Dirk 2: Production Diary

[Ceolach]

In Level 1.2 - Phishing for Clues - I noticed that if I pushed the box toward the right and stopped to go through the door and into the snack room to collect loot, when I come back out the box has returned to its original position (far left).

This has happened in the previous builds and the current 0.6.3 build.

btw -- I'm liking the footstep sounds!!

[TroyHepfner]

I was doing that so Dirk wouldn't get stuck in the box when he came back through the door. Maybe I should see if I can just move it slightly out of the way instead - it's a little more work, though, because I need to make sure I don't move it off a ledge, into a wall or enemy, etc.

[Ceolach]

Could the box just stay where Dirk leaves it? I noticed that no matter where I leave it, if I go to another floor and return, it's gone back to its original location, rather than stay where it was left.

A couple of oddities --

1) in 2.4, if I drop both boxes down onto the walkway, then push the box on the left toward the next box, they will combine into a single box and drop into the pit -- then Dirk cannot reach the gate switch.

2) in 1.3, I can shoot through the brick wall, just like I did in the Green House -- as Dirk drops from the top level to the walkway below, if he's close to the right walk and his arm is "hidden" by the wall.

The footstep sounds are great! It's taking some getting used to being able to hear the bad guys and the machines on the floor above!

Excellent work! Can't wait for the next level!!!

[TroyHepfner]

Thanks!

The boxes are only supposed to get relocated if they intersect with a small radius around a door. There might be a bug there. I'll take a look.

[TroyHepfner]

Well, there's only 12 hours left until the IGF Main Competition Deadline, and I think the game is in pretty good shape. Jesse finished balancing the audio last night and delivered his plan for spacing out the music for the new interactive music design. And I spent the day implementing the plan. I also fixed a bunch of bugs that my testers and pre-order customers found.

There are some additional tweaks I would like to make, if I have time, but I really need to do a backup first and then get some sleep.

In the morning, I need to put together a new video trailer for my IGF entry, showcasing the new audio engine and other features that will help the game stand out from its competitors. The IGF site says there are already nearly 260 other entries, so competition will be tough.

Once the video is done, I'll have to put together the final build and submit it.

I'm not sure yet how much time I will have left to polish and tweak. There's also the risk that any changes I make at this point could break something, so I have to be extremely careful. I predict tomorrow is going to be a crazy day!

[Ceolach]

In EASY mode, level 1-7 Run Time, the surface textures are mostly absent!! The masks are in place, but textures only appear on some vertical surfaces. (This might be a Mac only bug?)

[TroyHepfner]

Several other people ran into that too. I think I have it fixed in the official v0.6.3, which I just released and e-mailed out to pre-order customers. Try the newest build and see if that fixes it.

I'm working on the trial version builds now.

[TroyHepfner]

Over the weekend, I designed 2 new levels for Part 3. And today I started building one of them - the inside of an elevator shaft. I finished about 1/3 of it. Since Part 3 takes place inside a skyscraper, I want some of the levels to be vertically oriented. And what could be more vertical than an elevator shaft? This will probably be one of the signature levels for Part 3 - the gameplay will be unique, because there's very little running or sneaking in this one. It's mostly jumping, climbing, and hanging. And there are very few enemies, since there aren't many places to station them. Instead, there are lots of hazards to avoid.

[TroyHepfner]

It's been awhile since I posted, so I figured I had better post an update.

The reason I've been so quiet is because I've been working hard on the Part 3 levels. Three of the eight levels are built, and the architecture for the fourth is done - I just need to fill it up with goodies and bad guys. I'm very pleased with how the new levels are turning out. Most of the ideas I had for the skyscraper levels are working nicely, and the level designs are a lot of fun to play.

In my November newsletter, I mentioned that Dirk has a new gadget. I gave Dirk a pair of night vision goggles for Part 3 that allows him to see in the dark. Dirk's enemies cannot see if you turn out the lights (in fact, they won't move because they can't see where they would be going), so this gives Dirk a distinct tactical advantage. Enemies can still hear you, and on the hard skill level, the guards will shoot at anything they hear in the dark that they can't see. So if you turn out the lights, equip a pair of night vision goggles, you can easily tip-toe past them or knock them out. This will be very helpful for more powerful enemies like Bombshelle or the Ninja.

Jesse is working on a few new tunes for the next update, so Part 3 will include some new music. We'll also have a few more sound effects.

Stay tuned!

[TroyHepfner]

I worked a bit on Chapter 3-3 today. I added furniture, hazards, and lighting. I'll add the goodies and bad guys tomorrow. I should finish that level tomorrow, which means that 50% of the game's content will be done!