Bug fixes! Bug fixes! Bug fixes!
In prep for releasing a new demo, I've been running through the game a lot, fixing what bugs that come up. There always seems to be something to fix. That's why I don't have a demo for this month; there was much more to fix than I expected. With this update, I'll just highlight a few things I've been working on, whilst in the midst of fixing bugs.
New theme
I've been working on another theme. This one has mushroom trees and mossy walls. I still need to adjust the palette so it's not the same green/blue feel as other themes.
The Farm
At the very beginning of the game, you start on a farm. I added some flowers to give the look more variety and rows of corn stalks so it looks more like a farm.
Finished a level
I completed one of the sky levels. Well, all levels are constantly being updated as I progress on the game. I guess I mean I have a path from the start to finish, and that it mostly feels complete. Near the end you need to fly through a gauntlet of mines and spiked balls.
New! Purchase armor and suit up.
You can now buy armor from the shops for protection. I needed some more things for the player to spend money on, and this turned out to be a good investment of time. While worn, you only lose a half-heart instead of a whole-heart when hit. After enough hits, the armor will break and you'll lose it. You always have the option to purchase more armor afterwards.
Ditched the palace/wizard levels
R.I.P palace levels. These were slower levels to give the player a break from all the action. Mostly it involved just going through a few rooms until you find the wizard, upon which the wizard give you a gift by casting a spell. Mainly it was just a way to level-up the player's max HP.
Why'd I get rid of it? As the game progressed, the pacing of these levels started to feel off, and they no longer felt needed since I added the shop levels (which also act as a break between the action).
The relationship between Smokey and the wizard kept getting more complex. There was a lot more to work on to get it feeling just right. I was about to add some more complexity and feature creep to it, but man, that would've been too much. I'm trying to finish a game, not keep this one going on forever. Sometimes, I think, you have to spend time finding what to remove as much as you spend time on adding things. It's a constant curation process. This was something that needed to be removed. It wasn't an easy decision, but I think it was the right one. Here's a few screenshots for keepsake.
The palace entrance.
Earlier version of the wizard room, with him casting a spell to increase vitality.
Newer version of the wizard room.
That's all the updates for now. Fingers crossed for a demo in July.
