Plumbing patches are holding, I think this version of the signals system is close to being "the one" 🤞
This update brings a bunch of internal cleanup and visual feedback. I am trying not to sink too much time into the feedback because this is still a prototype with placeholder graphics, but I also want to get a sense of what feels right visually and start blocking out the screen. Balancing act!
When the Orca gets hurt we communicate that with a background color animation and screen shake. I like how it looks. Screen shake truly is the reverb of indie games.
We visualize the number of sunk yachts in the corner and animate it on change. The animation is nice because there are situations where you will smash a yacht and keep moving past it due to momentum and not see it sink off screen. Getting immediate confirmation is nicer.
I experimented with having a speed meter in the corner but took it out. It's not really useful in game, especially when you're going fast, because your eyes want to stay on the Orca and not drift to the corner of the screen. Instead I draw an outline around the Orca when you're over the critical speed to deal damage. In the final game this will be a particle effect or something similar. Speed meter might still be useful for spectators though, I am not sure. Might make a comeback.
Also the game has a proper game loop now 🙏 Building everything on signals and coroutines makes it pretty easy to turn a messy "single game" prototype into something that loops correctly.
This is a testable prototype! The whole core mechanic is here in a fair amount of detail which is what I've been focusing on. I am hesitant to start building out the "stuff" of the game before testing and iterating more at this level.
Full thing here. Any key after game over will restart the game in a new terrain.