Weekly Devlog #2 - Sep 15

This week, our team progress across various areas of game development. Artists advanced animations for bosses and environments, including detailed animation and visual improvements for several characters. Programmers implemented key fixes and updates for game mechanics and cinematics. UI Artists made headway with mockups and adjustments for menus.

Artists

Boss Animations and Transformations

• Completed Attack 2 animations, in both idle and walking states, for seamless boss transitions between phases.

• Progressed sketching the transformation from Boss Phase 1 to Phase 2, ensuring a dynamic and engaging sequence for players.

Tentacle Animation Polishing

• Polished Tentacle animations across various actions including charge, release, and death states to enhance visual fidelity.

• Commenced polishing views for upward perspectives and detailed animations for spawn, idle, and death scenarios.

Boss Phase 1 Animations

• Completed several animations including transformation, idle, and walking states, alongside an almost finished transformed scream.

• Made progress on escape animations both in normal and transformed states.

Trevor Animation

Progressed on Trevor's animation, further developing his movements and actions.

Attack Animation Enhancements

Advanced the animation of Attack 1, completing the cocoon sequence with some additional movement required for the insect.

Tentacle Attack and Polishing

• Developed the upward ranged tentacle attack animation to add combat variety.

• Initiated polishing on tentacle animations for smoother transitions during gameplay.

Space Station Development

Made significant progress on the space station, completing the main structure and advancing accompanying props like ships, lights, and traffic.

Boss Phase 2 Attack Progress

Advanced the development on Boss Phase 2 Attack 1, focusing on ensuring engaging challenge elements.

Death and Melee Animation

• Worked on finalizing the death animation for a captivating visual conclusion in battles.

• Corrected melee attack animations and worked on upward attack refinements.

Special Enemy and Particle Effects

• Completed recolor for a special enemy to enhance its visual presence.

• Finished two sizes of generic spawn particles and conducted particle testing to improve visual effects.

Dash Animations and Biome 4 Concepts

• Finalized dash demonstration animations, setting the groundwork for player movement dynamics.

• Developed mini proposals for a special biome 4 enemy and held a major meeting for cinematics and proposals.

• Started research and concept art for a space station cinematic.

Directional Walking Animations

Completed animations for directional walking (left, right, back, front) to showcase character movement diversity.

Gun Range Development

• Finalized the shooting range, complete with new interface and props, and initiated exportation.

• Developed initial animations for Robert's Dash 3.0 and resolved UI issues related to level selection.

Directional Walk Animation

Made steady progress on directional walk animations, nearing completion to enhance character fluidity.

Tentacle Animation Sketches

• Drafted tentacle animations for idle, melee attack, projectile charge, and projectile release states, setting the stage for future polish.

UI-Artist

Menu and Mockup Adjustments

• Held a meeting to discuss menu and HUD design, resulting in adjustments and mockups for the Challenges and Death 3.0 menus.

• Delivered adjustments for the mini-game oven meter and player HUD within the spaceship, aligning with the game's theme.

Death Menu Visuals

Developed assets for the Death 3.0 menu background and animation, preparing mockups for further integration.

HUD and Menu Enhancement

• Fine-tuned the mini-game meter and proposed alternative HUD ideas for on-ship experiences, complementing the visual style.

• Continued refining the Death 3.0 menu with progress aligning with feedback.

Programmers

Biome Mechanics Debugging

Thoroughly debugged and tested all Biome 3 mechanics to ensure correct setup and functionality in both offline and online modes.

Cinematic Rework

Reworked the boss entry cinematic, resolving flow issues and integrating the boss blob into the timeline, with sprite pivot improvements pending.

Gameplay Fixes

• Fixed issues with AutoAim to enhance aiming functionality.

• Resolved item pickup bugs and made adjustments to the OneHitShield gadget for smoother gameplay.

Player Dash Updates

Updated player dash mechanics to improve player movement and responsiveness during gameplay.

Multiplayer and Cinematic Updates

• Finalized the online dialogue system for 3-player tests, ensuring seamless communication during gameplay.

• Polished the boss door cinematic instance and neared completion on the boss entry cinematic, focusing on in-camera transitions.

Biome Mechanic Finalization

• Completed all biome mechanics, including explosive fruits, lava fissures, earthquakes, and customizable lava projectiles, optimized for multiplayer settings.

Inventory and Level Builder Enhancements

• Advanced the player inventory map, creating dynamic sub-prefabs to align with the level builder system for future biome adaptations.

Resource and UI Updates

• Implemented visual fixes for the OneHitShield gadget and added 'Max Ores' to the ResourcesManager for better management.

• Updated perk card mechanics and enhanced resource feedback visuals.

Mechanic Animation Integration

• Linked animations for various mechanics like lava pools, explosive fruits, and projectile mechanics to ensure smooth transitions during gameplay.

Cinematic Timings and UI Improvements

• Polished the timings for the Door Cinematic and resolved animation issues, improving the visual continuity.

• Enhanced the Blob Boss Cinematic, addressing camera and UI timings to maintain player immersion.

Resource Capacity Management

• Integrated maximum quantities into Ore scriptables and Managers, ensuring logical constraints on pickups and resource panels.

UI and Gameplay Settings

• Updated party settings UI, adjusted loading times, and added new unlockable paths.

• Extended settings with language options and updated route selection UI, while streamlining gameplay customization settings like Auto Aim.