Developer Diary 31 - Creation pt. 2
This week I tackled two big things: designing and coding the character creator and then implementing it into the correct place in the game (in the middle of an event scene).
So first, I had to code the creator itself in a standalone environment, since that made testing easier. Without too much hassle I was able to design a HUD to navigate the limited choices you have in this creator. For certain solutions, I chose to ‘bulk’ certain options together. For example, you cannot choose your individual clothes, rather you will have 5 outfit options to choose from, which include your underwear, top and pants. Like explained in the previous post, I deliberately wanted to offset the creator with limited choices while the main game offers more in depth choices.
In August I coded a keyboard so the player could type their own name. Finally, now, I was able to put it to good use. To my surprise, implementing this wasn’t too hard, since the code was small and optimized in a plug-and-play format. I was also able to use the list of names I had lying around and combine that with a randomize button so you can get some name suggestions! Using some more code which had originally been used for testing purposes, I was able to find an easy solution where when the keyboard is showing, the player character is hidden.
With the creator done (pretty much, since it will need a visual overhaul later and some extra functionality like a prompt to ask if you are sure about your choices) it was time to implement it into the game. Previously I had coded the intro event scene, which introduces your room-mate Zoe. I knew I wanted the creator to fall in the middle of this scene, but this posed some challenges. With how the code is currently set up, interrupting an event is not exactly a smooth process. I had to pretty much fight my way through a bunch of code to set up this unique mechanic. After a day of working on it though, I was able to get it working pretty much how I want it. It’s still rough around the edges, as is most of the game, but the functionality is there!
This is a pretty big win for me, since the start of the game is now coming together quite nicely. Next up I will be writing on the game to lay the groundwork for the story.
Finally I’ve been continuing the work for the banner to promote the game. It’s a lot of work but I hope it will come out great! Thank you for your continued support and I will see you next week!
Albatross