Enemies / Interaction / Puzzles

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This devlog is solely focused on the enemies and their interaction with the player

Enemies

While I initially planned for some enemies in Skate to Home from the very beginning (check out my game concept at here), I felt that we needed to up the ante. That's why I decided to add a brand new, deadly enemy to the mix: a saw-blade (see Picture 1)! Along with other obstacles, this new addition promises to keep players on their toes throughout their epic journey.

Picture 1: Check out the saw-blade, which moves horizontally from left to right

Currently, there are no particle effects when the player is killed. I'm actively searching for and testing different effects to find one that suits this circumstance

Interaction

In Skate to Home, the only elements that the player truly interacts with are the platforms. Based on the Concept Game devlog, although I have not yet added the pedals for player interaction, I have included water puddles for the player to interact with. Additionally, to enhance player interaction, I have added a coin (see Picture 2) for players to collect, as well as a deadly saw-blade to avoid.

Picture 2: The player can collect the coin along the journey and have to avoid the saw-blade

Puzzles

Puzzles are a key component of Skate to Home, with each level presenting unique but equally challenging obstacles. Solving puzzles is essential to progress in the game, and players must not only figure out where to go and which path to take, but also how to use game mechanics to their advantage. There is also a significant mental challenge involved in Skate to Home, as players must determine why they keep playing despite failing time and time again

Testing/Feedback

works nicely and I like the sound effects / music, very cool. Not sure what the point of not being able to move for a few seconds after you die is but it just seems a bit confusing at first and annoying

Many people have expressed their love for the music and vibe in Skate to Home since the previous devlog update. However, some players have reported frustration with a brief delay in movement after dying. Although the movement delay after dying has not yet been resolved, I am actively working on a fix for the upcoming devlog

Im sure your planning to add it but there is currently no reason (from what I can tell) to pick up the coins, I'd love a point counter

While I have planned to incorporate coins for players to collect, I have yet to implement a scoring system that would allow players to track the number of coins they have collected. However, I am working on resolving this issue and plan to have it addressed in the next devlog checkpoint

bit of a long pause once you get hit by the spikey wheel before you can move again. Seems a bit jaring. Perhaps a visual queue that you're still respawning?

I would add a respawn particle effect and eliminate the delay before the player can move again since many players are frustrated by the pause and there are no signs indicating that they must wait before moving.

Finishing a level has a nice sound... but maybe use a different camera-move method to the start of a new level compared with the reset level? (they both pan left which confuses me a little). The cactus is not very obvious. the first time i touched it I didn't even see what reset me. .

I appreciate your suggestion. After completing the current level, I plan to use a different camera movement and come up with a way to make the cactus clearly identifiable as an obstacle for the player to avoid. Since this is the desert level, people might mistake the cactus for a background element

Quite fun so far. I found on the desert level the cacti weren't super clear as to whether they were part of the background like the rocks or a death trigger, spent a minute trying to figure out why I kept dying

In level 1, there is no background feedback, but level 2's desert theme may cause the cactus obstacle to be mistaken as part of the background. I will work on ways to inform the player about the cactus obstacle whenever they reach this level

Implementation

In this checkpoint, I added multiple saw-blades as obstacles, some of which can move horizontally or vertically, while others remain stationary. I also added more water puddles for the player to avoid and scattered coins throughout the level for them to collect. However, I have not yet implemented a score scale to track the number of coins collected. I have added theme-appropriate background music to the level and credited the source in the appropriate section