Gushing About: Hack n' Slash Games

     Ever since I was a kid I've been enamored by games where you get to run around as a guy with a sword and tearing hundreds, if not thousands, of enemies apart. But despite how fun it is,when there's nothing to do but that in a game, it gets really old very quickly. This topic came to mind when I was thinking about Hyrule Warriors and how it could take what I like about Dynasty Warriors and making it refreshing and interesting for more than one level.

Phoenix Wright.exe Screen Size

     One of the big things to worry about in my forensics game is the resolution. What's the point of making the game if the whole thing breaks when screen size is adjusted. What if the teacher shows it in class and makes it full screen? What resolution works best on PCs in general? What about scaling a forced size like I do for my mobile games? Keep in mind the pixelated art style and how bad it looks stretched out.

     The Unity maximized preview didn't stretch properly (squashed with things cut-off on the sides) so I was worried the final game would look that warped. Luckily the built executable didn't do that and looked how I wanted it to. I settled on making it 1024x768 (iPad resolution) and set the scale to Fit Visible so it stretches horizontally and vertically evenly. The result looks pretty good now and that's one problem down.

Finished Level 1 Spell Sprites

     Some may change as I implement them and make adjustments, but they are finally finished up to a point where I can put them in the game. I still have to draw upgraded versions of most of them but these sprites will do for the next milestone. There are too many to show here and I think they will look much better in video form a couple weeks from now.

    Spell descriptions were changed to accommodate new ideas and limitations I ran into. I wanted each spell to feel unique and I feel like I'm succeeding so far. I can't wait to put them in action soon.

    Coding how each spell behaves will take a while, but this part in particular took longer than I estimated. Having this done just feels like weight off my back as this project crests the last hill toward this milestone.

Priority Switch (Balancing UQ and PWAA)

     With deadlines for two things I really want done before May 10th approaching I have to chart out my free time carefully. Unicorn Quest's milestone is more important personally (and in the long term) but the Phoenix Wright project is due for a major school grade where I'm struggling to maintain a B grade.

      With that in mind I've decided to switch what I'm working on day by day until I reach a point where I can see one being possible to finish up faster than the other. At that point I can wrap one up the focus on the other. It may seem completely stupid to tackle these two things at once (even though they're both pretty  small things I could do in a couple weeks) but I work well under pressure and practicing this kind of crunch will leave me better prepared for the real world.

      I have to teach myself how to become a better game developer because school won't do it for me. School gets me a piece of paper that might save my life. Actual practice will build my skills, create a tangible portfolio, make long-term money, and fill in the blanks school won't even acknowledge. I think of this as just another self-imposed assignment.