So when last we spoke, I was reminiscing about adding spread-shots to the early Wizard Ops Chapter 1 prototype. It actually took a few iterations and some playtesting before we arrived a the final system of arcane armaments, but ultimately players could bring in two weapons swappable with a button press, and there were a variety of weapons that could be obtained either from a store or as drops from enemies.
This included various fireball-throwing wands and homing magic missiles, as well as more conventional weapons like a rifle and a blunderbuss-shaped shotgun, which were a rare drop from the ordinary enemy soldiers.
All enemy shots manifested as blue orbs, but when the firearms were in the player's hands, they were actually a hitscan weapon. However, I drew a tracer projectile on-screen to help give it more visual flare. If I recall, the tracer is actually the fireball sprite stretched extremely thin.
I had forgotten until writing this that the guns ejected shell casings with little stars on them. That's probably terribly anachronistic, but it is a Wizard doing it, so it's probably best not to think too hard about it.
On the other hand, particle effects were definitely something I had to think on throughout the project. It actually began with many more traditionally animated sprites, but after much experimentation and a trip to a Unity conference, I found that particle systems had better performance even on lower-end mobile devices.
Thus, I took a lot of the existing art assets and attempted to repurpose them into suitably dramatic displays of particles. I still probably went overboard in a few places, but it was certainly fun.
This included various fireball-throwing wands and homing magic missiles, as well as more conventional weapons like a rifle and a blunderbuss-shaped shotgun, which were a rare drop from the ordinary enemy soldiers.
All enemy shots manifested as blue orbs, but when the firearms were in the player's hands, they were actually a hitscan weapon. However, I drew a tracer projectile on-screen to help give it more visual flare. If I recall, the tracer is actually the fireball sprite stretched extremely thin.
I had forgotten until writing this that the guns ejected shell casings with little stars on them. That's probably terribly anachronistic, but it is a Wizard doing it, so it's probably best not to think too hard about it.
On the other hand, particle effects were definitely something I had to think on throughout the project. It actually began with many more traditionally animated sprites, but after much experimentation and a trip to a Unity conference, I found that particle systems had better performance even on lower-end mobile devices.
Thus, I took a lot of the existing art assets and attempted to repurpose them into suitably dramatic displays of particles. I still probably went overboard in a few places, but it was certainly fun.
While the world has yet to see the continuing adventures in Wizard Ops Chapter 2, that doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of post-launch support for Chapter 1.
In addition to developing tools for designing levels, I took a crack at designing quite a few additional challenge stages and other additional levels.
I also began to try to break the rules of the game's early stages, adding levels that scrolled in new directions and repurposing enemies in new roles.
As the art team at Phyken Media grew, we saw a wide variety of visual improvements as well. Enemies that were once programmer palette-swaps gained distinct appearances and the levels themselves gained fidelity and character.
New levels also offered opportunities for players to gain new weapons, which meant engineering new behaviors for them. In 1.3, we saw the addition of the Flamethrower Wand and the 'Dirigibomb', a blimp-shaped missile that exploded into a lingering cloud of flame.
These required damage-over time status effects that could be placed either on enemies or on the field. Stacking these together was a potent combination.
However, the peak of additional Wizard Content was yet to come . . .
In addition to developing tools for designing levels, I took a crack at designing quite a few additional challenge stages and other additional levels.
I also began to try to break the rules of the game's early stages, adding levels that scrolled in new directions and repurposing enemies in new roles.
As the art team at Phyken Media grew, we saw a wide variety of visual improvements as well. Enemies that were once programmer palette-swaps gained distinct appearances and the levels themselves gained fidelity and character.
New levels also offered opportunities for players to gain new weapons, which meant engineering new behaviors for them. In 1.3, we saw the addition of the Flamethrower Wand and the 'Dirigibomb', a blimp-shaped missile that exploded into a lingering cloud of flame.
These required damage-over time status effects that could be placed either on enemies or on the field. Stacking these together was a potent combination.
However, the peak of additional Wizard Content was yet to come . . .
The desert stage broke all the rules. It was the first stage to feature a transition from ground combat to aerial combat and then back down again. It also featured a sloped section as the player transitioned from one vertical plane to another.
It was also intended to have a much more fast-paced dramatic tone to it. It felt like it was laying the groundwork for a more dynamic adventure with bigger set-pieces.
This stage also had a new kind of boss enemy, representing the Wizards' nemesis in a giant mechanical worm. One of the early ideas that drove our imaginations about Wizard Ops was the idea of doing a military commando story where the tanks and helicopters were based on Da Vinci's renaissance-era designs.
This naturally lead to the idea of an antagonistic force that was attacking a medieval kingdom using whimsical renaissance-inspired military hardware. In particular, I like the Da Vinci screw being applied to the airboats that drift across oceans and swaps as they fire on the player.
Next time, we'll take a look at the Wizards' next adventure, as they take a more strategic approach to explosive mayhem . . .
It was also intended to have a much more fast-paced dramatic tone to it. It felt like it was laying the groundwork for a more dynamic adventure with bigger set-pieces.
This stage also had a new kind of boss enemy, representing the Wizards' nemesis in a giant mechanical worm. One of the early ideas that drove our imaginations about Wizard Ops was the idea of doing a military commando story where the tanks and helicopters were based on Da Vinci's renaissance-era designs.
This naturally lead to the idea of an antagonistic force that was attacking a medieval kingdom using whimsical renaissance-inspired military hardware. In particular, I like the Da Vinci screw being applied to the airboats that drift across oceans and swaps as they fire on the player.
Next time, we'll take a look at the Wizards' next adventure, as they take a more strategic approach to explosive mayhem . . .
RSS Feed