v0.21 is released!

It adds the new prologue I talked about few posts ago. It started off as a suggestion to add a 'tutorial' level and I decided to integrate it more naturally into the game, calling it a "prologue" rather than "tutorial" even though this is secretly a glorified tutorial. I have added more story and a brand new cutscene to it so it won't feel too much like a tutorial! The level also has a clear ending.

Process

It took quite a while to make as a new map and tutorial guidance + real-time cutscenes require a lot of manual programming work. You'd need to trigger certain things under specific conditions that aren't present in normal gameplay. It was a ton of manual laborous work but I hope it makes the game easier to learn for new players as this map allows players to play under no time pressure. Hopefully it does not make the level too boring. I think the prologue lasts for quite awhile but I hope it will be okay for the learning phase.

The cutscenes however are very enjoyable to make. I love making these cinematic cutscenes as they are a break from regular programming and I am able to just be purely artistic. If there are multiple maps, I want to expand the story and have a cutscene for each one that progresses the story. Oh wait.. is that what they call "campaign" in most games?

Feedback needed!

If you have any feedback, do let me know here or over on Discord! Is the prologue too long? Too boring? Not exciting enough? Goals too difficult to attain? Confusing in some ways? Things not clear? Or just general improvements. I am keen to hear about them!

Meanwhile, here's some pretty pictures~