Saeed Sabke's Dev Log

Note: Before I started this log, I had programmed a jetpack pickup that lets the player glide for as long as the player has mana, with two different variants of air distance, and a small and simple level to test out the jetpacks. I don’t believe this is used in the final game, and since I only started this log after the fact, I’m not sure exactly what dates and times I worked on it. I’d have to estimate that the total time spent on it adds up to about a week's worth, more or less.

10/31/2024, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM

Name of skill: The Triad Disperser

Narrative function - where is it?

After the basic robots, which only shoot single forward flying bullets, their next line of defense is the robots equipped with The Triad Disperser. These robots are identical to the basic robots, but their guns look different, and can shoot three bullets that fan out forward. When the player has this gun, each shot takes three ammo instead of one, due to it shooting three bullets at a time, but does not require any other power source that the base gun doesn’t.

Item description:

The robots came up with this gun for the purpose of crowd control, with the three spreading bullets being able to shoot three targets. However, it was also designed to be energy efficient, so they are just three basic bullets with no added power or abilities, and they don’t spread out super far from each other, so targets have to be close together in order to hit multiple targets. On the bright side, multiple bullets hitting the same target naturally means more damage than a single bullet. After considering these ups and downs, the robots decided to use these as the next line of defense after the basic robots, hoping that the number of bullets overwhelm the human invaders and scare them off, and if the humans don’t run away at that point, the robots always have all their more powerful robots to throw at them.

10/31/2024, 7:00 PM to 10:00 PM

Basic Tutorial Dialogue Idea: 

When the Triad Disperser robots first appear: “Alright, rookie, you did a good job taking care of those basic bots, but they're getting their next line of defense out now. These bots have Triad Dispersers equipped, so they can shoot more bullets at once. Just don’t get overwhelmed, and take care of them the same way you did the last ones.”

When the Triad Disperser robots are defeated, and the player is granted The Triad Disperser: “Great job, rookie. Looks like one of them even dropped their Triad Disperser. Go pick it up, and you can use it for yourself!”

11/7/2024, 12:30 PM to 3:30 PM

Final Scene First Draft:

Once the player equips the Parasol, the screen begins to fade to black, with a message on screen reading “Error: power overload/ emergency shut down.”

SGT. GONZALEZ: Aw, dangit! I had real high hopes for this one! SGT. GONZALEZ: *sigh*... alright, men. Bring it in for repairs.

Sounds of soldiers coming in and picking up something metallic can be heard, but get fuzzy over time before cutting out entirely.

11/14/2024, 12:30 to 3:30 PM

Sgt. Gonzalez Dialogue:

Look out! Stray bots looking for a fight!

Idea for Enemy with Triad Dispenser: Bombardier Beetle-Type SCARAB

Potential Game Name: Invasion of Insectoid Sector

11/21/2024, 12:30 to 3:30 PM

List of controls:

W = Strafe Forward

A = Strafe Left

S = Strafe Backward

D = Strafe Right

Mouse Movement = Move Camera

Left Click = Shoot

Right Click = Aim

Space = Jump

Q = Swarm Missiles

E = Pick Up Weapon

F = Drop Weapon

12/1/2024, 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm

Bombardier Bot Details:

Enemy Name?

Bombardier Bot

Where does it come from? What AI is it connected to? 

They are essentially leftover copies of the basic robot type, modified with a different gun known as “The Triad Disperser”. This gun shoots the same type of bullets as the basic bots, but shoots three at a time instead of one in an attempt to overwhelm targets, hence the name “Bombardier”.

What is the connection to the player character?

These are the second enemy robot the player encounters after the basic bots, and are also the first enemy robots the player can use a part of, using its spread shooting Triad Disperser to temporarily shoot three bullets at a time instead of one. Since the player has already learned how to deal with basic robots, and these robots are identical to those outside of their Triad Dispersers, the player should be able to wrap their head around their multi shots and using their weapon for themself.

What is the enemy’s backstory?

These were designed as a form of resource efficiency. They are modified copies of the basic robot model, and their three bullets don’t require much more energy than the single bullets of the basic bots. Rather than being the robot’s more powerful lines of defence, they are more so designed to scare away the more timid soldiers by overwhelming them with a larger number of projectiles, thus leaving less soldiers for the tougher but less mass produced robots to take care of.

What is the enemy’s relevance in the narrative?

With these being the second type of enemy soldiers face after the basic bots, and them being so identical to the basic bots in power, it leads to soldiers underestimating how powerful the later lines of defence are.

How does the enemy work, and how is it related to the narrative?

They behave identically to the basic robots fought before them, simply heading towards the player and shooting at them with basic bullets. The only difference is that they shoot three at a time in a forward fanning pattern.

What are the constraints of the enemy?

Other than shooting three bullets at a time instead of one, they and their bullets are identical in power to the basic robots, so are just as easy to defeat and only a bit harder to evade.

Sgt. Gonzalez’s Dialogue:

When they first appear:

“Alright, rookie. You took care of those basic bots just fine, but now they’re breaking out their next line of defense. These buckets of bolts have Triad Dispersers equipped, meaning they can shoot multiple bullets at once. Better get to dodgin’, soldier!”

When they are defeated: 

“Looks like the rust bucket dropped its Triad Disperser. Pick it up and attach it to your gun. Then you can use it for yourself! Be careful, though. I bet the thing only has a couple more good uses before it finally busts.”

Tutorial Text for Triad Disperser:

When encountered:

Press E to pick up an enemy’s weapon. Press F to drop the weapon.

When equipped:

Press Left Click to shoot The Triad Disperser.

12/5/2024, 12:30 pm to 3:30 pm

Bombardier Bot Enemy Card Text:

Bombardier Bot: Repurposed cannonheads equipped with a special gun known as the Triad Disperser, which allows them to shoot three bullets at a time instead of one. Besides that, their behavior and bullets are identical to the cannonheads, so just don’t get overwhelmed, and you should be able to take care of them rather swiftly. You might even be able to use their Triad Dispersers for yourself to triple your firepower!

Final Thoughts:

What did I learn during this project?

I learned how to program glides and wall jumps, as well as just how interconnected the different teams within a project really are. The programmers, artists, and writers need to constantly check up on each other, because everything each team does affects everything that all the other teams do.

What was the most surprising part of this project to me?

How simultaneously easier and harder it is to work with a group than working alone. Working with a group lowers the workload on me, but also means I need to keep up to date with my work so I don’t fall behind the rest of the team.

What do I consider my greatest achievement during this project to be?

The gliding jetpack I programmed. It may not be used in the final game, but I love gliding moves in games, so I’ll definitely be using that for my own games now that I know how to make it.