Progress Update #2

Over the past 5 months, I've made some great progress to Surface Level, and I'm finally ready to share some of it!

In the last development log, I mentioned that the game was roughly the same length as its prototype (a game jam game from 2021), but with additional polish and a boss fight. Since then, I've spent a lot of time creating systems to support the development of Surface Level in the long-term, like:

• Moving the party around and transitioning between screens.
• Saving and loading game data. Physical and scripted save locations.
• NPCs and optional events/combats.
• An in-game currency (moss). Shops and upgrades.
• Visual post-processing.

I also mentioned last time that the "grayed-out" moves during combat sequences were technically functional, just not implemented yet. This is no longer the case! In addition to the introductory "combats" and the Jack-in-the-Box boss fight, the game now has 4 optional combats scattered throughout the early game.

I implemented two new music tracks titled Next Level and Aligned Like Stars. Check out the updated soundtrack, which includes unused music that I'm saving for later in the game.

Mentioning every other little thing I've added in the past 5 months would take forever, so here are some highlights:

• More tile variation and overworld art.
• A hefty amount of SFX and VFX, especially during combat.
• Some enemies can inflict a new status effect called "stun," which I plan to utilize in various ways.
• Hayes has a cute little wagon.

Importantly, some things still aren't in the game yet:

• There is still no main menu.
• The Jack-in-the-Box combat still doesn't have unique music.
• Piper's introductory combat still doesn't have unique music.
• One of the new combats ("Lars") is going to have unique music, but it doesn't yet.
• Avery's passive "NOT ME" still doesn't work yet. (patched!)
• Piper's combo system has not yet been implemented, meaning his passive "WHOLE LOTTA LOVE" is currently defunct. Implementing her combo system is a major priority for me. (patched!)

Going forward, now that I'm done with the majority of the game's major mechanics and systems, I plan on focusing on content. I can finally start making progress on the game in a more visible way, which is super exciting!

See you soon,
Cadence