What did we change?
This week, we fixed a spawn point bug that allowed for multiple players to re-spawn in the same spot. With regards to respawns, we added logic to make players invincible for a short time after respawn or taking any damage to make it more fair for players that may get blown up directly after a spawn. Also, we added functionality to choose which stage you wanted to play next, with a pretty juicy selection screen, as well as a title screen. We also added a barrage of bombs that fall down in the final stage, forcing players into the middle and close quarter combat. Players also do not respawn on the final stage now, just take damage on a collision with a bomb. Your player's appearance also scales with how much health you have left. In the beginning of the stage, there is also a short cut scene to show new players the controls of the game. For level design, we scrapped the third stage's design after observing that players would just get stuck in a corner with the gunpowder barrel.
Why?
Overall, we wanted to make the game more fair for players as well as exciting to play. I think this iteration was rich with changes that would achieve this goal. We aimed to make the game more fair by eliminating the possibility of players spawning on top of each other, players becoming invincible for a short time after spawn, giving new players an introduction to the game's controls, as well as eliminating spawns altogether in the last stage. The game is more exciting and engaging because the final stage forces players into smaller areas, you get to pick your next stage, and the design of the new levels will allow for more interesting decisions and hopefully eliminate repetitive gameplay. Anything that we think will make the game feel, look, or play better is something we will look into.
Whats coming?
As for what is next, we plan to add more stages, further improve the spawn logic, continue to balance the final stage, improve the aesthetics of the stages, and possibly add in some power-up collectibles. We believe that our game will look better and be even more engaging that it already is today.
