Devlog #4: Core mechanics implemented

Hi, and welcome back for another round of juicy updates! Since our previous Devlog, we’ve been hard at work implementing stuff, and we now have a lot to tell you about:

One of the core mechanics of the game is now mostly feature complete, items can now be picked up from the ground, and from different item sources available in the level map. One type of these item sources (The one already implemented) corresponds to flowers and mushrooms, which will in turn allow you to pick up an item corresponding to their species when pressing Space in front of them.

All features of the cauldron have been implemented, allowing players to introduce items by standing in front of the cauldron and pressing Q. The action of putting something inside the cauldron will produce a little frame with an image corresponding to the type of item you put in, so you can, at all times, know what you have already put inside. If a given amount of items is reached (3 for the cauldron), the brewing process will begin, and after a predetermined time, your brewed potion (if you put the right ingredients) will be ready to pick up by standing in front of the cauldron and pressing Q. An animation of smoke coming out the cauldron will play out to indicate the brewing process is ready.

For our next devlog, we expect to have more workstations fully feature complete (or at least some of them), and to incorporate more ingredients and recipes. 

We added another core mechanic of the game which is the customer controller. This controller has the responsibility of spawning customers in the store randomly (between a selection of 4 possible customers). Customers now also have a brand new bar over their heads, representing their patience level, which indicates the remaining time they will wait for their order.

Another feature of this controller is the score system, now in the upper left corner of the screen there is a coin with a number at its side, which indicates the score achieved collectively by all players.

Finally we added a win and lose condition for the game, which is also managed by the controller, now at the bottom right corner of the screen there is a timer, which indicates the duration of the level. When the timer and the level ends if the players pass a certain threshold of score points, they will win the game, otherwise they lose.

For the next milestone in this area we expect a few goals:

1- polish the values of various mechanics, like level timer, score threshold to win, patience of the customers, score points gained by potion delivered, spawning pace of the customers, etc.

2- Make the customers ask for specific potions (selected randomly).

3- Make the players lose score points when they give a not-requested potion to a customer.

4- Give a dynamic amount of score points based on how fast they delivered a valid potion to the customers.

5- Include sound effects to instances like deliver a potion.

Finally, a grimoire was added for each potion's recipes. For now, we'll begin by describing just one, the Potion of Healing, which lists the three components needed to create it. To interact with the book, we must approach it and press the "E" key. Once opened, we can move forward and backward between pages. To exit, we can press the same key again or use the "X" button in the right corner.

Additionally, animations were added to the mortar and grimoire so they stand out within the map, the point is to make the player aware that these are interactable objects, unlike others that are merely decorative. Finally, as said before, a victory and defeat screen was created that appears according to whether the player met the score goal within the given level time.

The next devlog is expected to have the remaining three recipes for the missing potions, each with specific materials for their construction. Chests will also be added to collect the other non-plant ingredients, in addition to improving and customizing the victory and defeat screens and the lobby. Missing details such as animations, music, and sounds are also expected to be added to enhance the atmosphere.

We hope to have updates very soon, but until then, Have a nice day 🙂