63 Little Pieces - Ver 0.50 Out Now! news

Hello!

As promised on my last post, here is a follow up in depths devlog of the many changes and additions on the latest release.

So, I started out by organizing and deleting a ton of unused sprite left over from prototyping as I mapped over a thousand sprites of the game to one amazing artboard separated into chapters. A very usual practical thing to do, just didn't previously because I hadn't gone to it earlier. With every sprite assigned its rightful name and all of its settings ready for exporting, updating them is easy peasy.

This allows me visualise the game as a whole and create harmony.

With that in place a major overhaul as started to take place. From the first to the final chapter, covering art, audio, narrative and gameplay mechanics.

So what's new?

MENUS:

• Changed the title screen opening options;
• Level menu now has icons and backgrounds matching color and particle effects of current chapter;
• Challenge hierarchy - the key is the main objective and only once collected the secondary objective show goal values;
• The pause menu has new effects and elements change color accordingly to current chapter;
• Victory screen - removed white background;
• Also on your first playthrough this screen will be automatically skipped as you follow directly to the next level. When going back to replay the level the finishing screen will then appear showing the goals you have achieved. This information is also available on the pause menu;
• Fixed - Structure, objects depths and fading animation;
• Unlocked Level Dialog Screen has finally received some attention;
• Font change and several localisation measures have taken place to facilitate the addiction of new languages;
• Accented letter are now available;
• New music for Tittle Screen and HUB with the previous single music track only being available on the intro;

CHAPTER 1:

• Changed the design of the Blue Block and polished the vortex appearance;
• Added the '' Glowing Tiles'' effect on moving Blocks, background lighting and gradients;
• Changed the way the background grid is rendered making it look sharper;
• Added background effects and reviewed particles, now having slight changes in animation over the course of the first 9 levels;
• Level Design: revisions on level 5 and 9;
• New auto tiling code. Walls have a lot more sprites than before;
• Changed level transictions;
• Added and reviewed dialogs in several levels;
• Added sfx to blocks;
• New music tracks that convey an emotional progression throughout the chapter;
• Added death on more than 99 moves for that rare case in which you have kept going or just got stuck;

CHAPTER 2:

For a better progression these levels have been re ordered and 3 new levels were created.

• New level are 11, 18 and 19;
• Revisions made to levels 12, 13, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17;
• Background and Particles have been revised to better suit the emotion being explored.
• These background effects have been added to the Title Screen, Options and HUB when player reaches these levels;
• Collisions with Floating Platforms have also been polished to be smoother;
• Sprites for the Yellow Block, walls, arrows and platforms have also been revamped;
• Several dialogs have been added throughout;
• In the audio department this chapter receives 4 new music tracks;

CHAPTER 3:

Now this is where things get interesting. Initially the 2.5D perspective mechanic would be introduced later in game but after some thought it made a lot of sense to push it here due to the emotion this chapter is centered on. The usage of the 2.5D perspective will reveal hidden paths and allow players to pass under or over walls without the need to break them so a non destroyed wall may be useful in a following move.

• Just like Chapter 2, this one has gone a critical review and levels have been re ordered for better pacing;
• A new level was created to better introduce the 2.5D perspective mechanic;
• Several revisions were made to levels 21, 23, 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 to better introduce non forcefully the mechanics.
• Background and Particles have been changed to better suit this chapter's emotion;
• These background effects are also available on the Title Screen, Options and HUB;
• Changing perspective to 2.5D has a new Glow effect;
• Red Block and arrows received new sprites;

Well, I've done a lot more updates that I'll not go in depth because this body of work relates to levels not yet acessible in game.

CHAPTER 4:

• This chapter is where the Black and White perspective will be introduced. Will go about this mechanic on a later post.
• For now its has also been polished with its background and particle effects available on the Title Screen, Options and HUB.
• If you managed to play some of its levels available on an earlier version, know that they been revisited
• Revisions have been made on levels 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35 and will be made available again on a later update.

CHAPTER 5 & 6:

• Background art and particles are finally in place and are also ready on Title Screen, Options and HUB;
• I've also implemented a new mechanic not previously planned but I think may add some interesting possibilities.

SPECIAL LEVELS:

There is one in each chapter and they require you to collect every key in the previous 9 levels. The gameplay in these will focus on the attaching mechanics seen in the trailer. After testing, these will only have one main objective: Attach every block and proceed to the end platform. It made a lot of sense due to gameplay progression, how you get access to these and the constrains of keeping every puzzle on one screen.

• Aside from defining that, I managed to create all sprite art for all the 3 perspectives for the main blocks and end platform on this level.

FINAL SECTION:

The games final cutscene has been implemented, still requires some polish, but it is already there.