Sadly no new artwork or screens to accompany this post, as most of the work I've been doing recently has been non-visual. From time to time I find myself getting caught up in the "artwork side" of development and must force myself to remember that nice visuals are only relevant if the gameplay is solid.With that in mind, here are some updates on our recent progress for Godric! Space Adventurer!...
- Began experimenting with different options for GUI, testing different display options for Godric's health and ammo levels. Current approaches are fairly traditional, hopefully I'll be able to develop something that feels more original and appropriate for the game
- Testing level/area transitions and maintaining player, enemy and environment data between locations
- Improving walking animations, timing and movement speed. Current speed is somewhat on the slow side, and may increase somewhat, but we want to give the feeling that Godric is creeping, not sprinting, through the ship.
- Worked on improving collisions between Godric and other game objects, trying to smooth things out and avoid Godric getting caught on corners, against walls, etc.
Additionally several new assets are under construction and will be featured in more depth in a future update:
- Fire! - A simple enough idea, and an obvious requirement given the surroundings and embattled status of the crew of the U.S.S. Anvil. Fire objects will range in size, spring up randomly in some cases, and do damage to Godric over time when there is a collision.
- Exploding barrels! - Practically a requirement in any sci-fi themed adventure, they will provide a new threat to Godric, in addition to serving as a potential tool for causing strategic damage. Currently the way exploding barrels work is as follows: 2 direct hits from Godric's primary weapon starts a "timer" that waits for 3-4 seconds before the barrel detonates, whereas 3 hits causes the barrel to explode immediately. Post-explosion, fires are randomly generated around the destroyed barrel.
- A.I. Memory Fragments! - A collectible item akin to coins/gold in other games, they represent missing memory units of the U.S.S. Anvil's damaged A.I. which are scattered around the ship and can be recovered by Godric. The fragments will primarily be used in situations such as: breaking "encrypted" electronic locks, accessing A.I. terminals to gain additional backstory and information.
That's all for now! Looking forward to getting some more artwork uploaded, as well as a new (and possibly longer) Video Update showcasing these new features. As always, for more information feel free to check out the blog and twitter!
