Hi everyone!

We just ended the second sprint of our development, which means that the polish phase is coming up next. This week was our last chance to add any new features to the game. Gameplay wise the core was already there however, so this wasn't really a problem for us. We focused on more quality of life things as well as some more map refinements. Let's get into the improvements of this past week!

Main Menu

We showed you guys the fully functional main menu last week, and based on feedback we received it was clear the background of the main menu didn't quite fit with the style of the other menu's (at least in it's current state).

This is why we decided to turn it into a 3D scene to use as background on the main menu instead of a painting, since that's what we do for all other menu's in the game as well.

Map/Assets

Some more changes have been made to the map including new assets like skulls, cave paintings, grass and a brand new backdrop! The background mountains will still be refined more during the polish phase but for now they get the job done.

Miscellaneous Stuff

These are some small things we did that can kind of be grouped together such as some new sound/visual effects during the pre game lobby and tutorial screen, an improved tar pit model, fallen tree models and a timer above the player carrying fire so they know when the fire will go out. We also added some post processing to make the game more vibrant and colorful, along with some smaller effects like a subtle vignette and some bloom increase to make the fire pop.

Gameplay Improvements

This week, we worked on making the game clearer and more interactive. We improved the music system so it plays more smoothly and responds better to what's happening in the game. We also added a new visual indicator for the "Fire Item" that shows how long it will last, helping players keep track of its remaining duration more easily.

A fun new feature is that you can now drop pushable obstacles onto other players to stun them, adding more strategy and surprise during gameplay. The water obstacle now interacts with the Fire Item too. if you pass through it while holding the item, its duration will be reduced. This feature is working but still missing visual and sound effects for now, but this will be implemented in the next two weeks.

Lastly, we added a UI indicator for interactable items, making it much clearer what you can and can’t interact with in the game world. These changes all work together to make gameplay feel smoother, more readable, and more engaging.

End Screen

The end screen now correctly displays which player gathered the most sticks, stole the most fire, etc... The rock that is being used as a podium is now also finally here!

Reworked Tar

The tar pit now becomes visually more empty when you pick up tar from it and  it regens in steps instead of smoothly. This was done purposefully so the player can clearly and easily see when the tar pit has refilled.

The models for when the player is holding the tar and when the tar is flying have also been implemented now, alongside the trail particle effect and splash VFX and SFX. The tar pool on the ground now start slowly sinking into the ground when it decays.

Item socket

Finally after weeks of being annoyed by this issue, we have fixed the item socket of the player. Due to some things we changed during the project this was broken for a while and just set to a random bone of the players hand,  but now it is a proper socket. It works well with all items in the game.

Music

There already was music in the game last week, but now when the game comes to an end it also speeds up, further notifying the players the game is about to end!

Thank you for reading this week's Devlog and following our progress so far! We only have a small amount of time left to make this game the best is can be and we are so grateful for the feedback given to us by our peers and mentors. We'll continue to do our best in these last 2 weeks.

With love and fire, the Dev-men.