Let There Be Sound

Hello and welcome to devlog two!

Lots of big changes here so I’ll cover each bigger section individually. I’ve also included some screenshots that show off the new look of the game. Let’s get stuck in!

Note: I’ve included a complete checklist of all changes (as I can remember them) at the bottom of this page, for that head to the last chapter!

Sound

As suggested by the title of this post, the biggest and most impactful change has to be the addition of not one but two music tracks (wow), and some sound effects. There are still some missing sounds including the much needed death sound, but it’s a huge improvement from before.

I used Acoustica Mixcraft 8 Pro with some of the bundled VSTs to create the music, and my trusty phone and front door to record the SFX. It’s not perfect, but with a bit of editing it manages to capture what I was going for, and with so many other things to tackle, perfectionism will have to take a back seat

Main Menu

One noticeably lacking thing from my game was the absence of a main menu. This meant players were forced into a timed scenario from the moment they started playing… not great. This has been fixed by the addition of a main menu. I snuck in the banner image from Itch here too. Looking good :D

Player Model Updates

I’m no artist, but even I can do better than two cube primitives. The test square had outlived its usefulness, it was time Joe got a new look. I decided that Flamin’ Joe is a suit man, and he likes hats. Quite stuffy, especially in a factory, especially a factory on fire; but you gotta do you! I was surprised how well it turned out all things considered; I’m very much looking forward to working with artists in the future!

The Fire System

A big change, and potentially the most beneficial from a player point of view is the change to the look and action of the fires! Still using the built-in particle system, but this time going for a much more minimal look, it’s easy to see where the fire is now situated. The radius is so obvious that it was possible to remove the square colliders and replace it with a single sphere collider and get a really fair feeling system! All now contained in a prefab, with updates to the lights for a better look, this has to be one of my favorite additions this time around.

Exit Sign

Several play-testers reported getting lost, hopefully that will no longer be the case with two exit signs guiding the way. I used Krita to quickly mock up some signs and dotted them around on two quad objects. A very small change, but I think it feels much better even if you did know where you were going. Really helps to flesh out the environment a bit. It’s unlikely I’ll have time with this game, but I will be taking this knowledge with me going forward.

Changelist

• Splash screen updated (Now includes the Ziszle branding)
• Main Menu (an animated play button + logo)
• SFX (door open, door slam)
• Background Music (Main gameloop track, end scene track)
• Brand new player model! (Yesterday’s square is today’s capsule wrapped up in a square suit complete with hat ;))
• Brand new fire system (replaces the old one entirely. Looks different, collides different, and fits the game much better!)
• Exit Sign texture added (No one should be getting lost on direction now with any luck!)
• New fire layout, it’s impossible to get trapped in certain locations now, and I’m hoping it’ll be slightly more challenging. Will adjust as required depending on feedback!)
• Lighting system re-designed (Range and ind intensity updates on the fire prefab, as well as switching the cameras to deferred mode have lead to a much better looking game!)
• Restructured hierarchy (Players won’t see this, but my oh my is it easier to work with. Definitely sped up development!)

BUGS & THE NOT SO GREAT:

• Sometimes the player can still move after hitting the exit point of the level.
• The music instantly cuts out, instead of fading out.
• There is no way to turn off the music or sound in-game. You can’t even turn it down, I’d like to address this if possible.
• The exit sign is in English and Mandarin, but the game’s end screen text is only in English. I’d like to address this if possible.

Ooof, that’s a lot of changes! Give the new build a shot and let me know what you think in the comments below!