Day 3: Enhancing User Experience and Artistic Details

Day 3: August 19, 2024

Overview: On the third day of development, we focused on significant advancements in both functionality and visual aspects of "Debug." Our efforts spanned from refining core game mechanics to enhancing the user experience (UX/UI) and creating promotional materials. These improvements are aimed at solidifying the strategic light management gameplay and ensuring a polished, engaging experience for players.

User Experience and User Interface (UX/UI):

1. Instruction Mode Revamp:
   • We overhauled the instruction mode, introducing two animated sequences that effectively teach players the mechanics of "Debug." This revamp was essential in ensuring players understand the game’s unique mechanics from the start.
2. Game End and Credits Design:
   • Collaborated with concept artists to craft the layout for the game credit screen and "Game Over" page, ensuring a seamless aesthetic experience throughout the game.
3. Smooth Scene Transitions and UI Consistency:
   • Refined scene transitions using the MySceneManager script to ensure a seamless return to the main scene when the player chooses to start over. Additionally, we ensured that all UI elements, including the score display, remained consistent and functional across scene transitions.
4. High Score Display Tweaks:
   • Updated the ScoreTracker script to achieve a clean, minimalist display showing only the high score and the last score without any additional text labels, keeping the UI uncluttered and allowing players to focus on their achievements.
5. Promotional Materials for Itch.io:
   • Developed engaging background images, banners, and game covers for our Itch.io page, alongside compelling text descriptions. These materials are designed to draw attention and intrigue potential players.
6. Studio Branding:
   • Created a new logo for our studio, which reflects our creative vision and the thematic core of our game, establishing a distinctive brand identity.

Concept Art:

1. Creature Design and Animation:
   • Finalized detailed designs and animations for various creatures, including beetles, moths, ghost bugs, and mosquitoes, enhancing the immersive environment and gameplay challenge.
2. "Game Over" Animation:
   • Produced a dynamic animation for the "Game Over" page, adding a visually engaging aspect to the game's conclusion.

Game Mechanics Refinement:

1. Score Management System:
   • Implemented the singleton pattern in the ScoreManager script to ensure only one instance of the score manager exists across all scenes. This approach prevents the score manager from being duplicated or reset unintentionally during scene transitions.
2. Dynamic ScoreText Assignment:
   • Tackled an issue where the ScoreText wasn’t being displayed correctly after transitioning back to the main scene. By adding a dynamic assignment in the ScoreManager script, the TextMeshProUGUI component is now correctly assigned whenever the scene is loaded, ensuring that the score is always displayed accurately.
3. Sprite Flipping:
   • Created a SpriteFlipRight script to make the sprite automatically flip direction when entering or leaving the left side of the screen. This small but essential tweak ensures the game feels natural and responsive.

Audio Development:

• Background Music (BGM):
  • Completed and integrated new background music that complements the dark, immersive atmosphere of "Debug," enhancing player engagement.

Next Steps:

• Testing and Feedback:
  • Plan to conduct extensive testing on the new instructional animations, promotional materials, and gameplay mechanics to assess their effectiveness and gather player feedback for further refinements.

Reflections: Today has been a productive day of development, with significant enhancements to both the aesthetic and functional elements of "Debug." These developments are pivotal in shaping a compelling gaming experience that is both visually appealing and engaging.

Looking Forward: We are excited to continue refining "Debug," focusing on testing and feedback to ensure our additions resonate well with our audience. Stay tuned for more updates as we approach the game's upcoming release.