Hey peeps! So as the title says, the Demo is now 100% Code Complete, meaning that I have all the features I needed implemented into the game. Now I can finally start building the Demo!
Big thanks to everyone who's stuck around and wishlisted the game! It means a lot to still have support, even if I didn't really have much visually to show for it.
However, the wait is over, and soon I'll be posting official gameplay clips, and then soon, the teaser trailer for the Demo!
Here are the final devlogs and bug fixes.
If you want to know how far development on the Demo is going, go ahead and check out my personal site, it has the official checklist. The site is still in beta so it's not pretty, but the checklist works Isometric World: Frame of Mind Progress
In total, during the development phase, I've made... 2 years, 22 weeks, and 4 days worth of devlogs 250 bug fixes
See you all soon in the Demo!
- L
FINAL DEVELOPMENT LOGS
9/1/22 - 8/3/22 - Slightly adjusted the sizing of Physics Stats to be a bit bigger - Added in Breakables - Posted the first development video showing Controller Physics being tested on my personal site - Continued adding in the final components for features
9/4/22 - 9/9/22 - Added in Edge Hoisting on interactable edges - Added in new icons to allow the player to know what objects they can and can't interact with in the environment - Updated the architecture of edges, making them either multipurpose (gripping & manual control) or hoist only - Changed the architecture of interactable, making them easier to have and much more lightweight - Added an upgrade to moveable objects, making them both lightweight, and having the exact some functionality needed
9/10/22 - 9/13/22 - Implemented Edge Gripping - Implemented Edge Hoisting - Implemented Edge Dropping - Added in new icons for Grippable Edges, Newton Buttons, and Breakable objects - Finished implementing Breakable objects - Added in text for Newton Buttons, to show how much weight they require to work, and how much is currently on them - Updated Controller Stepping to be able to calm and smooth - Adjusted the easing for lowering and hoisting over an edge, providing a nice curve and avoiding accidental phasing - Tweaked the stepping interpolation speed to be based on minmax and distance calculation - Updated the colors for each interactable object - Added in Edge Shifting Limiting, which means you can only move a certain amount of distance within the bounds of the edge - Updated the story and, creating the final version, and updated on Steam - Updated Stamina depletion to now be controlled by different rates based on actions, giving nicer and better control - Tweaked the speed capabilities for Edge Shifting, making the Rushing speed slower than the standard running speed
Finished bug fixing the base mechanics, marking the Code Completion of the Demo
FINAL BUG FIXES
- Fixed a bug where Cole would miscount slopes as steps, causing him to move, then get stuck - Fixed a bug where Cole would get stuck of he collided with a vertical object while moving up a slope - Fixed incorrect Physics display and calculating, resulting in update calculations vs fixed update, nothing needs rebuilding though, everything's good - Fixed a bug where the Trajectory Visualizer would flash red, even though the jump was being performed and all conditions are acceptable - Fixed a bug where Sprinting on a controller would get stuck and keeping being active, despite no input being set from a stick - Fixed a bug where the Trajectory Visualizer would stay white instead of red when the player isn't trying to move Cole - Fixed a bug where if you stood on an unusable Iso-Rotation Pad, then rotated, it would cause conflict and make the Quadrant Function Dial show 2 quadrants faced instead of one at a time - Fixed a bug where the interaction outlines and icons would interpolate incorrectly - Fixed a bug where interactable objects would not be reset correctly, causing the player to get caught in an interaction loop - Fixed a bug where Cole would be able to ram through moveable objects, despite him no longer being permitted to move - Fixed a bug where Cole would get stuck on a hoistable surface, due to gravity still having influence on him - Fixed a bug where Cole would launch himself if the player chose to hoist themselves over a multipurpose ledge - Fixed a bug where the player have to press the interaction button twice to reactivate a used multi-purpose ledge - Fixed a bug where Trajectory Visualizer would be drawn, if the player jumped to reach a Grippable Edge - Fixed issues in the Stepping architecture that would cause Cole to be launched when he was stepping over an object - Fixed a bug where Breakable objects would not calculate the force a rigidbody acted on it once collision occurred - Fixed a bug where the interaction outline for Newton Buttons would not fade in correctly - Fixed a bug where the Breakable Interaction Identifier would not disappear once the breakable object was destroyed - Fixed a bug where Ledge Shifting would not limit its start point, and cause it to interpolate towards end point - Fixed a bug where having a Gripping Edge active would prevent altering Cole's rigidbody component - Fixed a bug where if the player dropped from a gripped ledge, the ledge would not be usable again
August 2022 Development Logs
Development Logs
8/1/22 - 8/12/22 - Added in Platform Interactable Types - Updated damage from falling to now be referred to as Kinematic Damage - Got a new domain for my personal site which will contain all to know about me and devlogs for my projects - Continued with controls for moveable objects - Updated Camera Dynamics to provide more of a bounce / bob based on motion and velocity - Added in movement restrictions for Movable Objects, allowing the possibility to have track based interactions - Updated input axis detection to be mathematically correct, even when Velocity is 0'ed - Updated Deadzone Detection to account for all 4 directions for Movable Objects, preventing ramming - Continued working on my personal site
8/12/22 - 8/24/22 - Released my personal site to the public, to show updates in realtime on game development, along with an About Me - Added in Newton Buttons - Added in Step Detection for the controller - Added in new controls for temporary usage of continuous velocity for Physics actions - Upgraded deadzone detection to better handle upper hits, above what Cole will be able to step over - Upgraded deadzone detection to be less computationally expensive, and attempted follow Newton's Third Law of Motion - Removed Newton's Third Law as the collision detection upgrade was already working, and Force really didn't do anything - Updated the deadzone architecture to properly calculate collisions on a lightweight level and much more reliable behavior - Updated the Player Physics Collider to a reusable component for interactable objects - Restructured the Physics Collider to now be able to handle collisions correctly… FINALLY! - Updated Cubic Collisions… again, so now they work as intended
8/24/22 - 8/27/22 - Added in rotational calculation for moving interactable objects around - Began restructuring the controller architecture after finding inefficacies, resulting in bad Physics behaviors, including collisions - Restored all Locomotive and Physics System components, now mathematically correct and lightweight without the need for any complicated calculations or tweaks
8/27/22 - 8/31/22 - Updated jumping to now allow the player to charge their jumps ahead of time, but only perform the jump if they move - Made the Trajectory Visualizer turn red if the player doesn't move and charges their jump, showing that they can't jump unless they move - Updated Force to be Physically correct, so Force Level is now Net Force based on weight and velocity: (Net Force = Normal Force + Gravity Force) - Adjusted state checking for the controller, allowing correct control and interface - Attempted a few theories and methods for controller stepping - Reconstructed the Physics Collision component to handle ground states and stepping - FINALLY got controller stepping to be smooth and minimally structured
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a collision detection issue with the controller where extra flag bits would be add, despite the area of collision not meeting the proper conditions - Fixed a bug where axis restrictions would prevent mixing axes, preventing special Movable Object track types - Fixed a bug where deadzone detection of Movable Objects would not have their vectors in the right directions - Fixed a bug where deadzone detection would not work correctly if Cole faced Quadrants other than 1 - Fixed a bug where Moveable Objects would have their positions update on player rotation, instead of staying in their original spots - Fixed a bug where deadzone detection wouldn't handle corners correctly, allowing the player to ram through walls - Fixed a bug where the step detection would not detect a viable surface if the ground floor was tilted - Fixed a bug where stepping over obstacles would keep Cole moving continuously, despite already being on the ground and needing the player to handle input manually - Fixed a bug where Cole would hit a surface, and then even after he turned away, he would halt in place multiple times - Fixed a bug where Cole would not detect an upper surface keeping him from moving, despite there actually being one he's interacting with - Fixed a bug where Newton's Third Law was over calculated, causing Cole to launch instead of feeling recoil - Fixed calculation issues with collision angles and deadzones, making interactions unstable - Fixed a bug where Physics Collisions would not calculate the closest point, preventing the proper accountability of deadzones - Fixed a bug where the Dot Product of collisions would not return the proper value - Fixed a bug where Cole would still ram through the wall even though a collision occurred that's supposed to stop his velocity - Fixed a bug where Cole would be able to ram and phase interactable objects through walls, despite a collision happening, preventing movement, and then for some reason disabling the halt - Fixed a bug where interaction halting would not occur, despite Cole being in the proper scenario - Fixed a bug where ground checking would be incorrectly unflagged, despite the ground still being below Cole - Fixed an architectural issue where collision calculation would case cubic collisions to still cause temporary halting, then phasing if movement was still continued in the direction of the collision - Fixed a bug where the Trajectory Visualizer would not reset if Cole fell before the player could move and release the jump button - Fixed a bug where Cole would remain stuck on a wall if he jumped and crashed into one - Fixed a bug where Cole would face the wrong direction if the player rotated perspective - Fixed a bug where Cole would stop jumping after the player released the jump button, after charging their jump and tried to run - Fixed a bug where Cole would freeze in place when trying to step over objects - Fixed a bug where a slight jitter would occur when Cole is trying to step over a platform - Fixed a bug where Cole would get stuck in place on a wall if the player was on the ground, charged a jump, tried to sprint, and tried to jump - Fixed a bug where Force would build up, even though conditions would not allow Velocity to get above 0, such as trying to ram a wall - Fixed a test build mishap where the layout, settings, and physics calculations would pretty much not run and just flat out disappear
July 2022 Development Logs
Development Logs
7/1/22 - 7/9/22 - Updated LVIS to better handle Lighting and Shadows with the help of time and math - Spent the 2nd up to the 4th for my 21st birthday - Returned to development, ready and armed with higher gears and mojo - Added in Manual Jumping into the game, allowing small jumps or charged ones, but only when moving - Added in an icon indicator to show if the player can interact with an object or area with Physical actions - Added in a new responsive design for objectives and tasks, allowing ease of adding and updating tasks - Improved the controls for Sprinting, allowing better ease of motions for controllers (Currently only PS5 controller supported) - Added a new basis for Interaction UI - Updated Cole's Running animation to imply better motion and visual appeal - Finished mapping out the keybinds for the game - Updated the Stamina display to use math instead of incrementing and decrementing, resulting in possible accuracy issues
7/10/22 - Spent the whole day repairing and rebuilding the lighting data by having to transfer all assets to a new Unity project, which thankfully all works as it should without issue
7/11/22 - 7/23/22 - Added in Storypoint and Task UI to show the current chapter and what to do, given the current situation - Started designing a new pause menu to have a cleaner interface and architecture - Created a new style to add into the "Mechanical" look for the - Updated more Hexagonal UI to make halves contain height and consistent slants - Finished the basis for the Audio settings, creating a mixing board instead of purely sliders - Finished creating the functionality of the Audio Settings - Updated settings to use Unity's built in Playerprefs for options, making them easier to access and much more lightweight than just reusing Custom Binary Formatting for file saving - Created the interface for Screen & Display Settings - Finished creating the new settings interface and pause menu, giving a nicer feel and look - Created transition animations for the Pause Menu - Wrote the template for a new script to have improved dialogue and progression - Updated interaction prompts to have control over a shared single interaction instance, and only when needed - Added in a new animation for popping up action prompts - Updated the settings screen to display the correct information for Window Docking - Game input schematics will be updated to support Steam Decks instead of PS5 controllers as PSN licensing and partnership is fairly complicated to get without having your own office space… and Wi-Fi… that your parents don't pay for because you're an adult in school and still live with them - Updated the schematics to now support Generalized Gamepads, theoretically allowing the Steam Deck and any other controllers that can be used via USB
7/24/22 - 7/31/22 - Created EQ fixes for some sounds in the game - Exported certain audio files to .mp3 from .wav to reduce their size, unless they were loops - Removed old font files from the game - Created a temporary design for a trajectory visualizer - Scrapped the temporary visualizer to a new arc once the math was created - Added in a visual arc to show how far and high Cole will travel based on velocity and jump power - Spent a whole lot of time and chaos trying to get the math write on Trajectory Calculation - Updated the Trajectory Visualizer to now be accurate and a line renderer, showing how far you'll travel and how high - Added the proper rules needed to restrict Jumping logically, meaning that Cole will only be able to jump, given the context is correct - Updated the Trajectory Visualizer to now have a dashed pattern, and disappear the closer you get to the end point - Updated Jump build up to be influenced by weights, causing dampening that can make jumping at higher levels harder to achieve - Added in fall damage, giving bigger incentive to be careful with actions as Cole will face quite the damage - Adjusted Force to now use Forward and Vertical Force to determine Base Force Level - Added an adjustment to Fall Damage, making sure airtime is properly accounted for, instead of just Force Level - Continued with finish the main components for the Interaction System
Bug Fixes
- Fixed a bug where Vectorial Calculations would run again, despite only needing them to run once to calculate the proper data - Fixed a bug where Neutral Vectorial Data would not reset if Cole stepped on an Iso-Rotation Pad - Fixed a bug where Scrollable Panels would not prevent locomotive animations from playing - Fixed a bug where Scrollable Panels would not prevent rotation and movement from player input - Fixed game breaking issues with lighting that either resulted in no lighting being applied, or all materials being rendered as black on build - Fixed a bug where the Pause UI would prevent the user from using the available options due to input system issues - Fixed calculation issues when upgrading the Stamina meter to be math based instead of time based - Fixed calculation issues with the peak meters in the audio settings by spending 5 hours of insanity learning math - Fixed volume display issues after the math done to show the peaks at their maximum height was incorrect - Fixed an issue where post processing mixes would not load correctly if only the data was needed, but not the UI elements - Fixed an issue where multiple interactable designators would be activated, when only the closest one should be active - Fixed an issue where setting the window type would cause UI to have inaccurate interaction with certain elements - Fixed a curve accuracy issue where the expected trajectory and the actual performed force would be off by a few meters - Fixed a bug where the Trajectory Visualizer would have its points set to incorrect spots - Fixed a directional issue where going diagonally would cause the Trajectory Visualizer to have incorrect range - Fixed a bug where Force Build Up would exceed towards the maximum Gravity Force, if the player held down the run button while in the air after jumping - Fixed a bug where Ground Force would be retained when only fresh Gravity Force should be used - Fixed a bug where Jumping and hitting a wall would cause Cole to get stuck - Fixed a bug where Deadzone Detection would not prevent the player's collider from ramming through another one via brute force
March 2022 Development Logs
Development Logs
3/1/22 - 3/2/22 - Started updating the compositions for the official OSTs - Did some tests for clothing rigging and adjustments - Wrote up more of the help prompts for the in-game mechanics
3/4/22 - Continued writing more of the story progression to fill in some missing parts - Finished the needed animations for a special mechanic :).
3/4/22 - 3/10/22 - Finished composing Beyond The Mind - Start creating the layout for the new composition of the Major Puzzle Theme - Updated sprite slicing on a few images to retain their shape without needing small values - Continued writing the progressions, all the way up to Major Puzzle 1 - Separated the Altitude Progression files into separate documents - Updated the startup screen to now use groups to control opacity and reduce animation data - Updated the controller structures to now use Linear Algebra to determine angle directions instead of preset angles based on conditions
3/11/22 - Continued working on upgrading the controller upgrades - Finished upgrading the controller, now the size is reduced and much more efficient
3/11/22 - 3/21/22 - Upgraded the rotation Controls to be reduced in size - Finished composing Above The Skyline - Finished writing the progression for Section 1 of Altitude A - Finished writing the information panels for most features in the game - Tested and updated behavior on some physics features in the game - Created a new pause menu design as the old one was pretty janky - Created a new settings menu - Created a new focus based system for UI settings
3/21/22 - 4/1/22 - Continued with the design for the Pause Menu - Created transitions for swapping between panels in the Pause Menu - Decided to make the settings strictly in the Pause Menu to prevent convoluted systems - Updated value storing for the focus system - Reduced ops for value updating to up speed and performance - Started the new saving and loading system - Finished the remaining components needed in the settings - Settings system v2 is now complete! - File Saving and Loading v3 are now operational!
BUG FIXES
- Fixed an issue where the UI elements would not run their animations anymore once they were updated - Fixed directional issues with the new input axis angle calculation - Fixed a directional issue that caused the Auto Jump system to miscalculate direction - Fixed an issue where rotation would still be calculated from input instead of being left untouched during Auto Jumping - Fixed an issue where the Auto Jumping detector would not reset if it reached the end of its scan distance and found nothing - Fixed an issue where text values would not update once settings were loaded Fixed a mishap where the settings data would not store data… at all
February 2022 Development Logs
Development Logs
2/1/22 - 2/7/22 - Upgraded to Unity 2021.2 - Continued with creating and polishing some more UI assets - Created work for another feature as part of the lore and progress - Continued with finishing the composition of the Main Menu theme - Finished the Main Menu Recomposed - Updated some UI in the Main Menu to be more convenient - Began work on a special feature that will be revealed soon in due time - Created animations for said feature - Added in some new eye controls for Cole 2D - Added in some new facial details for Cole 2D to expand his appearance possibilities - Wrote the game progression out more and fixed issues, allowing a possible extension and upgrade to the game's features - Created the ideas for the story and level design, allowing much more fun and exciting concept - Started to restructure the Physics system after it broke - Updated the labeling and Isometric system to be more structurally easy to read - Repaired and upgraded the Stamina system to be more optimized and versatile - Repaired and upgraded the Auto Jump system to not only be more optimized but to also contain new factors and behaviors, allowing for more of what I planned to have in terms of Cole's capabilities and behavior
2/8/22 - Updated the fix for the continuous motion issue to be virtually accurate - Updated the Auto Jump system again, allowing Cole to detect any surface instead of just surfaces that have been marked - Reduced the in-game tag count to make it less cluttered
2/8/22 - 2/12/22 - Updated the Stamina system to now show a meter depleting behind the number of seconds you have left for a more accurate depiction - Did some UV tests on 3D Cole - Touched up Cole's topology and moved some facial parts to now be texture-based instead of completely modeled - Added in a new panel UI type to make it easier to display information in a way that makes it easy to take in small or large amounts of information - Updated the game's text font to contain some new mouse control glyphs - Removed unused sprites from the game's UI library - Added in vertical scrolling and controls for the new panel scrubbing UI - Added in control action response updating to let the player know what actions scrolling will do - Added in closing by scrolling past the last panel in a scrubbing group
2/13/22 - 2/27/22 - Took a small break to blow off some steam with something small, and also adjust to getting back to physical classes. - Finished creating Cole's new rig - Reorganized and polished some folders to make them easier to read and keep short - Renamed some files to make their purpose less of a puzzle to remember
2/28/22 - Created some updates to the site - Started Cole's weight painting
BUG FIXES
- Fixed an issue with Stamina calculation where values would turn negative instead of retaining positive values - Fixed a bug where Stamina would not refill, even if it wasn't maxed out - Fixed a bug where the Auto Jump system would incorrectly calculate forward distance - Fixed an issue where the Auto Jump system make Cole jump due to accidentally flagging ground that could be reached by falling as far - Fixed an issue where the Auto Jump system would not reset its detection after a surface was found - Fixed a bug where the Auto Jump system would not use maximum jump height - Fixed a bug where continuous motion would not move at the correct speed due to the element of user input missing - Fixed an issue where the Stamina meter would not retain itself at full when maxed out after regenerating - Fixed a bug where Cole would still be able to move and rotate when controller input is set to locked - Fixed a bug where the Stamina meter would not show how much depletion is left after some UI styles had an update
January 2022 Development Logs
1/1/21 - 1/13/21
- Began work on animating some scenes for 2D Cole
- Updated organization for animating 2D Cole to reduce animation amounts
- Updated the reference sheet for Cole to create a flat side view
- Created a head for 3D Cole v4.2
- Animated dialogue lines 1 & 2
- Imported Lines 1 & 2 into the game
- Began updating the dialogue system and some UI
- Rewrote a list to keep a much more detailed look at what needs to be done
- Updated the template scene to fix some layer & render issues
- Began planning an overhaul for getting content to roll out
- Created a doc containing the new details of the game's main features
- Started work on updating the website to showcase only the game
- Went back and forth on some new design changes and upgrades to the site interface
- Created a repository to preserve the main site to keep things from being overwritten
- Reorganized the Discord server to remove unused channels and keep it easier to find info on the game
- Posted every log and bug fix in the server to show all the progress that's been made since the game's start
1/13/21 - 1/16/21
- Rolled out the content overhaul for Steam, Twitter, and Instagram
- Instagram is now back online with the ability to post to desktop being available
- Updated the Steam update frequency to know to be prepared to show monthly logs, so logs have been better tracked
- Adding a new feature to the game to show the story series the game is a part of
- Wrote some notes to help track layer order rendering in the game
- Continued work on updating the soundtracks to the game
- Updated the Main Menu theme to now have a better intro and fixes on the soft progression
1/16/21 - 1/21/21
- Brief intermission to get some housework done [Unavoidable]
1/21/21 - 1/24/21
- Created some new icons for the upgrade tree
- Resized the sizes to make them be multiples of 4
- Continued working on Cole 3D 4.2, adjusting his mesh for errors in topology
- Reorganized some hierarchy naming and categorizing
- Began working on restructuring the game page on the site
- Rewrote the game's quick description to be more accurate
- Created the template design for the game's online page
- Began translating the designs to the web
1/25/21 - 1/26/21
- Finished creating the base components, including some animation, audio, and the game's logo
- Updated the audio files to better match what the hex navigation buttons are titled as
- Optimized some structure of the site to make it both easier and more performant
- Added in real-time and fluid transitions for some nice dynamics
- Updated the design once again to change the order of showcasing features and the description of the game
- Added in some responsive behavior to make it appear nicer on tablet dimensions
- Touched up and added in some missing information from elements on the site
1/26/21 - 1/30/21
- Added in some readjustments to the order of panels for the site
- Added in some more audio cues for the site for there to be messages from peeps who had a role in the game (which in reality is just me, a voice actor friend, and my childhood friend who I asked for help with some math bits for a section of the game)
- Created some new art for a few characters to see eventually in the series
- Continued to bounce back to work on Cole's 3D
- Made some adjustments to Cole's head to make it look more accurate to the character sheet
- Fixed some proportion issues with Cole's posture and legs
1/31/21
- Added in some adjustments to Cole's body some more
- Adding in the missing pieces of Cole's base model
- Temporarily added in 3D Cole 4.2 into the game to see height comparison with 4.0 to determine value adjustments for the physics system
- Continued work on the first group of lines for the first animated dialogue
