Hi everyone. In an effort to keep you all up to speed with what were currently working on, Im aiming to put together an update post each month. Lets jump right in! Combat Arenas We felt that the transition into/out of the locked combat rooms was one of the weakest interactions in the game. Snapping players into rooms was jarring, lacked any kind of clear transition, and was something we wanted to address. The first step was to add animations to the barriers themselves as they appear/disappear.
With the games local and online multiplayer modes allowing players to split up and potentially be in different rooms when an arena is triggered, the barrier teleportation pads allow other players to join the battle when ready (or not if you have those type of friends :P). The game currently lacks a visual representation of this, so we integrated a player turns into floating ectoplasm teleport animation, along with a small period of invincibility as they enter the arena.
As with any major changes or additions that touch single player, local multiplayer, and online multiplayer, there are a ton of potential issues and edge-cases to test and fix. The online mode is especially challenging as various player state and position changes are involved, so were still a little way off pushing these changes live as we continue to tweak and play test. New Factory Zone As Gavin works on integrating the arena assets, Ive also been fleshing out the fifth and final main zone, the abandoned Victorian steelworks. Its an industrial-type area featuring molten lava pits and heavy machinery, topped with a layer of steampunkiness.
The above screengrab is a current WIP as I continue to refine and polish up certain aspects. Once the tiles for both floors are nailed down, I need to work on props (large and small), and also some enemies unique, zone-specific enemies to bring it all together. Thats about everything for this month. See you next time, and thank you for reading! Craig