11.30.2024 - Game infrastructure complete

Definitely a long journey on this one. I refactored the deck and cards again so that the card information is distinct from the visual layer. This helps keep permanence around the cards available, upgrades, etc. I also spent some time making the game basics: a menu screen, the game itself, story mode, win/loss indicators, the economy, the loan interest (the main hook for why you're betting money), and the store.

Happy to say that most of this is now live and functional excepting the store. Although it's visible, it does not yet work. So we're stuck with plain-Jane Jacks Or Better for now. The good news is that much of the functionality will help me produce content faster since much of the items are save in JSON files or similar which makes editing dialogue very easy. I also have the game broken out into a "chapter" system which will help tweak the difficulty of each "boss" (the interest payments due). Similarly, there is a placeholder phone which will be the main interface for the game (outside of the video poker game).

I am pretty happy with the overall architecture and art design. This took longer than I had thought which is a fun mix of art or shaders working first time or taking incredibly long to get a very basic aesthetic. Big thanks to Godot Shaders which is an incredible library if not the easiest to browse. I think I actually found more shaders from links in youtube videos than on the site itself. There is definite black magic on how these work but I hope you'll agree they add a certain flair.

Next Up:

• Get the store and upgrades working. I think this will be the most fun part of the game - "breaking" the rules
• Add content for the chapters. Each should have a target interest amount, dialogue (mostly written), and required tasks to proceed (also mostly written). This should ease players into the concept of working with "The Engineer" to adjust the mechanics of poker to increase your chance of winning. This still isn't guaranteed but should lead to some lucky runs.
• Create "tasks". The goal with each chapter is to complete certain tasks. A sort of journal or check box to work though before you can proceed to the next chapter. Each chapter will contain better upgrades but also higher interest rate.
• Move as much of the UI into the "phone" as possible. I like the concept that you have two main interfaces into the world: 1) the video poker machine and 2) the phone. This is where you communicate, check your balance, states, tasks, etc. Currently I have disparate buttons all over the place and this will enhance overall consistency.