Music Implementation

On previous projects, the implementation of music has resulted in a staggered opening as the game transitions between scenes. For multiple levels, this is passable as the music would change depending on the environment and situation. However with the cut scene method we are using for this game, given that the free edition of Unity is in use, we are having to use multiple scenes for one conversation. The constant switching of scenes would course a constant loop of just the first few seconds of the music, as appose to one continuous piece. In order to combat this limitation, the audio was attached to a game object that would be called for each scene, until a specific level was loaded. Given that the scene progression is structured in a linear fashion, calling a particular scene for each audio cue was relatively simple, compared to multiple if statements per audio file.

Health UX

For the implementation of a health system, a visual representation is required to communicate the mechanics to the player. Traditionally, A 'heart' system, such as The Legend of Zelda [Nintendo. 1986], or 'Bar' system, such as Street Fighter II: The World Warrior [Capcom. 1991] or Pokemon Red & Blue [Game Freak. 1996], is usually used as an indication. The meter we decided to incorporate, uses aspects of both systems. The layout and colour pallet of the 'Bar' format, with the icon display of the 'Heart'. The system was then stylised to incorporate elements of the projects branding.

- Capcom. [1991]. Street Fighter II: The World Warrior. [Arcade Cabinet] CP System. Osaka: Capcom Co., Ltd.

- Game Freak. [1996]. Pokemon Red and Blue. [Cartridge] Game Boy. Kyoto: Nintendo Co., Ltd.

- Nintendo. [1986]. The Legend of Zelda. [Cartridge] Nintendo Entertainment Sysetem. Kyoto: Nintendo Co., Ltd.

- The Game Theorists. [2012] Hit Points and Health Bars, Digressing and Sidequesting. [Online Video] 30th August. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1obB6qeCH1M [Last Accessed: 26/04/2016]

- The Game Theorists. [2013] Evolution of Street Fighter's Interface: DNSQ. [Online Video]. Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8cchlIyO_IU [Last Accessed: 26/04/2016]

Tutor Feedback and Notes - 4/4/16

Tutorial Feedback from Doros, on the first Demo:

1. Start page – too dark / black text on dark bg –text is unreadable.
2.  Camera – too far out – needs to be zoomed in more. Needs to be decided before you design/fine tune your level
3. Character animation – Needs more frames / more fluent change between idle / walk / jump
4. Tree animations – interesting effect but maybe it have been better if the tree trunks don’t move and only the upper part of the trees/leaves?
5. Level navigation/jumping. Controls are not accurate enough for this type of level design. The character jumps way to far and the blocks are too small making the level frustratingly difficult to navigate (Maybe its me, but I did not manage to climb the tree – and I did try more than 20 times!) 
6. Character clings on platforms on the way down.
7. I want to see an example of the dialogue and how it will be implemented.
8. Examples of enemies / fight mechanics? How are the enemies going to be moving around the space? Will each type of enemy have a unique moveset?

Notes:

1.  Start Page was an after thought to inform that the art assets were temporary and that all placements were subject to some change.
2. Agreed, The Camera is too far out. This shall be rectified first.
3. Temporary Sprite, All finished sprites are still being drawn.
4. Tree Trunks move by mistake, Product of the sprite being cut afew pixels short. Shall be rectified imediatly.
5. Jump needs to be fine tuned. Will also experiment with stone placement to try and find the best layout.
6. Hadn't thought of that.
7. Dialogue is currently being written, I should recieve it later today. Ready for implementation.
8. Yes, Each type of enemy will have its own style of movement. Mock sprites are being created.

Contruction Begins - Unity Building

With mock sprites created for a number of background and interactive elements, construction begins on the first level. Using Nikki's original sketch and description as a starting point, assets were placed in a manor to test weather the layout worked well. While the visual asthetic seems appealing, the placement of stepping stones and rocks proved that the characters jump height and hit detection need to be recalibrated, and the placement tweaked. The current build, while labelled Level 1, is approximatly half of the level. No enemies have been introduced yet, and character interaction still needs to be implemented. The level, however, serves it's purpose of exploring what needs changing before final assets are created.

Fleshing out the Opening Level - Correspondence

While developing the opening level, discussions continued as to what else needed to be in the introduction, if the level should be longer, and subtle design decisions.

NA: "I was thinking the two levels will be like the green forest kind of thing at the beginning and showing the pollution, the second level being a darker more magical forest, kind of what I drew for the concept art but then having wires and cables taking over the trees. Kind of a 'Tron' vs. nature thing."

ML: "Nice. I've been experimenting with the mock up sprites to show a difference between the healthy trees and the polluted. Jumping straight from lush green trees to twigs seemed a bit preposterous in hindsight, so I have redrawn some of the assets with a duller pallet. Replacing the brown of the bark with a sickly gray, and the green leaves with a burnt orange/brown. May have to tweak the gray bark though once the wires and cables are introduced then so they don't clash."

NA: "Awesome. I was thinking at the end of one of the levels we climb a waterfall and at the top is a small conversation."

Place holders

While awaiting for final sprite art to be finished, it is a necessity to start a build with temporary sprites. With the game centring around female leads, using one of the previous male sprites seemed inappropriate. To combat this initial problem and double as bases for any future place holders, a set of blank female sprites were created.

While currently working as a placeholder for the main character, Nimbus, they can also be repurposed as templates for later characters or height comparisons. Providing them with a multi use purpose that will not only help in the development of this project, but in future endeavours. 

For the purpose of sprite movement, a modified version of Dodge's code (From a previous game, http://gamejamechallengemlw.blogspot.co.uk/) was implemented, with a more controlled jumping height to accommodate for the difference in environment. 

The limited art in regards to the temporary sprites, is less of an issue at this stage, as they are only providing a stand in for how the character will move through the environment. At this current stage, similar assets are being created for interactive sections of the environment, such as tree branches and rocks. Once these have been created, implemented and tested, stand in enemies will be created (most likely taking a cue from previously created enemies) to test the main characters collision detection and scene reloading.