13 MAR 2021:
Simplified main game loop is complete! This means you can start the game, crash into a test object and then decide to keep playing or quit. If you decide to keep playing it loops back around to the beginning -- with no loading times!
The riskiest addition this week was copy/pasting the code so the player can shoot. Thankfully it worked! Up to now, most of the new features had to be programmed from scratch.
I also shortened the opening animation by nearly half. Each frame is a 1 to 1.5 MB .png file so they add up pretty quickly.
There is still some work I have to do on the sprites and the other two weapons still need to be added back in.
HAHA! I literally just now figured out how to do something I've been wanting to do for a LOOONG time: Render the Bloom effect while maintaining a transparent background. This is a game-changer! Now I'll be able to add a natural "glow" effect to anything that needs it.
For those that are interested, here is how I set it up in Compositing (using Blender 2.9x).
Have you used Blender in your indie games? Feel free to share your experience in the comments!
In other news:
I got a small job doing the English Localization for a game on Steam called "Destroy the Demon Army -- Modified". It was an educational experience because I had never worked with .xaml files before and the game itself was fun to play!
Although gamedev is my primary focus, I am also open to beta-testing and proofreading your game. If you're interested just contact me at 40wattstudio@gmail.com
Have a good rest of your weekend! (and don't forget about Daylight Savings Time)