What Is Going On With SPP Right Now?

Hey, so I've been working on a few different patreon posts to put out there- one on the playtesting process, and another on the development of the latest level- but they just aren't coming together as well as I had hoped.

So instead, I'm opting to write this post: a general update on the state of things.

Level 5, "Junkyard", Is Finally "Done"

This is definitely the most ambitious level so far- and it's playable in the newest Patreon build right now! Of course, the level visuals are a placeholder for now- in the future, it'll be updated with a new tileset, background, and populated with cool decorations. This is the first level that I will not be doing the art for- this one is all up to Magi, the artist who did the new logo.

After releasing an update for the build with some fixes, I still had some cleaning up and organizing to do.

Recent Refactor

While I don't usually hack things together, it's just the nature of programming that you find better ways to accomplish your goals after you've already got it working.

For those not in computer science, a refactor is essentially rewriting code without changing its function; cleaning the code and simplifying it.

Here is one part of the pin state transitions function, which handles the pin cancel. While it definitely works, updating the velocity is a little messy.

So we've moved the pin cancel velocity to a separate function. The left code block is now more focused on setting up the state transition properly.

This is a basic example that doesn't help much, but keep in mind that it's always easier to debug and add new features when the code is neat and tidy.

One of these refactors was to move the penguin landing dust particles to a separate GameObject- one that the penguin would send signals to whenever it landed on the ground. By doing this, other GameObjects can also send signals to create dust particles, too.

So now the tire has landing particles!

Now Starting Development on the Mechanics for Level 6!

With the kitchen clean, I'm finally ready to cook something new. I’ve put together a rough plan for the next level and its mechanics, and started work on programming. I'm optimistic that this will take far less time than the incredibly complex junkyard mechanics, since this builds on existing systems rather than being something entirely new. Hopefully I’ll be able to show it off next month!

Summer(?) Trailer

Earlier, I was teasing a pretty cool update for SPP- specifically aiming for a new trailer this summer. The plan is to update the steam page, publicly unveil the new junkyard level and mechanics, as well as a few other unannounced things. This big push isn't ready yet, and it's likely to be a fall / winter event instead.

This page would really benefit from the new logo + some nice key art…

There's a few different reasons for this delay, but the gist of it is: I'd rather focus on developing the game mechanics and levels first, then have the art catch up later- rather than prioritizing development based on the needs of a trailer.

I hope this has been enlightening- I hope to get more posts out soon. As always, thank you for your support!