Dev Log 4

Hey everyone, once more this is Austin Moore with an update on the development of Sensational. This sprint we made a ton of good progress in getting our game ready, and have completed the foundation of our game. So without further ado, let's get into it.

Gameplay

To begin with, we got a system in place to bring in the animations for the main character in, so once our rig is completed we will be able to quickly put the model and animations in to replace the box we currently have for the main character. But as for our puzzles, we have the mechanics implemented and adjusted to make 2 more of them work now. First, we adjusted the echolocation ability so that way it can be used to see in the dark, in this case we have it so it places glowing marks in the area around you, revealing hidden objects.

While the objects that we have will still be revealed normally through echolocation at the moment, this will let us do puzzles in darkness, utilizing the mechanic to see where objects are even without light. Next, we have the follow puzzle, where the player has to pursue a specific sound through a maze.

In addition to these, we also got some system mechanics working. First of these is that we added a piece to our UI that will show what mask you switch to when you switch masks. Currently it's just a note, but one of the tasks being worked on currently is the creation of the final UI.

In addition to this, we are working on a health system for the player so that way you can take damage from threats. This will be something that comes into more importance later on, but it will be used in some puzzles and in future additions.

Lastly for what we're showing for this week, we added a feature to let you zoom the camera out. This will help the player get a better view of the area they're in.

3D Modeling

Our 3D modelers this time were working hard on finalizing the models we had the first pass on, and have actually begun texturing them too. Though to begin with, we finished the geometry of the castle walls. Now all they have left is texturing, then they will be finished.

In addition to this, we also got modular components for the buildings that will populate the town. While currently they are arranged in the image as specific buildings, these are more demonstrations of the modular components and what could be done with them.

And lastly, we got the rocks and pieces of a carriage modeled for one of the puzzles, and the rock parts were successfully textured. While the carriage itself will need a bit more time to be textured, currently it's the first completed and textured model.

Level Design

During this sprint, our level designers focused on 2 things primarily. That being combining each half of the level into one version, and making sure that each puzzle in so far has. And they were successful in both fronts. So now we have both halves of the level together in a playable version, with each puzzle being functioning and playable. In addition to this, we have begun putting in the finished models, and currently have all of the castle walls that will surround the level implemented. We have also begun working on the terrain, and is being worked on currently.

Animation

During this sprint our animators focused on the animations for midair actions, specifically jumping, falling, landing and gliding. These were all completed on time, and otherwise we are hard at work finishing up the rig. Once that is complete, we will be moving on to applying our animations to the rig.

2D Art

For this sprint, 2D art worked on creating the UI design primarily, and did some work on the concept art for the town. The concept art is still in progress, but we do have the UI finished. As for what is in the UI, we got each of the components sorted out, those being health, the mask popup, the smell tracker and the amount of artifacts you have out of the total.

SFX

This sprint we got a lot of sounds done for the game, all of which are necessary for the game. Specifically, we got the walking sounds for the 3 types of surfaces you'll walk on, the ping of the artifacts and the big ping sound that is tied to the echolocation ability.

With this sprint, we are now past the halfway point of the semester. And from where we are, I believe we will focus on refining the game and making it look nicer. Adding and texturing the models as they come in, applying animations to the rig and finishing up and refining the last puzzle ideas. So far I am happy with how we've done so far, and I believe we will be able to complete what has been planned in time without issue. In the meantime though, thank you for reading about our progress, and if you feel like it feel free to follow our progress to complete our game over the course of the semester!