P(re).S(cript)
My game is only playable with controllers at the moment. I am uploading a recorded video of 'gameplay'
Description of what is it at the moment:
When the game launches there are two identical players, each can be controlled with a separate gamepad controller. The left joystick controls the direction of travel. The right joystick controls the direction a character is facing. There are gray cube floating in front of each character, those are hitboxes that are intended to kick the other player away from you (and hopefully off of the platform). Those are activated with the 'east' button on the controller.
The game is playable without the kick function, it is just difficult to have a heated match with the state it is in.
I set out to:
-Create a two player lawn mower "bumper kart" game. Where the objective was just to knock the other player off of the pillar that both you spawn on.
-I ended up switching from bumper karts as the way to bump people off of the pillar to kicks. The kicks would be slow, and difficult to hit, but the payoff would be great. If the other player is hit, they will slide a good distance. Slow kicks are a way to create a bit of suspense and keep the game from being too easy.
-The concept of a simple two player fighting game seems great to me. I always enjoyed playing them with my brothers and friends. So with this game I'm hoping to make something a little bit competitive, and hopefully fun, that I can play with friends and family.
I ran into a few problems:
-Scope creep, as I was a little naïve about game production going into this project. I thought it might be too easy to build what I set my eyes on. So I kept altering and redesigning the game on paper, trying to build up a good foundational idea. This would typically be a good way for me to ensure that I'll be spending my time working towards something I feel is worthwhile. But I very quickly realized once I started using Unity that much more would need to go into the technical side of things, than the theoretical. Because I chose to use Unity in this way.
-I got caught up in the minutia at first, I spent much time figuring out how to make my front end look pretty. I didn't yet have the backbone to support it. Implementing my animation and character model was discouraging at first. Not knowing what I was doing wrong, or if anything I was trying was getting me any closer to my goals. This struggle did, of course, feel great to overcome when my character was controllable in game.
What I did accomplish:
-creating a simple map
-Bringing in my 3d model into unity, and making it work.
-implementing controls for the character.
-implementing a second player that can interact with the first.
-coming up with theoretical ways of "kicking" the opponent... none have worked as of now.
-creating movement that has a bit weight to it.(acceleration, turn speed/interpolation)
What I learned:
-A lot about preparing 3d models for unity.
-About the plethora of skills required to build a game from scratch
-That knowledge of the language of code helps immensely in using AI. e.g. in the self-directed coding project I knew exactly what questions to ask, and for the most part what commands would be beneficial to my goal. In this project I didn't do much research on the coding language, so even though it seemed similar, I lacked some of the technical language that would have been helpful in prompting, understanding, and editing the code.
The Next steps...
-I need to learn about about getting a little more "hands on" with coding in unity
-Create a functioning kick -> Figure out a way to create a satisfying illusion of slippery ground -> Create animations for the actions in this game (idling, sliding, kicking.)
-Make the game reset when a character is knocked off the pillar (maybe giving a point to the opposing player)
-In my research on game dev & design, I became intrigued by an application called "Godot". I will look into it for the next time I'm working on a project similar to this.
A Few Resources:
-How to Move Characters In Unity 3D | Character Controllers Explained
-The Ugliest Videogame Ever Made
- Tutorial on incorporating animations from Paul
-Don't use the Unity Animator, Use Code Instead! - Tutorial
-The Difference Between Fun and Frustrating Games
-How to Move Characters in Unity 3D: Animated Movement Explained [Built-In Character Controller #2]
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