There have been multiple large and minor changes, as well as bug fixes:
Bug Fixes:
- Inconsistencies in upgrading UI.
- Multiple bugs in the dialogue manager when handling screen fading, and avatar placement have been fixed.
- An issue with uploading and downloading of player’s save fixed with an updated implementation giving manual control to the player.
Updates:
- Full UI redesign for clarity and general user friendliness.
- “Shop”, and “Prep” UI are now fully stylized, and appear as secondary locations.
- Full controller support added.
- Adaptable controls have been added that change on the fly based on what the player is currently using.
- Changes in how the user can sync their saved game to their cloud profile for more freedom and control.
- Pixel Perfect post-effect added to compliment the pixel-art style.
- Day/Night cycle more consistent in lighting, and coloring.
- Customer NPC’s now kick-up dust, and have subtle footstep sounds as they walk. As well their coffee cups now produce heat distortion and steam.
- Upon customers purchasing coffee, new Visual FX and SFX have been added.
- Rental gear has more animations and effects.
- Player’s avatar now has new animations when inside of coffee stand.
- The character not chosen appears in second café, fully animated.
- All UI font has been updated, and set to a smaller type, still consistent with the other UI to remove clutter.
- Dialogue is more consistent with sentences, as a higher word count is now written out in a single block.
- Weather has been changed from textures to individual particles, and now interacts with the rental gear.
- Post Effects have been improved upon.
- More creatures added to the environment and compliment the day/night and weather cycles.
- Updated background sprites.
Breakdown:
UI:
One of the biggest flaws in the game, I felt, was its UI. It was over-simplified and cluttered. To overcome this, a new menu system was designed - in part thanks to the needed restrictions for controller support - which gives the a more solid, understandable structure to the game.
Visuals:
I was always happy with the pixel art-style, but with other effects and movements in the environment, it never felt proper. To remedy this, I applied a “Pixel Perfect” solution, which restricts what’s drawn to a uniform resolution, resulting in even diagonally draw sprites to be pixel perfect when drawn to the screen.
As well, with this release being targeted for desktop platforms I was given the freedom to expand on the post effects, allowing for the use of bloom to lights, and the sun and moon in the game.
Day/Night:
Day and night in the game has been revamped. The colors of the sky as the cycle progresses has been tightened up, and I added fake ambient lighting to the world via the post shader – which is also used to create the fog and the fake Depth of Field.
Weather:
Rain and snow are now completely particle based. Thanks to the pixel perfection of the post shader, they are both drawn in a way that looks incredibly classic, and since they are a part of Unity’s particle system, they interact with the environment and installed gear (such as rain hitting the canopy, and snow melting around the heaters).
NPCs:
The customers also got a few makeovers. As they walk, they now kick up a small cloud of dust, and they make subtle footstep sounds. When they purchase a cup of coffee from you, there is also a new particle and sound effect that plays to give a more rewarding feeling. As well, the cups of coffee they hold now have steam and heat distortion particles, and their umbrellas generate with randomly colored patterns.
Gear:
Gear mostly got some visual changes. The decorations now have animated balloons and streamers. The heaters now glow thanks to the new bloom, and they give off heat distortion. And the canopy has a new subtle animation, and it’s height has increased so that it no longer blocks the player and customers.