Hey. It has been awhile! I got busy doing maintenance on some of my previous games so Gum Flesh had to take a backseat for a bit. Plus it's been like -30 degrees here and all I've felt like doing is playing Balatro.
Ok first off, you might've notice some sweet new cover art. It blows my mind how good it is. It's all thanks to Gloomy Bro. Makes me want to up my game.
Alrighty now on to the main course:
MOVEMENT
I love movement tech. Traversing a world in style feels so good. If you played my previous game Cavity Busters, you'll recall the 900 different ways you can move around the world. I wondered how I could boil fun movement down into a turn-based rougelike. It's not complicated or profound. But it's extra work.
ANIMATION AND FEEDBACK
One big thing is animations! If you jump, it's animated. If you dash, dust and rocks will be kicked up. This is something that is applied to almost every action...Not dust and rocks...just ya know, feedback. Because there's no action log, we need to visually show what just happened. But that's just one part of the equation.
IN WORLD OPPORTUNITIES
The other key to this is in world opportunities for movement. For instance, each level spawns a number of holes. These holes connect via underground tunnels and provide a fast travel of sorts. But they also serve as a tactical maneuver. If any enemy is on a hole you travel through, they receive a juicy uppercut!
A recent addition is skid marks! Please forgive the name. Skid marks can spa...no you know what? That's what they're called now and forever. It is the law. Ok so! Skid marks can spawn in a level in long linear lines. They're essentially slippery floors. Hmm guess I could've called them ice? No no no they're skid marks. SKID MARKS. It's best to just show you how they work.
They can be used to reposition yourself, take out enemies, or blast through walls. They basically act as dash. They go away after a few scrubs I mean uses.
I'm exploring other ways to make movement fun! But this has been just a little skid mark of info about fun movement in Gum Flesh!
That's all for this devlog. Be sure to check out the demo as it's been updated recently. And wishlist pleaaaaase! Really helps a ton!
Peace,
Space