As the semester comes to a close, we bring to everyone one last (official) devlog.

Updates

Shadow Volumes

🦀 THEY ARE GONE 🦀 (for spotlights)

• Due to popular demand and general discomfort among playtesters when solving puzzles, pickup-able objects no longer cast ground or volume shadows, just their respective wall shadows.
  • This was most evident for spotlight puzzles because the objects have to be placed close to the light source, casting a large and long shadow volume
• This change is made in an effort to make puzzle solving easier, allowing players to more freely maneuver around objects while creating their own solutions.

Level 1

💡 Level 1 extended section and the tutorial are now complete.

• Created the tutorial by extending the alleyway
  • The player will learn about shadow volumes
  • Then they learn to switch on to the wall and platform on shadows
  • Collectibles are cool
  • Finally, they learn the object movement
• Extended the end of the level
  • added an additional spotlight puzzle that requires players to put objects closer to the light source
• Polished existing puzzles
  • Created a gap between the buildings for the car hood puzzle
    • now we don’t have 3 car crashes in that area
  • introduced some other objects that can be picked up
• Removed the giant grey walls in some areas, revealing the beautiful buildings

Challenge Level

💡 Our challenge level has received its final touches.

• Minor changes
  • Added the electrical box meshes
  • Tweak cable materials

Interactable Posters

💡 Players can now view a poster in full size by getting close to it and pressing their interact key.

• This is in general a QOL change, but it also brings a little more importance to posters which are a player’s best friend in this game.

Technical Accomplishments

We made a game in 12 Weeks ⁉️

💡 Though Shadow Traveler is not meant to have an end and will continue to stay in development, CSC404 and the semester have come to a close. Marking the end of the 12 week period during which Shadow Traveler came to life.

Other Miscellaneous Changes

• Ambient sounds have been added for both levels, giving them more life.
• Interactables now have specific instructions on the UI based on the interactable type the player can interact with.
• Modified the behavior of multi-light switches so that the electricity particles are shown before the switch is turned on (so that players can more easily find them), and they can’t be turned off.
• Cables connected to multi-light switches now change color when their corresponding switch is turned on.
• The Future?

⚠️ We will do our best to bring QOL updates and a few significant updates to specific things that didn’t work as well as we would have wanted but had to cut through for the sake of time.

• Making the indication for where the shadow of an object being held will end up clearer.
• Introducing more fun interactables.
• Further levels or maybe more challenges 👀.

And that should be it, Godspeed and Goodnight everyone!

• Yours truly, the Shadow Traveler Development Team