hat Kid, who now has her hat back, jumping into the water and swimming out of the bounds of the level while jerking up and down. She then falls through the world and explodes and dies.

November 2012

https://www.youtube.com/embed/KyoG0oaCMqw On November 4 2012, Jonas uploaded a video called “Hat Kid the Hedgehog – Walk/Run Animations”.^[37] It shows Hat Kid’s walking and running animations in-editor, and also mentions that her cape might clip into her sometimes due to not fully getting the cloth simulation looking right yet. Interestingly, Hat Kid is shown to have two different levels of running, normal and faster. In the Prototype and Alpha builds, she can only walk or run, however, the Beta builds introduced sprinting, possibly reviving this idea.

A screenshot of “Harbor”, dated November 4 2012. Seaside Spaghetti makes its first appearance here, with its sign looking identical to its appearance in future prerelease builds. “Fish ‘n Pasta ‘n Stuff” is also written below it, a subtitle for the restaurant that was dropped by the Prototype builds.

A screenshot of early Hat Kid looking to be sneaking around, an animation that wouldn’t appear again until Vanessa’s Manor in late 2013. A poster that was scrapped from the game after the Prototype builds and later deleted from the final game’s Modding Tools soon after its release can be seen on the wall behind Hat Kid. Dated November 5 2012.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/M6Bmt-0G64U The same day, Jonas uploaded a video called “Metal Hat Solid 3: Hat Eater”.^[37]
The video shows Hat Kid in a sneaking animation, attempting to avoid having the Mustache Girl in front of the Juice Bar see her. She then walks into the bar, and…the video ends. This video file, unfortunately, is another victim of corruption, and can only play the first eighteen seconds of the normally one minute and twelve-second-long video.

Concept art for Mustache Girl’s final design was made on November 8 2012.^{[38] [39]}

On November 9 2012, Jonas uploaded a lost video called “A Hat in Time – Doorz”.

Concept art for Hat Kid’s final design was made the day after, November 9 2012.^[38]

On November 28 2012, Luigi Lucarelli, a concept artist for the game, shared some concept art for the game^[40], including this sketch of various Hat Kid expressions, which is dated November 10 2012.

On November 9 2012, Jonas posted a lost video under an announcement on the Steam page for the game, with the announcement being called “Doorz”.^[41]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/qe7PhYF1elw A video was uploaded on November 11 2012^[42], which showcases a scrapped ‘partner’ mechanic. Originally, Hat Kid would team up with Mustache Girl by having her quite literally as a party member, similar to partners in the first few Paper Mario games. This partner version of Mustache Girl uses Hat Kid’s model as placeholder. She would follow Hat Kid around behind her, although it appears her AI at this point was incredibly basic. Hat Kid could instruct Mustache Girl to help give her a boost up. She would say “I got it!” when ready to give a boost, “Jump!” when giving a boost, and “Wait for me!” if you were to leave her behind. Coding for this partner system still remained leftover in the Prototype builds, but almost all traces of it were gone by the final game. In terms of differences in level design and details, the juice bar now has doors, and seemingly random doors were added to the left side of the building, and one floating diagonally above the entrance to the building. The archway that was seen clearly in the previous footage of the game now has a brick texture along its bottom half.

In celebration of the Beta builds releasing in 2015, Luigi Lucarelli, a concept artist for the game, shared some concept art for the game^[43], including this sketch of Mafia Boss, which is dated November 12 2012.

Concept art for mafia goons was made on November 12 2012.^[38]

On November 15 2012, Jonas uploaded a lost video called “A Hat in Time – Picking up stuff”.

On November 17 2012, Jonas uploaded a lost video to Youtube: “A Hat in Time – Confetti”^[44]

On November 18 2012, Jonas uploaded a lost video to Youtube: “A Hat in Time – Ladders”^[44]

A screenshot dated November 17 2012, showing Hat Kid jumping around the newly-added confetti. There are also now umbrellas and balloons in the level. The balloons lack the inner Fresnel that they would gain a few days later:^[45]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/uPcj5DeFHTM On November 22 2012, a video was uploaded that featured early cloth physics^[46], namely on Hat Kid’s ponytail. This is the first prerelease media to showcase another updated design for Hat Kid, this one matching the final design very closely. Hat Kid’s pupils are much smaller than they are in later builds. Mafia HQ appears to have been added to the map at this point, along with the polluted smog cloud above it. A seemingly random rope is also nearby Hat Kid. Whatever it would’ve lead to is unknown.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZTNw01LHfic On November 26 2012, Jonas uploaded a video called “A Hat in Time – You got a Watermelon!”.^[47] The video shows Hat Kid walking around a little bit of Harbor, before touching a watermelon on the ground, playing a unique animation, and a message saying “You got a WATERMELON!” appearing alongside a little jingle. The animations shown by Hat Kid in this video could be found in the GoBoiano Prototype, specifically. The archway structure in the background has a brick texture on its bottom part now. A flat hourglass symbol was also added to the top of it, which was only otherwise seen in one other video this year and a single screenshot from 2013.

December 2012

https://www.youtube.com/embed/PRcC6cqhuHQ On December 3 2012^{[48] [49]}, Jonas shared a short video demonstrating a mafia punching animation. This would be the earliest known in-game model shown off for the mafia enemies.

This screenshot of a Mafia in the game’s editor was posted alongside the video, on his Tumblr.

At this point, the tutorial cellar scene is beginning to be developed. A handful of screenshots were shared of it, showing its gradual changes over time. This is the earliest one, dated December 7 2012. The interior is made entirely out of wood, and a single mafia stands at the opposite end of the entrance, in a t-pose.

Another screenshot from December 7, showing Hat Kid getting socked by a mafia punch. There appears to be a very primitive version of the ‘PredictMeleeParticle’ on the Mafia indicating that the Mafia is currently blocking attacks, and that the Mafia blocking ability has already been implemented. The floor is now made of stone instead of wood and some new barrel decorations being been added.^[20]

This screenshot, showing that the scrapped monochrome time stop effect was already in place at this point, is also dated December 7 2012. Something definitely noteworthy is that the dialogue shown is being spoken by Tim the Timelord, a character who wouldn’t make a known actual appearance in-game until well into 2013.^[20]

These next two screenshots of the cellar are from a day later, December 8 2012.^[20] The floor texture has changed again. The sequence of Hat Kid being thrown into the cellar by the mafia has also begun to be implemented at this point.

On December 9 2012, concept art for Mafia HQ was shown^[39]. The design of the building, given that it’s so close to the sea in the art, is clear indication that this art was made with only “Harbor” in mind, and that “Calcite” wasn’t planned yet. “Calcite” would be the first level to put Mafia HQ on top of something (in that level’s case, a mountain).

Yet another screenshot of the cellar, this time from December 10 2012. There are now significantly more props placed in the room, including smaller barrels, wine barrels, and shelves.

A day later, on December 11 2012, a new screenshot of the cellar tutorial was shared^[50] showing the first known public appearance of Tim’s Friend in-game. The black particle effect behind him is different than the one seen in later screenshots, footage, builds, and the final game’s Modding Tools.

Two more screenshots also dated December 11 2012.^[20] There are very slight differences between the two, such as the size of the text and the black particle effect being in a different position. The particle effect is also fully opaque now, compared to the previous screenshot. The fact that these two images exist is evidence that they stem from footage that is currently assumed to be lost.

On December 12 2012, concept art for the hourglass hub was shown^[39][51]. Compared to its modeled appearance a day later, the wood is purple instead of brown, and the swirls above and beneath the hat-shaped structures in the beams are all yellow instead of there being a mix of yellow and teal. The water tower from “Harbor” is also present inside the hourglass, which is absent from the actual in-game version.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/mduryBjsgdA
On December 13 2012, two screenshots of the game’s first hub design, the hourglass hub, were posted alongside video footage of a demo sent off to a publisher. This design of this hub is not known to have changed much, although the wood texture seen in the initial footage and screenshots of it here show it with a brighter sand and wood than what would be seen in later screenshots, the beta builds, and wherever it’s used in the final game. The hat parts of the hourglass structure are also not painted purple and yellow yet, instead using a tan wooden color. Hat Kid climbs a ladder in the video, which is revealed to be very slow at this point in development. Hat Kid’s climbing speed is much slower than the climbing speed in even the Prototype builds.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/0olmOQRzq9Q On December 18 2012, Jonas uploaded a short five-second video showcasing the unused zipline Actors found in the Prototype builds. Hat Kid jumps onto one, and it sends her flying right into a wall. Noticeably, Hat Kid is still in Harbor at this point, and “Calcite”, the more vertical-oriented level, did not exist yet. Many new details can be seen in the background, such as a Mafia leaning on the side of the Juice Bar and three other Mafia blocking the entrance to Seaside Spaghetti, Mustache Girl has been moved to be in front of the restaurant, and the floating rope was moved across the channel to make room for the two blue umbrellas next to the bar.

On December 19 2012, some concept art was shared showing Hat Kid looking into a mirror and seeing a boy version of herself. It was posted along with the text “In Chapter 2, Hat Kid will be meeting her counterpart – but is this guy real, or just a ghost trick?” This would be one of the earliest concepts shared for Chapter 2, which up until 2017, was Subcon Forest. The character in the mirror is very likely an early concept for Timmy, as he was slated to appear in Vanessa’s Manor early on before being delegated to be the Co-op mode Player 2 character (Although he would end up scrapped anyway and replaced with Bow Kid).