Gauntlet tasks to do before initial release

– [strike]Get local games fully working[/strike] – [strike]Object for holding game state in Gauntlet mode[/strike] – [strike]Auto-repair system + vehicle swap ability[/strike] – [strike]Gauntlet game flow from menu to end[/strike] – [strike]Score system[/strike] – [strike]Level generation tweaks[/strike] – [strike]Update scrap drop system[/strike] – [strike]Item unlock system[/strike] – Update How To Play screens – Test and balance gameplay – Music?

Item unlock system

One interesting thing about Scraps is that most of what I've done on it is in the game. That might sound almost like a tautology, yet it doesn't seen uncommon for a lot of games to have something like 50% of their feature work not actually make it in to the final game - whether it's tossed out due to not being fun, from a change of vision, or just from being a bigger job than expected. Whether Scraps keeps more of its features because I had a clearer plan from the start, or because I sometimes keep features I should have ditched, you can decide! But man, it takes long enough to make a game alone without scrapping features as well. Anyway, I say that because I sort of ditched a feature. I had a general plan that you'd occasionally get part pickups in Gauntlet, similar to the existing wreckage pickups. I started a basic implementation of it - here are some early test part drops:
So you'd start Gauntlet with only a subset of all parts available to you to build with. You'd pick up parts along the way that'd unlock that part for use on your vehicle. Some parts would be per-game only, and some would unlock permanently to use like how XP works now. The per-game ones could include some special/quirky parts that were fun but maybe a bit overpowered or unbalanced for Melee mode. That sounded neat but in reality there just aren't enough total parts and there'd have to be a lot more for it to really make sense and not cripple the parts you start with. Additionally, I could have added the whole new system for dropping and pickup up parts (e.g. one part drops per Gauntlet level)... or I could just give out part unlocks at the end of Gauntlet levels using the existing unlock system, and it'd basically give exactly the same result. So I ended up doing a thing where completing Gauntlet levels sequentially unlocks parts (permanently), as an alternative way of getting parts vs. the existing XP system on its own. I may end up basing it on score in Gauntlet mode instead of levels completed, but that'd be much the same thing. And any parts you've unlocked before can be used right away, which stops Gauntlet starting vehicles being too limited.

Cosmetic rewards

I also made these crown/trophy things that completing Gauntlet stuff can unlock.
And yes, they can go on your vehicle. They don't really do anything and they're a bit silly really but look how shiny they are.
They do have a bit of HP, so naturally they cost a little bit of scrap to add to a vehicle, but only about the equivalent of buying armour with the same HP. They're meant to be a free bonus that you can show off. - Completing Gauntlet mode when I've initially released it but it's not finished yet (missing Worlds etc) will unlock the "Alpha" Crown. - Completing Gauntlet mode when it's finished will unlock the standard "Gauntlet" Crown with the wreckage cube. - Doing something special (maybe looping through Gauntlet twice?) will unlock the Master Trophy (far right).

[ 2018-03-08 09:59:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Gauntlet tasks to do before initial release

[strike]Get local games fully working[/strike] [strike]Object for holding game state in Gauntlet mode[/strike] [strike]Auto-repair system + vehicle swap ability[/strike] [strike]Gauntlet game flow from menu to end[/strike] [strike]Score system[/strike] [strike]Level generation tweaks[/strike] [strike]Update scrap drop system[/strike] [strike]Item unlock system[/strike] Update How To Play screens Test and balance gameplay Music?

Item unlock system

One interesting thing about Scraps is that most of what I've done on it is in the game. That might sound almost like a tautology, yet it doesn't seen uncommon for a lot of games to have something like 50% of their feature work not actually make it in to the final game - whether it's tossed out due to not being fun, from a change of vision, or just from being a bigger job than expected. Whether Scraps keeps more of its features because I had a clearer plan from the start, or because I sometimes keep features I should have ditched, you can decide! But man, it takes long enough to make a game alone without scrapping features as well. Anyway, I say that because I sort of ditched a feature. I had a general plan that you'd occasionally get part pickups in Gauntlet, similar to the existing wreckage pickups. I started a basic implementation of it - here are some early test part drops:
So you'd start Gauntlet with only a subset of all parts available to you to build with. You'd pick up parts along the way that'd unlock that part for use on your vehicle. Some parts would be per-game only, and some would unlock permanently to use like how XP works now. The per-game ones could include some special/quirky parts that were fun but maybe a bit overpowered or unbalanced for Melee mode. That sounded neat but in reality there just aren't enough total parts and there'd have to be a lot more for it to really make sense and not cripple the parts you start with. Additionally, I could have added the whole new system for dropping and pickup up parts (e.g. one part drops per Gauntlet level)... or I could just give out part unlocks at the end of Gauntlet levels using the existing unlock system, and it'd basically give exactly the same result. So I ended up doing a thing where completing Gauntlet levels sequentially unlocks parts (permanently), as an alternative way of getting parts vs. the existing XP system on its own. I may end up basing it on score in Gauntlet mode instead of levels completed, but that'd be much the same thing. And any parts you've unlocked before can be used right away, which stops Gauntlet starting vehicles being too limited.

Cosmetic rewards

I also made these crown/trophy things that completing Gauntlet stuff can unlock.
And yes, they can go on your vehicle. They don't really do anything and they're a bit silly really but look how shiny they are.
They do have a bit of HP, so naturally they cost a little bit of scrap to add to a vehicle, but only about the equivalent of buying armour with the same HP. They're meant to be a free bonus that you can show off. - Completing Gauntlet mode when I've initially released it but it's not finished yet (missing Worlds etc) will unlock the "Alpha" Crown. - Completing Gauntlet mode when it's finished will unlock the standard "Gauntlet" Crown with the wreckage cube. - Doing something special (maybe looping through Gauntlet twice?) will unlock the Master Trophy (far right).

[ 2018-03-08 09:59:36 CET ] [ Original post ]

Scraps: Modular Vehicle Combat is a vehicle combat game where you build your vehicle from parts, and where success lies just as much in designing a well-crafted vehicle as in your combat skills. Design from the chassis up, then pit your creation against humans or AI in a combat arena. When you take out other players, scavenge from their wreckage to repair or upgrade your own vehicle in-game.

Scraps lets you create a vehicle that’s great or a vehicle that sucks. Maybe your vehicle falls over when it corners or doesn't have enough power to fire its weapons – that’s okay. Maybe it doesn't need an engine because it moves by firing its cannons backwards. You decide what you drive.

Your design choices aren't just cosmetic - they're truly functional and at the very least affect the weight and balance of your vehicle. Battle in single-player against the AI, on LAN, or over the Internet. Easily host your own LAN or Internet games. Using the Scraps demo version, your friends can join a LAN game even if they don't own the full game.

language Note:

The only complete language at this time is English, but partial in-game translations are selectable for Russian, Danish, Dutch, Norwegian, Romanian, French, and Swedish.