| « Version 1.0: Game On! | Start Your Engines! » |
Nearly Done! And Playtesting ...
03/12/10
I haven't written here recently, as I've been so busy trying to get the game together I haven't had time.
I am pleased to say that Bell's Angels is playable all the way through, with screens for beginning, middle, and end. Levels are complete (although I already want to revise one of them; see below), interstitials are complete, beginning and end screens are complete, initials entry for top ten high scores is complete ... What's left is an options screen that will allow changes in difficulty level and music volume, and various architectural tweaks. Class diagrams are basically done as well. And, of course, I have to deploy the game and see if it works on machines other than my own.
I had several people playtest a slightly earlier version; at the time, the only level available was much too difficult, and the movement of the gun and the tractor "blob" was too slow. The gun was also difficult to aim. A second round of playtesting (involving just one person, unfortunately) involved the entire game, and several bugs were revealed--amazing how just putting the game in hands not one's own can result in such different playability! The playtest also revealed that the first level doesn't feel/look as nice as the other two levels; if time permits, I'll try to change it, but it may be a change that needs to wait until the next version.
Backgrounds and particle clouds will also be added if time permits, but with one week to finish and complete the write-up for the game, I'm not sure I'll get these done. They may also be "next version" items. (If so, I'd hope to have such an update done for the charity before Christmas.)
I am pleased to say that Bell's Angels is playable all the way through, with screens for beginning, middle, and end. Levels are complete (although I already want to revise one of them; see below), interstitials are complete, beginning and end screens are complete, initials entry for top ten high scores is complete ... What's left is an options screen that will allow changes in difficulty level and music volume, and various architectural tweaks. Class diagrams are basically done as well. And, of course, I have to deploy the game and see if it works on machines other than my own.
I had several people playtest a slightly earlier version; at the time, the only level available was much too difficult, and the movement of the gun and the tractor "blob" was too slow. The gun was also difficult to aim. A second round of playtesting (involving just one person, unfortunately) involved the entire game, and several bugs were revealed--amazing how just putting the game in hands not one's own can result in such different playability! The playtest also revealed that the first level doesn't feel/look as nice as the other two levels; if time permits, I'll try to change it, but it may be a change that needs to wait until the next version.
Backgrounds and particle clouds will also be added if time permits, but with one week to finish and complete the write-up for the game, I'm not sure I'll get these done. They may also be "next version" items. (If so, I'd hope to have such an update done for the charity before Christmas.)
XML Feeds
