Started plugging in the different objects and actors I wanted to change per “time shift.” It will take some sharp eyes to find all the things that are new within the level. I hope players don’t get too annoyed by it. It took awhile for be to be able to change one of the skeletal meshes because the animation would apply to the mesh for some reason. I eventually found the solution by furiously testing different nodes.
It was fun to be able to switch back and forth between time periods. I still wasn’t properly updating the sun. Once I figured the right way to rotate it then the shadows followed suit properly. A lot of happy accidents come about while I am developing. The one clock tower creates a nice shadow over the map.
I wanted new items to appear in the level but with the way I made them I couldn’t simply make them invisible. Instead I thought of a trick many game developers use. I simply put the objects below the map out of reach. And when I want them to be placed in the level I change teleport them to a specific spot.
It was important that there were changes with every shift, so I added changes that are barely noticeable.
The character can do a super block where the attack causes them to heal, but it depletes the shield. It played the animation where the shield breaks but I replaced it with a more appropriate action to convey that it did something positive.
I’ve been thinking for awhile about how I want to create the different songs for each fight. Since I had separates tracks for the music I commissioned I could mix and match the various tracks. I had a small idea of which instruments would be for which stages. I started by laying the tracks out on audacity and muting different ones to see how they sounded together. The bass line is probably the most important part of the song. After experimenting I found different versions that I wanted to use for the first, second, and third stage. I plugged it into the levels and it sounds awesome.
I changed the save point in the house to a lantern. Some parts of the level were looking sparse. To fix that I added a bit more foliage especially at the top of the landscape. Now it looks less barren and slightly more believable.
I am quite happy with where the second stage is. After checking a few more things I will proceed on improving the third stage which I know requires the most improvements.
GoldenGratus Games 