Restitched: Main Menu Progress

This month, we've been shifting our focus away from the Wardrobe and getting back on track with other areas of the game. Many of us have found renewed motivation from all we've seen and learned from the Wardrobe Test recently!

One example of this is our return to the Main Menu. Based on earlier concept art, we've been retooling this section. We're still exploring the artistic direction of the background, but the general UX/UI layout is both planned out and being set up now!

Recent progress includes:

• Stuffy and custom outfits now show up in the menu

• We added a proper menu camera, and a background is now rendered

• The menu is now its own scene, rather than loading in as a prefab

• Each section of the menu will be split into loadable prefabs, rather than being stuffed into one big nested system (so messy!)

• Menu music is being re-explored for easier listening

• The 'Adventure' overworld map prototype now loads from the menu (we've not shown this yet)

• Added a 'Tutorials' button, as we plan to eventually add a list that lets you revisit seen popups and guides

• Level Editor saved levels list now loads and works as a prototype

• Settings menu now opens

• The Wardrobe can be loaded from the menu with a proper transition effect

Going forward, we still have a bit to do here! For example:

• Moving the camera around in the scene to change the background depending on which menu you're in

• Explore dynamic music based on the menu or tab you're in

• Add the 'Party' tab section for a future multiplayer lobby and options

• Link the 'Store' tab to a new menu list, or fallback to a Steam overlay

• Make the 'Home' tab reset whatever menu you're in to the main screen

• Fix the levels Workshop tab to have all the good stuff we've done with the Wardrobe Workshop menu

• Display a local name or Steam username in the top-right, and make it a link to your profile or Workshop listings page

• Improve the 'Recent News' section to properly fetch data

• Animate background elements for dynamic vibes

• Animate Stuffy with idle fidgets, reaction to the cursor position or clicks, etc.

• Animate UI elements

• Redesign certain menus, like moving the 'level info' options to the new popup menu system

• Proper art pass and polishing, including lighting, camera, background, etc.

As you can see, it still looks a bit rough! Still, we're excited about stretching our creative muscles in new ways again and finally getting back to finishing other areas of the game.

It's surprising how much a main menu can transform a working prototype into a full, connected experience. 😊

We'll show more of our progress later as we carry on with it. In the meantime, other devs on the team are focused on logic, physics connectors, Stuffy movement reworking, and more.

Have feedback for us? Let us know!

Note: We're aware of the demand for a playable menu, but this is out of our scope and not something we wish to pursue. However, we are prototyping a playable story map!