November 2023

This month's development for Hook, Line, and Axe has been mostly pre production but also taking some pivotal steps by setting up essential infrastructure, and establishing core gameplay mechanics.

We've created a comprehensive production timeline that outlines the entire project's scope and estimates the time required for each milestone. This serves as our guiding roadmap, although it's subject to change as we continue development.

We've established a GIT project to house the source code and serve as our task management hub. This enables streamlined collaboration, version control, and progress tracking for our small team.

We made significant changes to the dash mechanic. Instead of dashing in the direction the camera faces, you now dash in the direction of the movement keys being pressed. If no keys are being pressed, your character dashes in the direction of the camera. This alteration makes the movement feel much more fluid and makes dodging attacks much easier.

Old

New

We've introduced a basic mantle mechanic, allowing players to climb up surfaces when they are within a certain range from the top of the surface. This dynamic feature enhances the exploratory aspect of the game, make movement easier and more fluid and allows the player to go exactly where they mean to when grappling.

We've implemented a basic turret system. Turrets have three states: patrol, alerted, and attacking. While patrolling, turrets rotate back and forth scanning for the player. When alerted, they turn to face the player, and in the attacking state, they stop and fire projectiles, creating strategic challenges for players.

A basic melee attack mechanic has been added, which detects the presence of an enemy in front of the player and damages it accordingly. This mechanic will be further refined in the future to synchronize with the attack animation.

When players deal damage to an enemy, the game now features high-contrast impact frames on the screen, along with a damage amount popping up at the point of impact and a slight screenshake. These visual cues enhance the feedback and immersion of the combat experience. When combined with attack animations and sound effects it will heighten the players feeling of power.

Next month is an exciting phase for Hook, Line, and Axe as we dive into full-scale development with our entire team. We have a range of tasks on the horizon that will shape the game's foundation. We'll be working on character and enemy models, crafting various props and structures for the game world, and designing an iconic axe weapon. Additionally, we will be beginning work on the tutorial level and further enhancing enemy mechanics. As we move forward, we're dedicated to creating a game that captures the essence of our vision and offers players a truly engaging adventure. Stay tuned for more updates and progress reports!