Sniper, Dash, and Falling

So... A lots changed since the last post.

Instead of talking for hours about all the technical hoops I had to jump though in the past week, I'm just gonna touch on the highlights. (Also it's 1AM and I'm tired)

First: Levels are happening!

The testing version of the game available now is designed to help me get a feel for what size the levels should be. After some experimenting, I think the 13 size is going to be the best fit. It gives enough room for mobility without making the character feel like an ant. I was hoping to have a batch of levels to test this week, but got distracted by the other things that worked on.

Second: Movement!!!

I felt like I couldn't really test level size without all the mobility tricks that I want to implement, so I added a dash and platform fall-though. quickly double tapping left or right causes the little guy to dash and holding down lets you fall through platforms. Finally a use for the down button :D

Third: SNIPER GET DOWN!!!!!

Yes, a ranged enemy!!! The gameplay felt to defensive and didn't fully utilize the movement potential. So now, there are some enemies YOU have to approche. I'm hoping that I can build some levels that compliment the enemies unique characteristics and encourage certain aspects of play without forcing the player into a certain type of play style. It just felt like all I was doing was standing still and waiting for the enemies to come to me (which is exactly what I was doing), so this should shake things up.

NEXT TIME ON: A GAME DESIGNERS SLOW DESCENT INTO MADNESS

Still, I don't think I did enough this week to have a decent product by May. So, this next week I have set some goals that I HAVE to reach. 

1. Finish Sniper
2. Make at least 5 size 13 levels with both enemies
3. Have those levels connect after defeating enemies

If I still have some time after that

1. Bat Rework
2. Power-Up (3x)

I need to start adding some roguelike elements to my roguelike game AND the bats need a serious rework. To further encourage player movement, I want to remove contact damage COMPLETELY from the game and instead have the bats do a sort of lunge attack. This will let the player move more freely and maybe make the bats more of an interesting enemy. 

OK... Any caffeine I had in my body is now completely gone, and I can feel the siren call of sleep. That's it for now, look forward to a new playable...thing...around this time next week. Well, maybe not 1AM next time.