Save System

AUTHOR: Charley Weaver

This week brought a new set of challenges to elevate the player's experience. As we transitioned from having 1 level to 2, it became evident that the "start game" UI element in the start menu didn't always have a place. There were three situations in which we identified the "start game" should be changed to "continue game". These were as follows: 

• Going through a checkpoint in the first level
• Completing the first level
• Completing the second level

The above situations warranted a "continue game" UI element in the start menu along with transitioning between the start menu to where you left off. This was accomplished by using a custom game instance. The variables below were added to the instance for persistence throughout the current gameplay: Level1Complete, Level2Complete, Checkpoint. 

When any of these were changed to true, the text in the start menu switched to "continue game" along with the starting of the particular level and transform associated with where you left off. 

The transform property of the butterfly itself is completed through the setting of the transform point of the butterfly itself. 

This allows for the feel of continuing where you left off. Likewise, if you complete a level, the next transform point is the beginning of the next level. There is a bit more to do to complete this save system in totality; however, this is a great starting point to get the feeling of continuing where you left off in a game instance.