Christmas has come and gone and I hope you, as I did, thoroughly tested the limits of ham consumption and spent a great day with family/friends/pets .

The few weeks leading into Christmas I set my sights on getting Fluffy Gunners to alpha version to get some much needed player feedback. By Christmas eve I had it ready, just in the nick of time for a relaxing Christmas day!

For the alpha release I’ve added sound effects, UI menu transitions, a new enemy type (with a nod towards Tempest) and the main game loop implemented to be able to test gameplay.

During development I’ve been using Shooty Skies as great example in achieving satisfying animations explosions and sound effects, such as increasing the pitch of each enemy being hit until they explode. The use of a small unobtrusive sound for player shooting feedback is also something I have used. The gun sound is what the player will hear the most, I originally had a gun with a lot of bass, but found it drowned out other sounds effects so I ended up using a typewriter sound and modified it a little.

I found that could be a lot more particles able to be used on screen at once than I originally thought ( I was limiting the particles count quite a lot). So I’ve added sub particle sub-emitters and timed effects, which though very fast, give a more dynamic look. I also added bullet casing that pop out of the players guns.

There is now the option to pay coins to continue, based on how far you have progressed, or by watching an ad if the player is short of coins. At timed intervals the player will also be able to watch an ad to earn coins for unlocking new characters, upgrades and continues.

Since the alpha release I’ve already started receiving some constructive feedback, which I will be implementing in the next version. I’ll be working on tweaking the power up item and scene lighting in the game over the next few days, along with making changes based player feedback.

So as I finish off the last of the Christmas puddings, until next update in the new year, I wish you all the best for 2017!

John

PS. Here is a peak at the cockpit view upgrade! Happy holidays!