Week 9: Post-Beta

The feedback provided from the last in-class presentation was illustrative to say the least. We are glad that the judges think we have a good foundation to build a polished game, but they also mentioned the lack of harder levels to gauge the level designs. Indeed, at this time we are affronted by the substantial amount of work waiting for us in the last two weeks. Previously, we planned to have 3 main levels where each showcases a new special creature, whereas we only have one available now. In addition, most of the special creatures don’t have new models, animation, or any audio. The initial vision of introducing a story element to the game is nowhere to be seen and polishing of all levels needs to be done before the game is ready. Well, if anything is said and done, this is the time to deliver:

• As we’ve discussed in previous weeks, as most players don’t spend any time reading the tutorial signs, they seem to be more of a hindrance than actually contributing to the player's success. We decided to remove all the signs and replace them with automated popup messages at the corner of the screen. This way they stay unintrusive and optional, whilst letting the players read them without an additional step.
• Based on the design paradigm from the previous levels, we implemented two new levels where each has a unique twist.
• Getting all of the new assets from the art and music team into the game. This includes animation, model and sound for the special creatures and various static props or objects.
• Revamped pause menu to give it a cartoonish font and personalized touch: now the background will be in the same color as the player’s selected paint.