PROJECT: TFP SDCOM – 3

It has been a couple of weeks since I provided an update, but made some solid progress during that time!

In GDScript, added in a very simple randomizer for the hostile system to target the four cities. At the moment, I’m keeping the enemy missile count to 3 and I slowed the rate of descent to a few pixels each step “to aid testing.” I also implemented a simple score tracker with a default font. One would earn a small score for each enemy weapon neutralized, but a massive decrease for a destroyed city. After all, it is a nuclear weapon.

In terms of GIMP-based pixel art, I also drafted a simple explosion for the player’s missile as well as a colored draft for the city destruction animation.

All of these things can be seen in the video below!

In terms of next steps, I’m still undecided as to whether or not I want to show the remaining enemy weapons. I think that I won’t. But I will provide information on player reloads and, I think, a little indicator on the progress of the reload (like a filling circle, or something). The point is greater information on what’s going on. I’ll have to adjust the city explosion animation since (as should have been obvious as I was making it) that it looks awkward at the edges. But that’s why it’s an iterative drafting process!

With these last two additions, I think that the core gameplay will be set and I’ll then be moving on to working out leveling, story, and other additional gameplay elements.

Next Steps:

• Hostile weapon spawn point
  • Timer
  • Randomizations of numbers and locations
• GUI
  • score
  • enemy weapons left (no),
  • available player reloads
  • reload indicator
• Player missile explosion
• City destruction animation
  • Second draft silhouette
  • Draft in color and in Godot