Toasty Tumble Devlog #4 - Replacing ALL the Artwork!

In this devlog I discuss some bugs with rendering ordering and collisions, but most of the discussion is about making the decision to rework ALL of the artwork for the entire game, why I made that decision and the work involved to implement it. 

AI Generated Summary:

Artwork Changes and Game Development

• Introduction to the Devlog focusing on artwork and collider issues.
• Decision to change game artwork; implementation required significant work.
• Noted bugs with food spawning incorrectly over obstacles.

Gameplay Mechanics and Bugs

• Food items spawn randomly but still have bugs, such as overlapping UI elements.
• Issue with the utensil rack obscuring scoring and UI only in web version.

Collider Issues and Fixes

• Feedback highlighted movement interruption when collecting food items.
• Realization of misunderstanding collider triggers affecting gameplay mechanics.
• Changed colliders to triggers, resolving movement bump issue upon collection.

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• Working on abstracting obstacle manager into a prefab spawner class for cleaner code.

Game Development Progress Current State of the Game

• The game is partially functional; pressing play leads to the main game, but visuals need improvement.
• Discovered a visually appealing GUI by creator Penzilla, plus affordable kitchen assets prompting consideration of switching artwork.

Artwork Considerations

• Questioning whether to switch artwork due to potential time investment in recreating prefabs and colliders.
• Acknowledged that it's just a first game, but feels compelled to use better artwork for overall quality.

Decision to Upgrade Art Assets

• Decided to proceed with new artwork despite the time commitment
• Current art is general vector art not suited for games; inconsistent styles from different artists are problematic.
• Consistent style from one artist would improve overall aesthetics; worth investing time into this change.

Overhauling Graphics New Asset Integration

• Plans to download free packs and purchase additional assets while starting over on graphics without compromising gameplay.
• Spent seven hours replacing all artwork, including obstacles and backgrounds, retaining only essential elements like kitchen tiles.
• Acquired a pack with 160 icons, shifting focus from toast toppings to a broader range of collectible foods.

UI Improvements

• Completely revamped UI with consistent graphics from the same artist; added new elements like countertops and rails.
• Adjusted positioning of UI components for better visual appeal; still needs refinement regarding size and spacing of items.
• Considering difficulty settings for item placement adjustments based on player experience.

Future Game Features Expanding Gameplay Mechanics

• Overhauled graphics lead to ideas for expanding gameplay beyond simple collection mechanics.

Game Asset Organization

• The asset packs are organized into sections for cakes, desserts, fast foods, and meats.
• The speaker reflects on the importance of aesthetics in game design, even for practice games.

Lessons Learned About Artwork

• The speaker emphasizes the need for decent artwork to enhance gameplay experience.
• Using assets created by professional artists is recommended for better visual quality.
• Acknowledges past issues with sound cohesion due to using various sources.

Rendering Issues in Unity

• Discusses a bug where rendering was obscured by a black bar rail in the game.
• Clarifies that hierarchy order does not determine rendering order in Unity.
• Identifies sorting layers and Z position as key factors affecting rendering order.

Visualizing Game Elements

• Suggestion to use Z position within transforms for better visual arrangement of elements.
• Highlights Unity's 3D capabilities as beneficial despite initial hesitations about using a 3D engine.
• Demonstrates how to visually arrange items in the editor for clarity.

Final Thoughts on Development

• Expresses satisfaction with newfound techniques for organizing game elements visually.