Design changes for “Melon Realms” 

While the game I had created for my digital prototype works as a good base for a 2D platformer, there are still a lot of aspects I could have added for my vision of “exploring different realms” to be accomplished.  

Level Design: 

 area and level, the difficulty would also have to increase. Aesthetically, I am happy with how the game looks, however the settings themselves could be improved. I had mentioned in the previous Dev Log that I had some difficulty adding in the midground for my game. In the future I would have liked to have figured out how to add the midground properly or even create my own personal settings and sprites. Additionally on the jumpable platforms themselves, I would like to add more décor and details to make the levels look and feel fuller. 

Story:  

In addition to the feeling of exploration, I would have liked to add some story elements to the game as well. In the form of a cutscene or a bubble of text popping up when players interact with an object. The story itself would explain how these watermelon slices have been scattered throughout different realms, background information of the different realms themselves and some context on why the player needs to collect these watermelon slices. I personally really enjoy when games have a story in them, so I would like to add this aspect onto a completed game. 

Additional Obstacles: 

Another aspect I would like to add to the game would be more obstacles and challenges. I would like for the player to eventually have to run into enemies along the course of the level. Defeating the enemies would more likely involve having to stomp on the enemies, like the format of Mario. At the end of each realm on the final level. I would like for there to be a boss enemy the player would be required to defeat before proceeding into a new realm. Adding to the enemies, I would also like for there to be more traps such as falling floors, harder areas to platform in and more things the player must dodge.  

Player Aid: 

A system I would also like to add to the game would be LIFE system. In which the player would have three lives before having to start the whole level all over again. This would make it much easier for the player in more difficult areas, especially if they are already further down the level. I had found a few areas within the game in which I would consistently loose in, so a LIFE system would make the gameplay much more enjoyable. I would also like there to be some items that drop in the game, again in a similar fashion to Mario. There would be some chests that the player can encounter along the way, and the items being dropped can range from being an extra life or immunity that lasts a certain time. 

Coding:  

Coding was one the hardest parts of creating the game, however when the code was successful, it was also the most satisfying. There are a few aspects I would like to add some coding to. The first one being a death trigger for when the player falls off the platform. The solution I had come up with was to add a line of spikes along the bottom of the game map for the player to die when falling off the platforms, however a specific code would help both in practicality and aesthetically. Another code I would like to add would be for the box collider. Currently in the game, the box collider along the platforms is applied to all sides of the platform, making the player stick to the side when they encounter it, it is especially a problem for the moving platform when it collides with the player sprite and pulls the sprite towards the edge of pushes the player into spikes. Lastly, I would like to add some coding involving collecting the watermelon slices. The player would have a required amount of watermelon slices needed to collect before being able to proceed to the next level. It would be a counter found on the top left of the game and the purpose of this is to another aspect of difficulty to the game.

Inspirations:

When it comes to what inspired this game, it would be a combination of both Mario and the Undertale/Deltarune series. The biggest similarity between both games, other than both being a 2D pixel game, is their ability to allow the player to travel and explore different worlds, albeit in different formats. My love for games that involve adventuring and exploration stem from 3D games such as Persona 5, Genshin Impact and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The article “‘Breath of the Wild’ is the Zelda Adventure I've Always Wanted” by Austin Walker, perfectly describes the type of feeling I wanted to invoke on a playthrough of my game. When Breath of the Wild had come out, it was something that felt new in the gaming industry. It was a game where the player was able to explore and journey in and truly provided the feeling of adventuring. A notable point the article makes is about what a game can provide which excites the player. At this point the article goes on to say that Breath of the Wild provides an experience which makes players want to explore more. A combination of both the interactive setting and the compelling storyline provides an enjoyable experience that keeps the player wanting for more. This type of experience and feeling is something I wish to accomplish in the game, but in the 2D form. In addition, the game being mainly a platformer, other styles of gameplay could be added in as well to provide a different experience when the gameplay can become more repetitive. As well as an option for players to branch out and choose different worlds to explore at certain points rather than having a linear progression to the game. While it is still difficult to accomplish the same amount of exploration on a 2D platformer, changing up a few aspects of a traditional platformer can help enhance the experience for the player, and provide the same feeling of adventuring and exploration.