These were two weeks of testing and early-stage implementation of game design decisions. A lot of code. A lot of back-end AWS (Amazon Web Services) work so our players can connect and get playing together!
We did implement some fun visual things though. In UniKaos, you can create your own Union (basically a team/club). You can design your own logos and your home and away jersey. Your character will then wear that jersey during a match (if you choose to represent your union with a teammate). We did a lot of testing these last few days and now have the shirt replacement system working pretty well. We can’t wait to see the uniforms players will design.
We’re also adding a slide tackle to the game which should make our matches even crazier. It’s still in its early stages, working through physics and animation bugs. In a mode like ice hockey, the slide tackle would be flipped. Your character would throw itself at the puck to block the shot. That’s the plan anyway.
Get the ball!!!
An in-match message system has been concepted and is also in its early stages of implementation. This is heavily inspired by our experience playing Rocket League. You’ll be able to send pre-set messages to other players during the game. Some messages are team-only. Hopefully it’s an intuitive system that doesn’t require a learning curve, just getting used to the icons.
I’m particularly proud of the GG icon. It’s a freaking smiley face and that cracks me up every time.
We also implemented some Kaos round effects to our matches. What are Kaos rounds? They’re crazy situations that happen at the end of our matches. Things that completely alter gameplay. Things that affect the entire arena. Things that add chaos. I mean, Kaos. We’re experimenting with crystals appearing in the arena, to make it crazier to pass the ball around. Giant boxes falling from the sky, that are affected by physics, so you can kick the ball at them. Gravity changes. Force field barriers that spawn randomly. The crazier, the better. We have a list of 28 different ideas. We’ll see how many make the cut, but it’s one of our mechanics that we’re most excited to have players try out in the future. We’ll keep everyone updated as we continue to develop more of our Kaos round ideas.
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Our artists continue to be hard at work bringing to life the Unis we’ve written and the results have been amazing. I wrote about Eslan, the geologist, 2 weeks ago. Here’s his 3d model:
Now let me introduce Turbow, a little pink turtle, who always wanted to run faster her entire life. So she took matters into her own “hands” and built a megazord-like robot that’s super fast. Here’s her story:
“I’m here to race. I am the fastest on my planet. It’s time to be the fastest in the universe. I built my legs myself. I designed my schematics in my parents’ attic. Then I 3d printed them. Then I built activators, actuators, gyroscators, enginators, awesomenators, and cookies. I need cookies. Crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside. Anyway, let’s race. I’ll race you on one leg. I’ll race you on my pinky toe. Just did. Just won. That’s how fast I am.”
Turbow has a simple goal: to race everybody and defeat everybody. Especially rabbits. She’s passionate about science and robotics. Don’t mess with this turtle.
And finally, let’s talk about Brand. Something’s happened to Brand. He’s an archeologist and something bit him when he was out exploring. Now he’s starting to change and has developed a major craving for ketchup. He really wants to know what the heck is wrong with him:
“Something weird’s been happening to me. I’ve become super fast. Don’t ask how. I have no clue. That’s not all. I also feel stronger, but the sunlight hurts my eyes. Also, I think some of my teeth are like, growing. And… I can’t really explain this, but ketchup has become my favorite food lol. I heard there was great ketchup on this ship.”
Brand’s 3d model is currently being worked on. We can’t wait to share it. He’s awesome.
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We enjoy adding little easter eggs to our Unis. It’s a way to pay tribute to games, movies, and people that have had an effect on our lives. Eslan, Turbow and Brand all have little references. I wonder if you can pick them out. 😊
See you in two weeks!
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