Alright: back to the ghost ship, and more specifically it's exterior! I know it's not really part 502, but it's certainly starting to feel like it. It's quite the long project with a lot of details needed, so here's yet another part (of several remaining), this time focusing on getting some floor texture and details in on the masts:
[.....]
New weeks and new beginnings! Since I expect to finish the ghost ship before Teddy and Fred are done with it, I've started looking at some old places that will need some improvements before we release the finished version of the game (we're not all too far off now compared to when we started, anyway!).
This entails going back to the early areas and taking a look around, figuring out what things can be added to give each place a bit more character. The idea is to [.....]
Finally, using our editor, it's time to start adding the props. As with the desert rooms, each room size will have three different decoration types for each corner, and the corners can be mixed and matched so that there will be different combinations each time you enter a room, all to ensure no two rooms are exactly the same during your run:
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And of course, each of these rooms need the corresponding decorations in their ghost world version as well:
[.....]
And the first step to decorating these rooms is the add the basic stuff; moss, vines and background decorations that don't need colliders. Each room size will get three different versions of these decorations, and each time you enter a room it'll be randomized which one you get:
[.....]
We're back! ...and it's time for the Ghost Ship Arcade backgrounds, made in pretty much the same way as the other rooms; I've been using some of the rooms as a base and then simply edited them to fit our Arcade Mode needs:
Quite simple for now, but some decorations will fix that right up! [.....]
Back in Arcade Mode it's time to make a set of decorations for the different rooms that can be mixed and matched to create a lot of different room graphics. Our strategy for this is that I'll make 3 different sets of decorations for each corner of every room size, which can then be mixed and match with the other corners, creating a ton of different combinations for each room.
As always, I use the editor to do these things, so that Teddy can easily add each [.....]
Now, for that new boss prototype I mentioned earlier! Teddy has put together something quickly with the help of some very basic placeholder art from Fred:
So one of the things with this eye boss is that it automatically forces you into the ghost world, where you'll have to deal with all sorts of obstacles. After a while you'll be able to swap back into the regular world - but only for a short while, so you better time it well!
The next thing it [.....]
Continuing with the Arcade Mode intermission, it's time to make some more of those rooms! To spice things up a bit in the desert floor(s), we'll be having some cave rooms as well as those outdoor ones. They will not be as frequent as the others though, so I'm only making two different sizes for these!
For the foundation of the rooms, I'll be using one of the math caves as a base:
And then, since these rooms will almost always lead back outside, [.....]
Today has been a very interesting day in terms of game design discussions. Our original idea for the ghost ship was for you to battle the Captain two times, where the second encounter would be harder and more bullet hell-y as he'd be using some high tech equipment found on the ship. However, after a lot of discussions back and forth we've decided to try out new ideas for the second boss battle. The reason behind this is that we simply didn't feel too excited about the attacks [.....]
Cheers!
