next »

[zzyDipper]

Alpha Devlog

11/10/2024 - 11/17/2024

This week, we introduced a basic stove to streamline cooking steps and accelerate gameplay, making it more intuitive and engaging. The original cooking system, now called the fancy stove, is reserved for crafting special dishes for rare special customers (1-2 per day). Serving these customers increases the restaurant's shiny value, which, upon reaching a threshold, levels up the shiny level and boosts dish prices. This dual-stove approach balances fast-paced gameplay with deeper strategic decision-making. Additionally, we added a utility fee system, requiring players to pay before opening the restaurant each day, with failure resulting in game over. Improvements were also made to customer animations and logic, ensuring actions are more vivid and understandable. The serving method was changed to mouse-click for greater clarity. For outdoor gameplay, we addressed feedback by allowing players to retain previously purchased weapons, added three new enemy types (including a boss), and introduced a map feature to aid navigation. Enhanced animations, sound effects, and a dash ability further improve the outdoor experience, addressing player concerns about slow movement.

Next week, we aim to refine the progression and shiny level system, ensuring it is intuitive and engaging. We'll closely monitor player reactions to the current shiny level display and make adjustments to enhance clarity. Outdoor gameplay will see the addition of task-based guidance to help players collect required ingredients, creating a stronger sense of direction and purpose. Continued polishing of animations, sound effects, and tutorials will remain a priority as we work toward a cohesive and immersive player experience.

link to current downloadables: https://www.indiedb.com/downloads/monster-munchise/#8885571

[zzyDipper]

Beta Log

11/18/2024 - 11/25/2024

Weekly Updates Summary

1. Bug Fixes and Layer Improvements:
   - Resolved indoor and outdoor layer bugs, fixing player layer conflicts in scenes.

2. Shiny Level System Enhancement:
   - Serving special customers grants upgrades, increasing dish prices.

3. New Features:
   - Added two NPCs for tutorial and shop functionality.
   - Updated the tutorial with dialogue boxes for smoother and more narrative-driven guidance.

4. Audio Updates:
   - Improved background music and sound effects to better match the game atmosphere.

5. Game Loop Optimization:
   - Removed hunting and shop earnings mechanics.
   - Limited the game loop to 3 days, with the goal of maximizing coin collection within that period.

6. Outdoor Gameplay Changes:
   - Made player attacks more responsive.
   - Introduced a backpack for storing ingredients and weapons.

7. Visual and UI Polishing:
   - Added particle effects and improved rendering for both indoor and outdoor scenes.
   - Unified the UI across indoor and outdoor gameplay.
   - Added scene transitions for smoother experience.

8. Player Control Enhancements:
   - Made controls more intuitive (e.g., mouse scroll for weapon changes, right-click for dashing).

9. Guidance and Soft Lock Fixes:
   - Addressed soft lock issues.
   - Streamlined player guidance for clarity.

Motivations:

We made these changes primarily to enhance the smoothness of the player's experience and improve immersion through polishing, avoiding disruptions caused by immature designs. Additionally, changes to the gold and other economic systems were mainly aimed at improving the game's balance, allowing players to have more choices in the early stages of the game.

Plans for Next Week

Indoor Improvements:

 - Optimize lighting effects for better visuals.

 - Enhance UI to make the coin collection process more noticeable.
 
 - Refine the game's numerical system for improved balance.
 
 - Add new furniture and table varieties to enrich customization.

Outdoor Enhancements:

 - Introduce elite monsters that drop keys to unlock the final boss room.
 
 - Implement a weapon upgrade system.
 
 - Further polish the responsiveness of player attacks and enhance monster sound effects.
 
 - Ensure defeated monsters do not respawn, encouraging players to explore more of the map.
 
 - Replace the wooden panel displaying weather and time with a more refined clock-like panel.

[zzyDipper]

Gold Log

02/12/2024 - 09/12/2024

What’s New?
This week, we've introduced several exciting updates to refine and expand the game experience! Outdoor scenes now feature smoother transitions, enhancing immersion as you navigate the world. The weapon system has been polished for better combat dynamics, with rebalanced damage values ensuring fairer gameplay. A visually stunning dash enhancement adds a polished trail effect, and we've introduced a new boss in the outdoor area to challenge seasoned players. On the indoor front, we've overhauled the UI and level balancing to create a smoother player experience and resolved bugs related to layers and colliders. Lastly, we've added a ranking system for competitive players and improved the ShinyLevel UI, making progression clearer and more engaging.

What’s the Motivation?
Our primary goal this week was to improve immersion, accessibility, and engagement. Polished visuals and smoother transitions make the game world more cohesive, while rebalanced combat ensures challenges feel rewarding, not frustrating. Adding randomness to special customer spawns and a ranking system boosts replayability, keeping the experience fresh and competitive. Finally, addressing player feedback through bug fixes and UI updates ensures the game feels intuitive and accessible as we prepare for public releases.

What’s Next?
Looking ahead, we plan to introduce enhanced indoor mechanics to streamline gameplay further. For indoor, we will make improvement based on players' feedback.