Week 5 (10.16 - 10.22)

When using the placeholder Skippy model, there was a slight issue where it would stretch out a lot when moving. This was a side effect of Animation Rigging's damped transform constraints, and the effect accumulates over the joints. So imagine our surprise when we saw that the new model had MORE joints! The stretching would be too noticeable and weird, so we had to find a fix. Fortunately, it was as easy as scripting our own constraint constraining the distance between two bones, which uses LateUpdate so we could use it in tandem with damped transforms.

To enhance the new exploration aspect of the game, we decided to implement collectible objects. In the house level, when Skippy tries to jump out the window,  there is a magpie blocking his way. So in order to escape, Skippy must now collect pearls that are scattered around the room to get the bird to move out of his way. 

We also decided to add a checklist as a guide and to give hints to players for what to do next or where a pearl might be hidden. 

During our playtesting session with one of the TAs, we realized that the forest tutorial level is a bit confusing since there is a fork in the road leading to two lakes. We decided to cut one of the lakes out and streamline the level's flow, so it's easier to figure out where to go. We also added a more robust prompting system so players know what buttons to press for certain things.