GMTK Game Jam 2024 - Build to Scale.

An FPS puzzle game where you have to escape rooms using a scaling gun.

Backlog from earliest to latest.

• Scaling power
• Ease scaling effect
• Change the scalling factor with scroll.
• Apply scaling effect with current scaling factor.
• Left click to stretch and Right click to shrink.
• Add soundFX on shrinking, stretching (use the scale factor to alter pitch)
• Make the scaling a behaviour
• Create gun mechanics: shoot a ray, visual FX for both types of scaling
• Add gun sound FX
• Add gun cool down before next shoot
• Gun diegetic HUD
• Add particles when shooting the ray
• Review timing between shooting and scaling
• Create a standalone RayBeam GameObject to Instantiate in the scene
• Implement a FS movement: walking and looking
• Assembly FS, gun and scaling systems
• Make the player jump (Character Controller).
• Start state with UI
• Lose state with UI
• Winning state with UI
• Reload from scene one
• Design puzzle one - intro
• Design puzzle two - explore
• Design puzzle two - final
• Add a crosshair
• Remove GameObject once they reach a minimum scale threshold
• Change the gun with a bigger one
• Apply texturing to rooms, geometries and hazards
• Import PSX fonts
• Design Start, Lose and Win GUI
• Add diegetic guides to teach mechanics - Level one: "There an obstacle on the way, shrink it", and so
• Explain that shapes won't scale more than x2.0
• The large shapes on levels four and five need to get blocked after scaling it x1.0
• On level five, the platform needs to be shorter so it won't pass if the player shrinks it
• Change the color of geometries when reaching max local scale
• Create the N pre-defined geometries for scaling and update them on the levels
• Add visual style on GUI
• Fix mouse sensitivity
• Shake the camera on every scaling (depends on the cinemachine FP feature)
• Add a hand holding the gun
• Reload current level/scene (Pressing R)
• Add gun animations
• Add soundFX to disappear from shrinking and stretching.
• Create a practice system where the Geometry disappeared

Puzle anotations link

• Clear objective. The user just needs to figure out how to do it.
• Clear rules and understandable limitations
• A conflict, an assumption, and a revelation.
• Build on top of the previous knowledge, ramping up in difficulty.
• Steps, solutions, number of mechanics.

Puzzles

1. A large box is blocking your way, shrink it.
2. A lava river is in your way, but there is a box you can use to stretch it and cross
3. Little lava river, use the boxes on the ceiling so they can fall on the lava
4. Scale a prism to push a ball into a pit and jump on top.
5. Theres a chasm, use the scaling momentum to push a ball to help you cross
6. The exit is high up; use the boxes to create a ramp
7. The way out was hole; use the boxes to create a bridge

DevLog

• Later, I realized that the CharacterController was not the best option if I wanted to enable the scaling geometry to propel the player upward.
• The geometries persist on their local scale. A set of elements with pre-defined sizes at local scales of 1.0 is needed so the gun can interact with that.
• Using a cube to manually scale makes it difficult to limit and define the threshold. Having defined geometries of different shapes and sizes allows for homogeneous scaling.
• They may change color to clearly indicate that the geometry has reached its maximum scaling state.

References

[1] iHeartGameDev, How to Jump in Unity 3D: Jumping Like Mario [Built-In Character Controller #3], (Jul. 18, 2021). Accessed: Aug. 19, 2024. [Online Video]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2r3_KjChf4

[2] GDC, Math for Game Programmers: Building a Better Jump, (Dec. 12, 2016). Accessed: Aug. 19, 2024. [Online Video]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG9SzQxaCm8

[3] GDC, Level Design Workshop: Solving Puzzle Design, (Dec. 19, 2017). Accessed: Aug. 19, 2024. [Online Video]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0xBJwrm9C8w