Hey everyone!
It’s been an exciting week for Wave Defense: Trappist, as I’ve finally had the chance to take full advantage of the optimizations I’ve been working on for the past few weeks. Along with some valuable feedback from a professional level-designer and new developments on player progression, I’m excited to share what’s been going on behind the scenes!
Alien Horde Battles: Optimizations Paying Off
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been working hard to optimize memory usage and improve the game’s overall performance. This week, I was able to really see the benefits of those optimizations in action. So far, I’ve been able to spawn up to three times as many alien AI during attacks on the base without any significant impact on performance, which is a huge win.
What this means for gameplay is that the battles will feel a lot more intense and chaotic, creating a true horde feeling when waves of aliens start to attack. The ability to spawn more enemies ramps up the challenge and really pushes the player’s defenses and strategy to their limits. I’m excited to keep testing this and see just how far I can push the scale of these battles without impacting performance.
Professional Feedback and Level Design Improvements
This week, I also had the chance to sit down with a friend who is a senior level designer with many years of experience in the game industry. Her feedback has been incredibly valuable, and I’m looking forward to implementing some of the changes she suggested in the coming weeks.
While I can’t reveal all the details just yet, I’m confident that her insights will help raise the overall quality and experience of the game. I’ll be revisiting some of the worlds and level designs with her feedback in mind, and I’m really excited to see how these changes enhance the gameplay experience. Stay tuned for more updates on this in the near future!
Choose Your Path: Procedural Progression System
The main focus of my work this week has been on implementing a new system that allows players to choose their own path between worlds. This feature is still a work in progress, but I’m excited to share a sneak peek of how it’s shaping up.
I’ve attached a screenshot of the prototype for this system, where players will be able to select different paths leading up to a boss fight at the end. Along the way, players will encounter different types of worlds, each with its own challenges and rewards. These paths and rewards will be procedurally generated for each run, ensuring that every playthrough feels unique.
The goal with this system is to add a layer of strategic decision-making to the game, giving players the freedom to choose their own journey. Depending on which path you take, you’ll encounter different enemies, earn different rewards, and face different obstacles. I hope this will not only make each run feel fresh and exciting but also add a lot of replayability to the game as players experiment with different paths and strategies.
Looking Ahead
I’m excited about where the game is heading, and there’s still plenty of work to do. Next on the list is refining the path selection system, continuing to implement the feedback I received on level design, and pushing the limits of enemy spawns even further. The optimizations from the past few weeks have really opened up a lot of possibilities for the game’s future.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts! How do you feel about having the freedom to choose your path through the worlds? What kind of rewards or challenges do you think would make this system even more engaging? Let me know in the comments or on Discord—I’m always eager to hear your feedback!
Thanks for reading, and see you next week!