Development on IGEO has been moving rather swiftly after about a month off. Recently, a lot of UI updates and tweaks have taken place in preparation for our beta/early access in September.
The settings menu is something I've been putting off for some time, simply because there was little need for it during testing. However, as the list of things to get done before our release shrinks, jumping into the nitty gritty and things like this are now unavoidable. As I get ready to start fleshing out the starting levels and composing some of the game's soundtrack, these UI implements really help the game feel like it's coming together.
It's worth noting that this is often the approach I often take to development. Usually, the human mind wants to tackle the 'easy' or quick stuff first. Early on, this is the best approach as it gets you from 0 to 50% the fastest. However, I've noticed as things get tighter and tighter, the 'difficult' and slow stuffs are the implements that always get pushed aside. They are then pushed up against a deadline with no room to budge and then they become rushed.
Now, don't get me wrong - level design shouldn't be rushed either. Lot's of bugs and glitches arise from sloppy level design, especially in a game like this where precise placement and grid math comes into play. Besides that, the fact that the only thing I have to worry about now is churning out some levels and testing them helps ease my mind. The framework is there and now the fun stuff begins!
The six levels that are featured in the Ludum Dare version of the game will be removed entirely from the game to implement a better difficulty curve. The first several levels will gingerly introduce the controls and mechanics to the game without being too "hand-holdy" and pretentious. After that there will be a steady jog from easily perceptible solutions to moderate difficulty before the challenge explodes. The last 30 - 40% of the game will be really hard.
This is simply a factor of the game's design. After a certain point the solutions become less about movement and more about restricting movement and remembering the pattern. You can get 90% through a level and realize you made one wrong move and have to start the whole puppy over. IGEO plays heavily on spatial reasoning and logic, which makes for a approachable but challenging puzzle experience.
That's it for now! The next several updates will be more content heavy as we start sharing the official levels and tracks.
Thanks for reading!
