Greetings and salutations!
This week's screenshot shows two changes of the week just past: one in a new enemy, and the other in the player's avatar:
Enemies and hazards were perhaps the primary focus of the week just past--but not its sole focus:
Monday, October 25. 2021
A Matter of Perspective
Summary: In which the player is presented in tilted 3D; a spiked-trap is given a "bone" variant, and its geometry reworked a bit; a "spike shooter" enemy is made; a "mage" enemy is likewise is made; and a new shader is created for one attack of said "mage".
Greetings and salutations!
This week's screenshot shows two changes of the week just past: one in a new enemy, and the other in the player's avatar:
Enemies and hazards were perhaps the primary focus of the week just past--but not its sole focus:
Greetings and salutations!
This week's screenshot shows two changes of the week just past: one in a new enemy, and the other in the player's avatar:
Enemies and hazards were perhaps the primary focus of the week just past--but not its sole focus:
As shown above, one non-enemy change made in the week just past is that the player-character is no longer viewed from a purely top-down perspective, in flat 2D. Instead, they now have a 3D model, tilted in the same manner as are many of the enemies.
I'd hesitated for some while over this change, as I recall. For one, perhaps, the original vision was of a top-down game. And for another, I think that I worried that the model's forward-indicating "prongs" would be somewhat lost when viewed at an angle, making direction less clear.
However, as the number of tilted enemies increased, it became increasingly clear that the top-down presentation looked off beside them.
So, at last, in the week just past I took the decision to make a 3D model for the player and to tilt it.
And I'm glad that I did! I think that it looks much better now--and those forward-facing prongs, thankfully, remain visible. ^_^
(And if that model looks perhaps a little simple, don't worry--this is before upgrades are applied!
)
As to enemies and hazards, three saw work in the week just past:
Simplest was a "bone" version of a previously-made "linear trap" hazard--a spiky block that slides rapidly in either the horizontal or the vertical when the player passes it in that direction.
At its core, this hazard had already been built (for the Treasure Hoard Moon), with the new version simply being a re-skin. However, I did also rework its geometry somewhat, making it a little easier to make further such reskins in the future, I do think.
Also fairly simple is the new "spike shooter" enemy: This little construct of bones trundles towards the player, periodically releasing sprays of deadly bone spikes.
Alone, they're little real threat--especially as their spikes fire in set directions, regardless of the orientation of the creatures themselves. But in combination with others, of their kind or otherwise, I hope that they'll prove more dangerous...
And they have one more trick: When destroyed, they immediately release one more wave of spikes. Don't fight them at close range!
But more complex are the "Deceived Acolytes". Undead sorcerers in thrall of a liche, these beings present as no more than a floating skull and spine within a blue cloak.
But beware their magic: First, they can summon simple skeletons that will attack the player; and second, they can launch green ethereal skulls that will seek the player and deal damage on impact.
Further, they move in a slightly more complex manner than the others: when they get close to the player, they start to move back and forth around, hopefully presenting a trickier target.
Those green skulls called for the development in the week just past of a new "ghost" shader, which I hope to later use for other ethereal or spectral purposes.
And once again, there were a number of tweaks, fixes, and changes that don't seem worth detailing here: an "enemy values" spreadsheet that I hope will help with balancing; updates to the geometry of certain special-effects; initial support for descriptions and icons for quest-items; and more besides!
That, then is all for this week--stay well, and thank you for reading! ^_^
I'd hesitated for some while over this change, as I recall. For one, perhaps, the original vision was of a top-down game. And for another, I think that I worried that the model's forward-indicating "prongs" would be somewhat lost when viewed at an angle, making direction less clear.
However, as the number of tilted enemies increased, it became increasingly clear that the top-down presentation looked off beside them.
So, at last, in the week just past I took the decision to make a 3D model for the player and to tilt it.
And I'm glad that I did! I think that it looks much better now--and those forward-facing prongs, thankfully, remain visible. ^_^
(And if that model looks perhaps a little simple, don't worry--this is before upgrades are applied!
)As to enemies and hazards, three saw work in the week just past:
Simplest was a "bone" version of a previously-made "linear trap" hazard--a spiky block that slides rapidly in either the horizontal or the vertical when the player passes it in that direction.
At its core, this hazard had already been built (for the Treasure Hoard Moon), with the new version simply being a re-skin. However, I did also rework its geometry somewhat, making it a little easier to make further such reskins in the future, I do think.
Also fairly simple is the new "spike shooter" enemy: This little construct of bones trundles towards the player, periodically releasing sprays of deadly bone spikes.
Alone, they're little real threat--especially as their spikes fire in set directions, regardless of the orientation of the creatures themselves. But in combination with others, of their kind or otherwise, I hope that they'll prove more dangerous...
And they have one more trick: When destroyed, they immediately release one more wave of spikes. Don't fight them at close range!
But more complex are the "Deceived Acolytes". Undead sorcerers in thrall of a liche, these beings present as no more than a floating skull and spine within a blue cloak.
But beware their magic: First, they can summon simple skeletons that will attack the player; and second, they can launch green ethereal skulls that will seek the player and deal damage on impact.
Further, they move in a slightly more complex manner than the others: when they get close to the player, they start to move back and forth around, hopefully presenting a trickier target.
Those green skulls called for the development in the week just past of a new "ghost" shader, which I hope to later use for other ethereal or spectral purposes.
And once again, there were a number of tweaks, fixes, and changes that don't seem worth detailing here: an "enemy values" spreadsheet that I hope will help with balancing; updates to the geometry of certain special-effects; initial support for descriptions and icons for quest-items; and more besides!
That, then is all for this week--stay well, and thank you for reading! ^_^
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