Week 4

Week 4:

The major goal for this week was to implement an event/modifier system. While I'm sure there are some bugs to work out with the system I'd mark it a complete success.  The system works... and now creates a first-pass scripted Mission 1 and 2 plus a new "Generated Mission" mode that replaces the old dropdowns. 

The Event System acts as a deck of cards used by the game that acts as a random "Plot Twist" in the middle of an operation. This deck is built by combining the known/hidden aspects of the game.  It combines aspects from your character, the local enemies, the mission location, and unique mission modifiers to create a specific set of challenges.

In addition, a new behavior module has been added to the enemies, allowing me to give them more varied behaviors and, eventually, better bosses. This led to the addition of 2 new mutants and one new robot, both present in the Free Missions.  

Objectives:

At this point, on a prototype level... I've satisfied what I set out to do. I've answered my questions and have enough of a demonstration to gather meaningful feedback and decide whether it's worth further pursuing.

For the next week or two, I'd like to focus on bug fixes and finishing the content that's there. Specific goals:

• I'd like to deep dive into the time travel. It FEELS like some things aren't respawning properly, but it's possibly a mental fallacy. Screen recording will let me better test this.
• I'd like to get a trailer up and maybe some explainer videos about the tech behind most of it.
• I'd like to finish a single character's campaign... 7 to 10 missions total. 
• I'd like to add some enemies and hopefully one or two cool boss fights. 

Once these are "finished", I'll be contemplating whether I think a full-scale project would even pay for a Steam posting fee. If this core foundation seems like something you'd pay 99 cents for... let me know.

Bug Fixes:

• Fixed a Navigation Tag in the Sewers, allowing AI to spawn/walk through particular walls
• Finished the Status Modifier system to make it work better for both enemies and players
• Fixed a bug in the weapon leveling

General Changes:

• Pause was added
• More slowdown was added to the respawn to help players find their footing after dying.
• The Story and Mission screens were modified to suit long-term plans better.  It'll still change around reasonably often, but it's getting closer to what we need.
• The Event system was added.
• The Behavior System was added.
• Damage Numbers were added
• I started Adding some shaders, though I'll likely need custom ones to get what I see in the future.

Content Changes:

• ~25 Example Events were created
• 3 New Enemies were added
• The robot faction was modified to be squishier but to have more armor. This allows a stronger build to break through.
• The "Mind Shot" was redesigned to be more viable. (Increased power and projectile speed acting more like a handgun that picks its own target)
• The new enemies use personally made pixel art (For better or worse)