Working on Slime-Boy: Stretched Thin #2

As the weeks have gone by, we have whittled down our core gameplay loop from a more sandbox or open-world experience to a more closed-off mission-centric loop. Instead of one large city or forest for the player to roam around in, they’re instead dropped in large areas with multiple differently styled zones in them, each having their own mission that the player comes across and completes. After completing missions, the player is rewarded with narrative details and general completion as well as a potential score based on their effort. Our artists have continued to maintain their secondary role as producers as well, as our work has become more efficient since the initial weeks. On top of that, they’re also developing models and concept art to be used during development. Next, our programmers have been diligent when trying to create and refine our movement systems. As of now, we have Slingshotting, Swinging, and Flinging implemented at a base level, as well as including a new Launching option that makes Flinging more flexible and accurate. Finally, most of our designers have been focusing on dialogue systems or documentation for systems. I have settled into a Level Designer niche, and I’ve reflected that by focusing on documentation pertaining to levels. So far, I’ve developed movement mechanic testing maps, the first version of a bomb defusal mission, a full level comprising of three separate mission areas for the player to explore, and am now working on creating and implementing the first tutorial. We have had some slowdowns when it comes to delivering art concepts and movement code before testing, but we continue to improve every week.

One of our team’s core strengths is our ability to communicate well. We’re constantly keeping a line of communication going in Mattermost and In-Person. We also trust each other a fair amount, so we’re able to be honest with each other concerning feedback. One of our weaknesses is derailed conversations, as sometimes we can go off talking about something that doesn’t exactly pertain to the meeting at hand, as well as some members of the team not being able to finish their listed tasks in time. Because of this, we’ve lagged behind a bit but are always trying to work efficiently to get back up to speed. Personally, I feel that I’ve put lots of effort towards diminishing my weaknesses, such as time management and general workplace anxiety. According to the team evaluations we had, I’ve been doing a good job when it comes to working responsibly in a team setting. I feel that my strengths include things like team communication and feedback, and I’ve embraced this by trying to talk as much as I can in meetings and making sure I’m not being drowned out by my introvertedness. Luckily, through efficient and well-made documentation, as well as the speed I’ve been able to learn and become comfortable with Unreal’s level creating systems, I’ve been able to make a real impact on the team and I hope to continue doing so as production ramps up.