Assignment 3A -Checkpoint 3 - Enemies and Interaction

Assignment 3A - Checkpoint 3 - Enemies And Interaction

Feedback Fixes 

Since the last devlog, I’ve spent significant time addressing issues raised in earlier feedback. While some fixes worked well, others need more refinement. With continued iteration, the overall gameplay experience can reach a much higher level of polish. Notable fixes include the resolution of animation issues in Level 1, adjustment of camera offsets across multiple levels, and the infamous wall jump bug that previously restricted air control. As shown in Figure 1, the core issue stemmed from the wall jump system "locking" the player’s movement, preventing any mid-air control or backward jump capability. 

Figure 1 – Wall jump originally prevented air control and blocked directional freedom on double jumps.

This was a common frustration for testers, and I took it seriously. While I wanted the wall jump to provide a strong push off the wall, I also needed to eliminate the locking effect. Initially, air control and double jumps were restricted to prevent players from simply "climbing" the wall by jumping upward repeatedly. However, this approach caused more harm than good. The updated solution allows air control and free double-jump direction after a short delay, maintaining wall jump power without the frustrating lockout. The result is shown in Figure 2. 

Figure 2 – Wall jump now allows full air control and proper directional input, even if it still includes the occasional embarrassing death.

 I’m genuinely pleased with this iteration. While testers still found it a bit clunky, the system feels much more fluid now. That said, the animation system still needs work—a challenge I’ll address separately.

Various Objects: Dangerous and Helpful 

The game does not include "conventional" enemies. In fact, there's only one mechanic that directly causes player death: the Death Zone. These red zones reset the player to a respawn point when touched. Staying true to the cute slime-themed assets introduced in Devlog 1, I created a blue slime checkpoint called “Jerry Respawn.” While Jerry serves as a safe return point, the red death zones are used to challenge the player's movement skills. These death zones come in both stationary and moving varieties. Since combat isn’t the focus, I designed these zones to act as environmental hazards that combine with wind, moving platforms, and layout challenges to form a more layered experience.

 I also added a novel feature meant to inspire creative problem-solving: 

Player-Controlled Platforms. 

As the name implies are platforms that allow players to move directly. Using the keys J and L for horizontal movement, and I and K for vertical movement (where supported), players can influence the environment to solve puzzles or reach otherwise inaccessible areas. There are currently two platform types: X-axis platforms and Y-axis platforms. During a live playtest, this mechanic was described as “quite novel” and “exciting to see where it goes.” and Ian commented in discord that, “Controller support would make this amazing,” and I couldn’t agree more. That’s a future feature I absolutely want to explore. Of course, these platforms weren’t bug-free. Early builds had glitches where the player would stick to platforms or stretch strangely, as shown in Figure 3 and Figure 4.

 Figure 3 – The player stretches when moving with the platform. 

Figure 4 – The player sticks to the moving wall as well as shows Jerry Respawn and the Deathzone in action. 

Feedback 

I’ve received some incredibly helpful feedback that’s shaping future development. Here are a few standout comments:

Ian Lewis 

“Controller support would make this amazing ” 

“Five levels already is phenomenal.” 

“Love that you have checkpoints.” 

“The platform movement mechanic is super novel and that alone makes this great.” 

Jack (jackl3)

“Damn. This is nice. The movement feels extremely fluid. Although the wall jump feels a little too restrictive, pushing you a decent bit away from the wall, making it hard to jump back onto. The ability to move platforms to assist you is very creative.” 

Chloe (cjregg) 

“I’ve been stuck on the same section for 10 minutes. My issue with the controls is that if I wall jump to the right while holding left, then jump mid-air, I continue going right—it doesn’t affect my horizontal velocity.” 

“I would expect jumping mid-air while holding the opposite direction would reverse my direction. That might not be what you want, but it’s really throwing me off.” “

I’m not exactly clear on what the different colours are meant to mean. Some are transparent, some are 'less transparent', and sometimes red kills me, sometimes it doesn’t and I can control it?” 

Key Feedback Takeaways 

From all this, I’ve gathered a clear list of improvements for the next phase: 

1. Fix browser scaling so the game works without fullscreen mode. 
2. Revisit wall jump delay and improve responsiveness. 
3. Clarify the meaning behind platform colors and their behaviors. 
4. Add controller support to enhance flow and accessibility. 
5. Push level design further using moveable platforms and multiple route solutions.

I am excited to start the next step of the assignment and take on all feedback to the best of my ability