3/2/18- AI and Status Effects
Hey Lava Bear fans! Parker here with another development update!
This week, I'm afraid that I have to start off with a bit of an editorial. Last week, I posted a showcase of a few excellent models by one of our online artists. However, I got his name wrong; it's Jake, not James. I still feel kind of awful about that. My bad!
However, I would like to announce that we'll be publishing a title that Jake has had in development, a little game called ArcherMan! Check out the alpha over at http://www.josephjakewilliams.com/?p=1535.
Without any further ado, let's move on to progress reports for this week!
Design
This week, there's not much to report on the design end of things. I'm still working on developing the first boss fight, and I'll be moving on to a few modifications to the current level design, primarily with the interest of adding more objectives.
Ian made a simple debug menu so that we can test different attributes of the character controller, so that's something!
Art
Ian takes a quick break from UI design to enjoy his cinnamon bites.
UI is coming along well! Ian is still designing stat windows for the character, as seen here. Much discussion was sparked over these.
Bryce finds the hair tool
Trent and Bryce are still hard at work on character models, and Tuesday is designing individual parts for the ship, which seems to be nearing completion!
Programming
AI units!
Dave came through this week with a few serious developments for our AI! Now we can spawn additional units who will follow you around.
Garret, hard at work
Garret has been working on our status system, creating statuses that can be applied to the player or to enemies. Some of these are going to be implemented in our upcoming boss fight!
Lore Corner: Verner Coulhurst
On Hoelia, few names are as widely despised as that of governor Verner T. Coulhurst, the head of the planet's provincial government. As such, he's also commander in chief of the Syndicate's military might.
Fifteen years ago, no one would believe that Coulhurst would end up in the middle of one of the largest civil wars in colonized space. He started working for the Stratum Corporation fresh out of college, a student of business and politics from Beta Centauri. A soft-spoken young man, he was originally hired as an interpreter to assist with business transactions between Stratum and other, far-flung mining companies.
Verner demonstrated an aptitude for negotiation and deal making early on in his career, which fast-tracked him into politics. After serving well for ten years in a provincial office on the asteroid colony of Trebia, members of Stratum's political affairs division recommended him to run for political service on Hoelia. He accepted, and was quickly elected to serve the people of Stratum. Unfortunately, he was unaware of the brewing financial situation that the members of upper management saw on the horizon.
Suddenly, Coulhurst found himself in the middle of an escalating conflict. He passed several measures in an attempt to appease the protesting miners, while at the same time appealing to Stratum for support. When the Syndicate was established and brought up to strength, he was hesitant to utilize them in an extensive capacity, believing that there was still a diplomatic answer to the situation. As negotiations broke down, he reluctantly enacted a number of measures to restore order to his population centers.
As the war has gone on, Coulhurst has become a polarizing figure. Syndicate sympathizers think that he's a man saddled with a difficult job, while Coalition citizens paint him as the devil himself. At the center of it all is a man attempting to hold together a planet that seems to be tearing itself apart.