currently listening: ddrmax2 soundtrack
today's to do list
outline the rest of the game details- more pal assets
- back sprites
- reactions
today's notes
For the sake of your eyes and mine, I've made a digital replica of my notes from my sketchbook. The originals are in neon green and orange JellyRoll pens. (ﾟｰﾟ; Anyways, first up is the intro notes, I'm going to animate a short sequence where the seed plummets from the sky into the game's main screen. From the title screen, you can load your last save or begin a new game. When starting a new game, dirt will pour in to cover the seed, and the buttons/menu options will appear on screen.
Next up is notes for the Sprout phase. Most of the notes for this phase are technical, and will have to be re-adjusted after testing. I want the Sprout phase to require more attention from the player, finding a length that feels like you're working towards a goal without dragging it on too long. The base actions required for growing your pal is the same for both Berry and Chard. The player's decision to give sunlight or shade the most will control which pal grows. I forgot to write about animations in my notes here, but basically the seedling will wiggle when you click on it or water/feed it!
Finally the notes for the Blossom page are the most technically complex. It's mostly going to be a lot of randomized actions that need to be tweaked to see if they're too frequent or not frequent enough. I'm pretty sure at this point the Music/Dance option is getting cut from the jam for the sake of time; I'll keep working hard to se if I can fit it in there!! As for the sunlight/shade option on this phase, I think you'll only need to adjust it infrequently to make sure your pet gets some of the correct one (sun for Berry, shade for Chard). Berry and Chard will hop around or move back and forth during their idle animations and will react with a heart or facial expression when you give them attention!
The "wilt" mechanic essentially will be your game over. You'll get the equivalent of a game over screen and be sent back to the main title after you click through. In order to trigger the wilt, your pal will need to be very ill cared for, having had no food, water, love, or pruning within the total time limit.
All of this outlining has made me realize....I have no idea if this will work properly until it's running and tested. Ah, this must be what it feels like to make a game. ┐(￣ヮ￣)┌ My dev tells me its possible, but how will we really know if the timing is right until we try it out! I'm sure the kinks will get ironed out as we go.
Ah well, I'm off to work on some more art assets!! That's all for today, thanks for tuning in. ♡