Progress Report 1/5/2024

Ha-HA! FOOL! YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY TRAP CARD!

• Began designing the Grasslands and its obstacles
• Hid the heroes for now; the focus of v0.3 will be on making the game fun without them so it'll be even more fun WITH them
• Added a distance counter in the top-left of the screen
• Made a minimum wait time for the feet so there's some leeway after a stomp near the bottom of the screen
• Added a spawn system for NPC bank zones that save NPCs when entered
• Added a "Saved!" text effect when NPCs are saved
• Added additional flavor text for when NPCs are saved or stomped
• Gave NPCs a separate, larger hitbox for adding them to the player's group
• Gave each NPC a random follow speed within a small range
• Added a collision box a small ways below the screen that activates a "Left Behind" game over
• Gave the Game Over screen different text based on how the player lost
• Added a hero/villain points tracker
• Added reputation results to the Game Over screen, which changes depending on how many points you got that run
• Fixed an issue in which the foot would slide around with the moving camera after the player gets stomped

Happy New Year! :3

Now that we've started a new major update, it's time to discuss the next phase of gameplay: biomes! The first biome to be introduced will be the Grasslands, complete with trees, rocks, and... well, grass! Among *ahem* other things, of course. This will be the first of many biomes, each one containing its own set of obstacles and [redacted]!

Am I getting too ambitious again? You bet your booty butt cheeks I am! And it's gonna be GLORIOUS!

But before all of that, I need to make sure we have some extra bits and bobs for the gameplay. We now have the ability to save NPCs, a distance tracker, a points tracker (it ticks up when NPCs are saved and down when NPCs are killed), and a more dynamic game over screen, among other things!

One big thing to note is that there's now a second way for the player to "die": if you drop too far below the screen, you'll be left behind, ending your run! Now you'll have to be extra careful about those incoming obstacles!

That's about it as far as explanations go. But I've just gotta say, I'm loving working on gameplay again! Ironically, my enthusiasm for it will make it end sooner and I'll have to work on art again, this time for the biome. I don't mind making art, I'm just really slow at it. >_<  Buuut that's a problem for later. For now, I'll enjoy the gameplay design while it lasts! ^_^

Anyhoo, I'm gonna go get myself my first Taco Bell of the year! I'll see you guys again next week!