Dev Diary #3


It's been longer than I intended since I've made an update. I've been working hard on implementing gates. The ultimate goal of each level will be to get from the starting point to the ending point while avoiding Chasers and dealing with how the maze is spawned, but the Dreamer's journey will be complicated by these gates, which can have up to 4 locks on them.

There are currently two types of "keys" for these gates, with another method of unlocking them still to come. But so far, we have Fruit Keys and Chaser Catcher Keys.

The Fruit Keys are pretty straight forward. In the above image, you'll see a yellow pedestal and a picture of a lemon on the gate. Put a lemon on the yellow pedestal, and you're done. 

Chaser Catcher Keys are slightly more complicated. The symbol on the right side of the gate matches the symbol on the ground next to it - ergo, the must be linked. In this example, the jewel floating above the Chaser Catcher is red, but the ring on the floor is blue. Hmm...

As you can see in the video below, I find a blue jewel laying around elsewhere in the level. Once I get it, I can swap it with the red one, so that there is now a blue jewel floating above a blue ring (the red one going into my inventory), and sure enough, when the Chaser steps into that ring, a blue beam of light traps him!

With the yellow lemon in place and the Chaser trapped in a blue beam, the green door opens! The color of the door on the gate will always be based on the colors of the locks to further reinforce what you need to open them. 

Lastly, there is one final symbol on the gate - a single arrow. This means it is a one-way gate. So of course, after I pass through, the door shuts behind me. In real levels, this would leave me stuck in the next section of the level, unlike this example where I can just walk around it. Gates with two arrows will be two-way gates.

My next task is to create one more method of unlocking the gates. I haven't decided if I'll share it or keep it as a surprise for the final game. But after that, I mostly have some smaller mechanics and features left to implement. Then it's on to finalizing art, audio, and building levels!

If you want any insight on how any of this was set up, mention it in the comments and I'll be sure to go more in depth!

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