This week, our focus was on preparing for our Half-Presentation. We also made iterations on the game functions and formulated plans for the Exploring part.
Production
We are pleased that our client, Mike Hennessey, also attended our half-presentation on Wednesday. Following our presentation, we had a quick discussion about our Exploring design and made some iterations based on the feedback.
We also reach out to Jordan Reynolds, the Graphic Designer of the Astrobotic, for the 3D model of the Griffin Lander. Thanks to Jordan, we will have an offical Griffin Lander Model in a few weeks.
Design
Due to some of our teammates attending the GDC, they worked throughout the spring break. We made iterations of the control panel, clarified some use of words, and add a new function to the exploring experience.
This is the old version of the control panel for the Exploring part. Besides the speed control and rotation, we also added the camera and spectrometer system button for camera movement and spectrometer detection.
However, after several playtests, we found that it was somewhat complicated for players to learn and use within a short amount of time. As a result, we iterated on our control panel, reducing the number of buttons while retaining the same functionality.
We also designed the Camera System, including the camera control and camera functionality.
Programming
We are mostly wrapped up in our project, fixing bugs and doing iterations.
Art
We continue doing the unfinished work, including the terrain, UI system, and panel layout. We will start working on reducing the polycount of the Griffin Lander Model as soon as we get it from the Astrobotic.