This week was a bit lighter on the art side and focused more on getting the core features ready for the first playable build. Nevertheless, progress was made on all fronts and we have most of the basic functionality ready for people to test in the first playable.
First up, animations. Getting in the player animations to test the game feel was really important for first playable, so we could adjust things as soon as possible. Things like sample rates, frame data, hitbox sizes. Without animations in, we wouldn't be able to get data on them.
After animations were created, the basic implementation of the timer/health system was created. The health goes down gradually over time. At the moment, it is set to 10 minutes, but with further iteration we may change this number, and possibly include upgrades for it. With this system implemented, we also added damage to the player when they collide with enemies, dealing damage to health and knockback. We also added a hit stop effect, inspired by Hollow Knight, to give more impact to whenever the player gets damaged even before adding effects, UI, and sound.
At the same time, we also worked on getting the first area of the map to a playable state. The majority of the map's layout is implemented, with just a few modules remaining, after which the additive scene loading system will be fully implemented.
To implement the map, Nathan took the level design sketches he and Herman did and laid them all out in Unity, to get a rough idea of the layout. From there he placed tiles according to the layout, adjusting things to make sure everything fit according to the player's own movement abilities.
Also, he worked on getting semisolid platforms implemented, which allow the player to jump through from the bottom, and pass through from the top if they hold down. Otherwise, they can run and jump on them normally like other tiles.
Not much was worked on in terms of art assets. More tiles were created, as well as basic spikes to add some obstacles to the first area of the game. However, this should give a good idea of the art direction for the environments in the first playable build, so people can comment on that if they so choose.
Finally, we started working on the testing questionnaire and script, for when we do playtesting this weekend. This build is focused more on game feel rather than balance, so what we are mainly looking for is how players feel about the controls, how they behave to platforming challenges, and how they approach the combat.
This weekend we will be finishing up the core loop for the first playable, implementing the upgrade screen and making sure the player is able to traverse through the map on a timer. From then, we will conduct player testing and adjust things based on feedback.
Until next time.
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