Journal Part 4

I animated the lava and added a bubble particle effect, the alpha changes over it's lifetime which adds a fade effect. This adds much more life and energy to the scene but isn't too obnoxious.

I implemented the stamina system, using a simple bar and icon in the corner, when the player dashes stamina is used, when the player picks up gems stamina is regained alongside the constant recharge. I implemented it this way because it will allow interesting combat in that you have to sometimes take a few steps back to regain your stamina. This creates risk and reward, by engaging in combat you are vulnerable to temporarily using your means of attacking. The most obvious similarity to me is the stamina system in the Souls games developed by From Software, this system is effective in giving slow but tense combat, something I want to replicate.

The stone head also finally rolls, something I was struggling with since the start, I couldn't simply use a flipbook animation like you could with a character that has legs, so it had to be produced entirely in blueprint.

I plan to have the first enemy encounter straight after the player gets boosted up by the smoke plumes, it will introduce combat and show the player that the dash can be used offensively. I have already drawn the enemy sprite, the idea is that the enemy is a frog, and will simply bounce forwards and backwards. If the player touches the frog under a speed threshold the player dies, if they dash or fall with enough momentum and hit the frog it dies.

The neck of the frog is translucent, having a sprite with a tinted segment is something interesting I haven't tried yet, so far I am struggling to import the sprite successfully in that it stays semi transparent as a flipbook. All the enemies will be spherical, the enemies won't be completely unrelatable to the player character. Due to it's lack of visual hostility, maybe the player will be sympathetic too, the message behind the game is coming together, nature is not necessarily our enemy, nature gives and it takes but ultimately wants to thrive like the player does. It might represent physically man-made objects or structures, ideals or beliefs fighting against nature in some ways, the player character is a stone head after all and nature has taken hold of the temple.

I also drew another decoration, I thought adding a kind of totem pole would be interesting, it's a man-made structure that often depicts animals and represents spirituality. Since the player will fight animals maybe I can find a way to bring in the spiritual aspect?