Development Journal - Nov 1

Update Overview

This week, our goal was to incorporate the feedback we received from the playtesting session we ran on Friday to complete our Alpha release.

Progress

Implementation

Controls & Cues

• Added interaction cues for both xbox controller and keyboard/mouse input. For the xbox controller, now using online open source icons, but will use assets from the design team later.
• Added interaction cues for new interaction modes.
• Changed crosshair’s sprites and made sizing dynamic depending on if objects are/aren’t detected. Inverted +, o crosshairs to make interaction more salient.
• Fixed canvas size for the TV play/pause controls being inconsistent
• When a branching item is picked up, both versions are picked up together and a choice is presented to the user
• Changed control mappings such that inspect is button west and cancel is button east

Scenes

• Main Menu changed to fit designs. It now renders as a 3D image instead of a canvas.
• Created a new Memory scene to act as our puzzle location
  • Made a copy of attic that only includes the side bedroom, with static blocking the windows
  • Added camera effects when in memory scene to evoke feeling like you are in the tape
  • Added button on TV canvas to enter memory scene and a new Input Action to leave memory scene back to attic
  • Added Memory scene canvas to inform users the tape is rewriting itself when a branching item or all three key items are placed in the right locations. Automatic transport to the attic in front of the TV after these two cases is done.
  • Players will be immediately transported into the Memory scene once they insert the tape, select a branching object, and open the TV to introduce the teleportation into the tape mechanic.
• Branching items have been moved closer to the TV
• Changed control mappings such that inspect is button west and cancel is button east
• Attic textures were updated to match the new assets
• Objects were resized to fit Vini’s model 
• TVmodel now has emission and light sources on video playing.

Object Interactions

• Removed placement mode, made objects snap to raycast hit or puzzle target upon placement
• Hovering the cursor over an interactable object will cause that object to be highlighted for the duration the cursor is on it

Camera

• Hided cursor and adjusted horizontal camera speed.
• Readapted camera position to resizing on change.

Puzzle Logic

• Refactored puzzle logic related code for cleaner architecture
• Refactored object distance code for cleaner architecture. Objects can be placed in their correct locations and no longer removed.

Scripts & Tapes

• Colored versions of the tapes were created

Assets - Models

• New decoration models added.
• Main attic textured.
• Tape 1 colored.
• Main menu designed.
• Paused menu sketched.
• Glitch shader finished.

Assets - Audio

• Audio fully implemented for tape 1 original and branches 
  • Background music
  • Voiceovers and effects for animatics

Challenges

• World vs local vectors inconsistent across functions made placing some objects difficult
• Difficulty with saving a scene state made initial implementation of scene hopping difficult. This resulted in a cut corner with two attics in the same scene and teleportation of the player between them.