Week 10+11 - Undefeatable

So, it seems I've accidentally missed last week's blog post - but what happened was that the blog post seemed to slipped my mind as I was finishing the Boss animations, whoops. In addition to showcasing what I did last week, this week, I also made significant overhauls to the first level of the game, the Tower Base.

The Arsenal

In addition to just creating the animations for the boss, I designed them to each be recognizable such that a player would be able to quickly react and respond to attacks. This is not only achieved through distinct silhouettes in posing, but in going the extra mile, every attack corresponds with a different category of weapon, which I believe not only adds visual variety, but also allows keen players to spot the attack coming long before the attack comes out.

Figure 1.1 - Animation for the Boss's Flame Pillars Attack. A dagger appears before it is crushed to make way for the attack.

Figure 1.2 - Animation for the Boss's Jump Attack. His weapon transforms into a hammer for maximum impact.

Figure 1.3 - Animation for the Boss's Lunge Attack. His weapon transforms into a spear due to the move travelling forward.

Figure 1.4 - Animation for the Boss's Fireball Attack. His weapon transforms into a glaive to justify the motion of stabbing into the ground and scooping a fireball up.

Figure 1.5 - Animation for the Boss's Final Phase. This is a phase dedicated to him going all out against the player. He wields a giant sword at the end to thematically complete the set of attacks.

Moving Up

This week, after the animations, my main focus was on making level changes in the Tower Base area. The main purpose of the overhauls were:

- To introduce more geometry that would guide the player across the level

- Improve tutorialization of exploration mechanics and features

- Introduce a perceived sense of ramping through extra platforms and geometry to inform progression in intensity

One such example of these changes is the right side of the level. The geometry in this section was largely overhauled such that the platform density would be higher in lower parts of the level. Combine that with the idea of the player being motivated to travel upwards as their objective, the density of the geometry will thereby subconsciously inform the player of their progression, raising tension as they ascend.

Figure 2.1 - Image showing how progression was designed into the geometry of the right side of the Tower Base level.

In addition, mandatory skill checks for wall jumping are introduced such that they cannot progress upwards without it - forcing them to go to the right and drop down a leap of faith in order to pick up the ability. Finally, a check at the top of the level is introduced, ensuring that players aren't leaving the level without both the Wall Jump and Dash abilities.

The Small Stuff

In addition to the Boss and Level Changes, I also created some small assets for the team, such as icons for the upgrades, to be used alongside the statues.

Reflection

Despite accidentally missing the last blog post (whoops), I believe lots of progress was made this week. Leading up to the beta build, my main goal would be to refine other levels to meet the new standards, and additionally help curate and edit sound effects for the game. If time allows, I would also like to begin work on lighting and particles, however this doesn't seem likely to happen until after the beta build.

Until next time!