I hope y'all are enjoying your breaks and stuff.
Here's a few updates:
-If you didn't notice, the game has newer, cleaner sound effects. I've been aiming to replace all reused sound effects and I am almost done. For those of you that found the wave beam's sound annoying, I've changed that too.
-The game's first major boss has been finished, coding wise. Once he undergoes a graphical revision, I will work on mapping his hideout.
-Several new, much more intelligent, more interesting enemies have been coded. Graphically, they're blobs and bricks. I hope to get them looking better soon.
-SPACE PIRATES ARE INTELLIGENT! Prior to now they would just patrol and occasionally fire at random. I know this seems minor, but its a landmark for me in developing AI. Once they notice you, they actually bother to stalk you, shoot at you, jump, and face you when they shoot. Long story short, the brainless pirates in the demo are no more.
-I'm currently redoing the HUD to be much more accessible and less intrusive. It was pointed out the me in the demo that the egg meter (the charge coil icon in the final game) obscures doors that go upwards. That's my main focus in redoing the HUD. I'm also trying to get a minimap in there, though my main focus is just the necessities, so this may be pushed for later.
With those said, I also want to say that I'm also starting a little Metroid related side project. I've been trying to stop myself from doing this, as I thought it would slow the development of this game. Truth is, the time I spent wishing I could have a side project is time I spend not working on this. Don't worry, however, this game is still my main priority.
Happy Holidays!
