Status Report #26

     It's finally over... My training is done and I can start making games I always wished existed. I have the proper tools now. I finally understand what to do from start to finish in order to make a game a reality. As of yesterday, I have a new tablet for testing games on. That means fewer launch day updates for my games due to resolution problems Unity doesn't let me know about. The specs may not be cutting edge but they totally outdo what my current 512MB RAM phone is capable of. It will be used to make Unicorn Quest better suited for tablets.

      But before I can do that I have to find a USB driver for AGPtek TP714JD. I literally spent all day yesterday looking for one to get it to work. 8 hours with no results. It's maddening. Once I figure this out, I can fix any potential DragCore problems and get back to working on Unicorn Quest. I want to start planning the Unity project setup and coding the in-game movement.

     Here is the roundup of what happened over the past week!

DragCore is Available on Google Play and Amazon Apps!

     It's been a long time since I started this thing. Way back in 11th grade I thought this would be a nice, simple project that would let me prove to myself that I can make a complete game. It accomplished it's goal but it was far from easy. I'd say it's my best game yet, at least on par with TriGrid.

     All the last minute changes ended up being the error causing add-ons so I simply removed them. The in-app purchases and Game Services are gone, leaving the game simple and pure. Just a fun and free game to play on your phone. It's nice having 4 games under my belt now, a nice portfolio and proof of tenacity.

     DragCore can be found on Google Play today and Amazon Apps on March 6th so go and give it a try if you're curious. You can watch the trailer for it on YouTube too. It's fast-paced action with kamikaze aliens and electric dragboxes. That's a pretty cool concept when you think about it. Give it a try today!
    And good luck to anyone who can beat green and black enemies on the hardest difficulty!

A Shooter Friendly Interface

    I never mentioned how the HUD shown in the mock up isn't what the screen will look like at any given time. They way it's show in the mock-up is too cluttered. The real game screen only has your hearts, magic meter, pause button, and D-pad visible at all times. I just added all the things that could pop-up during gameplay to get an idea of size and placement for the GUI components.

     The spell switcher, pixie teleport icons, and wallet only pop-up or slide out when you're using something related to them. The wallet slides out when you collect a gem, the pixies appear when you're teleporting, and the colorful spell switcher bar appears when one of the buttons below it gets pressed. The D-pad and spell switch buttons will be transparent in the actual game and the big spell cast button will be transparent when pressed or when you're unable to attack.

     The D-pad isn't actually 4 separate buttons, but just a reference image. It will function much like the one for the "My Boy!" Gameboy emulator on Android. That D-Pad feels the most like a comfortable virtual joystick that actually works. I played the Legacy of Goku 2 on that emulator and the controls felt perfect. I want Unicorn Quest to have that kind of movement fluidity so I'll be coding the walking controls to work just like the emulator did.

    There needs to be plenty of room on screen to see incoming threats and spot vulnerable targets. That's why essential HUD components are at the top and bottom of the screen which centers on Clover. I also made the spell cast button big enough for comfortable tapping because it's going to be used almost as much as the D-pad. Both of those frequently used components are on opposite sides of the bottom half of the screen so player hold the device like any controller and have room to see more action (and not their fingers).

Gushing About: The Coolest Villains

   Antagonists are often just serving as an opposing force. Something to create trouble for the protagonist to overcome. But some stories have antagonists act as vital and interesting characters. Sometimes even stealing the show from the hero. Villains are the characters we love to hate. When thinking about the kinds of villains I want to design for my games I look back to my favorites. There are a multitude of types to choose from too. Some villains are chaotic, some are calculating, some are both. Villains can be sympathetic and relatable, a combination of reasonable justification and giving into primal human desires.