Assignment 3 Iteration and Changes
Since the release of the last test version, I have made numerous improvements based on player feedback, and I'm excited to announce that TurboThrills 1.0 is now officially released! Initially, we was informed that the final submission could not be iterated, but the latest update yesterday indicated that iterations were allowed. Therefore, I implemented the following optimizations.
Interface Improvements
Players pointed out that the game lacked necessary guidance, so I created a start screen to display the game instructions. Almost every game has a start screen, so we should have one too, enhancing the completeness of the game.
Iteration Showcase and Improvements
In the updated game showcase, I replaced all game assets based on the original One Page design concept. If you click the volume play button on the video, you can hear the new background music and various sound effects. These improvements are all based on player feedback. Here are the specific improvements:
Collision Detection: Fixed the issue where continuous collisions did not correctly deduct life points.
Life Points Display: The original status bar couldn't be resized, so I chose a new status bar for displaying life points. The new status bar is larger and more noticeable.
Timer Calculation: Fixed the issue where the timer paused incorrectly when players dodged traffic.
Oil Slick Texture: Replaced the oil slick texture; it's no longer an abrupt image.
Map Boundary Issues: Fixed the bug where vehicles could drive out of the map boundaries.
NPC Vehicle Spawning: Redesigned the logic for NPC vehicle spawning to resolve the issue of vehicles only spawning in certain lanes.
Balance Adjustments: Adjusted the vehicle's movement and turning speeds after testing. Now, players can move and turn faster to dodge traffic!
New Vehicle Added: Introduced a tanker truck. Colliding with it now costs twice as many life points compared to regular vehicles, adding more challenge.
Scaling Adjustments: Players previously reported that the spawned medical items were too small. We've now adjusted the scaling factor, making medical items easier to see and pick up (coins have been similarly adjusted).
Sound effects added
Challenges During Iteration
During development, we conducted only a small number of tests, resulting in a large number of event settings by the time the game was completed. Every time we attempted to modify certain functions, it caused a chain reaction. Specifically, when fixing the vehicle spawning issue, I discovered it was caused by an underlying logic problem from the early development stages. At that time, we simply set up left and right lanes and allowed two cars to spawn in one of the lanes. This meant that cars spawning in the left lane would never spawn in the right lane. To solve this problem, I redesigned the underlying logic for vehicle spawning, which took a lot of time and effort. I regret not following Fullerton's advice to conduct extensive testing early and often, rather than relying solely on internal testing (pages 279-280).
End Screen Optimization
To ensure consistency with the game's overall art style, I redesigned the end screen. The new end screen is not only more aesthetically pleasing but also better showcases the player's achievements and post-game information.