DevLog #1

Welcome to the first DevLog of In Development

Programming Quest System

This week I created a quest system for our game. The game loop for In development is centered around collecting quests from NPCs and completing them to progress through the game. The player can start a quest by approaching an NPC and interacting with them. A NPC quest will pop up with the quest name, description, objectives, rewards, and options to accept or decline the quest. A declined quest can be accepted later.  There are main and side quests that the player can view all of the active quests in the quest log by pressing Tab. The quest log will have all of the quest information along with an option to track a quest. If the player selects to have a quest tracked UI showing the quest data will be displayed on the screen. The player can switch which quest is being tracked at any time. Quests can also be given automatically, such as when they start the game or enter an area. Quests have stages and when one stage is completed it will update to the next stage. Quest data is saved automatically so no progress will be lost if the player switches levels. Once the objectives are complete the player can talk to the NPC they got the quest from to turn it in. 

Dialogue System

Another thing I worked on this past week is a dialogue system. The NPCs have dialogue when the player interacts regarding their quests. There is also story dialogue from the players perspective that are triggered throughout the game by locations and events. The character dialogue will show when the player interacts with the NPC.

Rune Puzzle

One of the puzzles I worked on this week are rune puzzles. To complete these puzzle the player will need to interact with rotating pillars found within the level. Each time a pillar is interacted with it will rotate 90 degrees to set the pillar to rune displayed on that side. Each pillars current active symbol needs to match the pre set solution to activate either a door or platform. The solution can be found in the environment as well such as on the door or hidden within level. Once the correct solution has been entered the player can no longer interact with the pillars.

Blocks and pressure plates puzzle

Another puzzle I programmed this week is a pressure plate puzzle where the player needs to push blocks onto pressure plates to open a door. There are push able blocks that the player can interact with by simply running into them which will push the block in that direction. The blocks will stop if it collides with another object and cannot be pushed off ledges. The pressure plates will activate if anything is placed or stands on top of them. Multiple pressure plates will need to be activated to open the door. 

Moving between levels and the save system

This week I programmed "Level gates" that the player can interact with to move between the main hub and the levels. The main hub will have three for the three levels and each level will have one for returning to the main hub. The player will also spawn in front of the gate of the level they just left. I also set up a save system in our game that will automatically save all of the quest data as the player progresses through the game. Saves can also be loaded, or the player can start a new game in the main menu. 

Menus

I have set up and programmed UI for the menus, along with the dialog and quest system. The title screen, pause menu, loading screens, credits, and load game screens are all functioning with placeholder UI. I also programmed a settings menu with option to change both visual and audio settings. This includes volume sliders for music and SFX, windowed mode, resolution, vsync, and graphics.

Teleporting the player back to safe ground

I also programmed a system where if the player falls during some sections of the levels they will be teleported back to the last safe area they were. This constantly updates as the player moves through the level. This will prevent the player from having to redo any progress in the level from the level reloading. 

Designing and blocking out snow level

I designed and blocked out the snow mountain level. This level will have the player explore a mountain in search of three fish for an NPC quest. There are three puzzles or obstacles that the player will need to solve or find a way around to complete the level. The current plan for this level is to have three obstacles which is a fish trapped in ice, a door blocking the way to the next area and a gap with a fish on the other side. The first two will be solved with puzzles while the third will be solved by the player exploiting the environment to platform across. The first puzzle the player will encounter is a fish trapped in ice surrounded by torches that are mostly unlit. In order to get the fish, the player must light the torches to get rid of the ice. The second puzzle will be the large door that can be opened by three activated pressure plates. The player can use pushable blocks to hold down the pressure plates. 

Designing and blocking out cave level 

I helped design and I blocked out the cave level. This level takes place underground as the player searches for grubs for a quest. The player will be immediately greeted by a rune puzzle that they will need to solve to open a door and continue through the level. This will open into an area with the first collectable grub. the left side of this area will be the entrance to the maze that the player will need to navigate to both find the next collectable and find their way out the other side of to continue through the cave. The next area will have break able platforms the player will need to figure out which platforms are safe, and which will break in order to get past this section of the level and collect the last grub. At this point the player will have gone in a loop and can drop down into the area they stated in and leave the level. 

Designing and blocking out the main hub

I helped design and blocked out the main hub. This is where the player will start the game and where all the NPCs can be found. From this area the player can enter the levels. There are three main sections of the main hub that each contain an NPC that the player can interact with. Each area will have differing environments that correlate with the level the player can enter there. This means its split between a forest area, a snow area, and an area with a cave entrance.