Post by superjamie in Devlog - 86 [NEW DEMO UPDATE] comments

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Yes, on the new demo.

I could shoot but couldn't get any further, evidently I'm missing something, I'll try again :)

That's what I mean about the helmet. You can't survive without the helmet, however if you miss it (because you're rushing to get away from the meltdown) then you can't go back and get it. The door locks behind you So you're locked in a situation which you can't survive.

It would be better to require the player to get the helmet before going outside. If not, then at least don't lock the door behind the player so they can go back and get the helmet.

Think of how Super Metroid handles the suits - sure, you can go into the lava without the Varia suit, but you can always go back and get it. You can enter Maridia without the Gravity suit, but you can't get very far, and you can always go back and get it.

Apapappa2 years ago

Okay well then I misunderstood what happened, and yeah if you can shoot then you're not softlocked, at least I don't see how it could happen.

So the door right beside the helmet locks when going outside?
If that is the case then that is not supposed to happen, you should be able to go back in as long as you haven't fallen down the room with the sentry enemies, because then you wouldn't be able to jump back up.
The hint here is supposed to be that the screen goes all, I don't know "smokey", and you start taking damage indicating that this is not what you're supposed to do.
And then I'm hoping that the player would "instinctively" run back, but if the door is locked, then.. you know, that doesn't work too well. ;)

I could make the helmet required before leaving the room but I think this way is more fun, because if you just run past it / miss it or whatever, then you have to think a little bit extra.
And sure, the player could think there's a softlock there or that the game is broken or whatever but to be honest, with the way I'm making the game, if this "barrier" can't be broken then there's not much hope of the player getting much further anyway.

But if the door locks as you said, then that is incorrect and will be fixed.
Oh and I just realized you might mean the left door in the room with the helmet?
If so, that door is supposed to be locked and does not prevent the player from anything, it's the left door in the room right after the helmet I'm talking about.

And for the Super Metroid way of doing things, this is exactly what I'm trying to do, except a tiny bit different depending on what item it is.
Like what we're talking about here for example:
You can leave the room without the helmet, but you can't get very far and you can return back (if you haven't fallen down the sentinel room, this is something I probably will change so you can go back), assuming the door isn't locked that is, which it shouldn't be.

Sorry for the reply getting way too long but I'm just trying to explain what is supposed to happen here.

superjamie2 years ago

No worries about the large reply :)

Keeping the door back to the helmet unlocked would solve that problem.

I see the "smokey" air but it's pretty subtle, you could definitely make it more obvious that the air is harmful (and that the oxygen meter is ticking down, something we discussed a long time ago).

Apapappa2 years ago

Yeah, I don't really know how to solve that problem.

Heavily considering adding a beep that beeps faster depending on oxygen level, but we all know how people feel about beeps.
There's already a beep in the game right now but it's very subtle, I'm talking *almost* a "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" low health situation for the new beep.

And there's also the fact that oxygen has not really been implemented how I want it yet, so expect there to be less oxygen drain overall and more specific rooms with heavy oxygen drain in the future.
Except for the no-suit part of the game, that will probably not change that much.

itch.io

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