Updates
- Cut upgrades and store systems
- Added effects to indicate Carrier is being damaged
- Added juice effects to the Carrier beam
- Added voice over to tutorial and main game
- Performance improvements
- Added scene transitions for professionalism
- Added a particle system to indicate when a player is being healed.
- Built a new map with objectives.
- Replaced secondary abilities with a simple dash ability
- Created a new simplified tutorial
- Added textures to each ship
- Fixed a bug where text was being displayed with artifacts
- Updated boss enemy to look like an enemy
- Added more sound effects
Motivations
We decided to cut a number of features this last week in order to simplify both gameplay and development. In this case, we removed the store and upgrade systems as they were unnecessary and it freed up our time to build a better map and narrative around fighting enemies which is where our foundation is strongest. We also needed to add more juice and basic effects such as transitions so our game looks more professional. We also needed to optimize performance badly as we would regularly get 30 fps on a laptop, now we ought to be getting upwards of 60 fps on most laptops.
Next up
As we gear up for our final sprint we will be focusing on sound effects, visual effects, bug squashing, and level design to try and perfect the feel of our game before Showcase. We will also be making a revised game trailer including the latest gameplay footage.
