Devlog #9 (Unity Developer Day 2018)

Unity Developer Day

This month Raygun Gadabout was accepted to be presented at Unity Developer Day 2018 in Montreal. I had a really great time and enjoyed meeting lots of cool people and drinking way too much free coffee.

The hilight was being able to watch perfect strangers play the game for the first time and get some really useful feedback.

Raygun Gadabout at Unity Developer Day Montreal 2018

New Enemies

Created a couple new enemies for the level that I’m building.

First one is basic walker enemy (some concepts can be found below). He’s the first thing you’ll encounter. Easy pickings for your raygun.

The second enemy is a wall/ceiling climber that shoots projectiles, he’ll appear sometime after you unlock your shield. No designs or art are complete for him yet.

Concept art for a new enemy

Ability Unlock System

Built a new ability system. It’s fully functional at the moment. Still lots of work to figure out the details of how it’ll work though. Lots of testing needed.

How does it work? Basically, you collect “keys” from bosses or find them hidden in the levels. The keys unlock “nodes”. These nodes have “Abilities” for example your shield, walljump and dodge. There are a few instances of branching where you can choose the order of your unlock, though you can return to choose previous nodes.

There are “subnodes” that mostly consist of upgrades to existing abilities.

I’m considering having some “upgrades” be mutually exclusive or at least force you toggle between them. Sort of like the ice beam in Super Metroid.

Build Out New Level

Continuing to greybox out the first/tutorialesque level of the game. This area will be more linear than most as in the early stages I want to guide the player and get them used to the new abilities mechanics as they unlock them.

greybox of the “first level”

Mechanics/Platforming

Created some new mechanics for platforming. There’s areas that you enter that will effect your gravity/jump height or other variables.

Also, made nodes to propulse you in certain directions. Kind of like those barrels in Donkey Kong Country.

New Mechanics

Other Stuff Worth Mentioning

Just a quick rundown of things that might not deserve a full paragraph.

• Finished up the code for moving between the space view and planet view

• Added shot delay to enemies when they first spot you

• Added desintegrating platforms

• Added a weather trigger system

• Added a way to trigger new enemy types in an area

• Fixed a bunch of bugs, probably created some new ones

As always thanks for stopping by

cheers and until next time!

-M.