04/20

What We Did

Last week we created a more robust Game Manager that can indicate how many of each blueprint (cars of a certain specification) is required to win the game; the Assembler script communicates with the Game Manager to keep track of how many cars have been built. The Game Manager also keeps track of how much time the player has been on the level. Once the player completes a level, a “win” splash screen appears and displays how well the player did (1, 2, or 3 gears) depending on how long the player took to complete the level. Also, this splash screen has button options to repeat the level, go to the next level, or return to the level selection screen.

We also implemented many more UI features. General game UI added includes the player’s ability to cycle through a carousel of blueprints on the assembler to indicate which blueprint the assembler is making. The player can also cycle through which part type spawners are spawning. Additionally, a side panel displays the requirements to win. This panel can be displayed or hidden by the player. The player can also pause the game which displays a “pause” splash screen which includes instructions and buttons to restart the level or go to the level selection scene.

Further, we implemented three levels of increasing complexity/difficulty. We also made a level selection scene. Other improvements based on peer feedback include UI elements that did not scale appropriately. Additionally, the camera now follows the player so that all game objects are visible.

What We Plan to Do

The main plan for the last week involves polishing. This includes updating prefabs with more appropriate models and UI elements with pictures of these new models. This also includes updating the environment around the level. Additionally, we plan on implementing some basic SFX for interactions, and possibly basic background music. Level balancing will also be a focus of this next build. We will also work on enhancing the game with other feedback we received from our peers including improved instructions and a bug fix involving interacting with the AI block while recording.

What Challenges We Faced

The main challenge we faced involved correctly implementing UI screens that scaled correctly with different screen sizes. Additionally, there was a challenge balancing the UI so that players did not feel overwhelmed with all of the options.