Trench Warfare

The Game!

Hello all. This week’s devlog(5) focuses on the user interface, AI pathing, basic animations, AI weaponry, and overall polish. These patches of changes are the combined updates of the game over the last ~0.05 snapshots. Additional sounds have also been created and imported into the scene, particularly in relation to player/character defeat. There is also an objective in the scene, with enemies that provide a small challenge to the player. Note, thorough AI balance has not yet been prioritized.

What’s specifically new in this update?

As mentioned briefly above, enemies (and friendlies) now have advanced weapon mechanics, and are set to patrol or observe their area. A new primary weapon was created, for the British Expeditionary Force (or the English Army), and was modeled off the Short Magazine Lee Enfield Rifle Mk III or ‘Mk III’ for short.

The user interface had some required changes as-well, which included a button within the primary scene allowing the player to RESET the scene as needed. This let the player continue the game without requiring a webpage refresh on each attempt, and was labeled a QOL or Quality of Life change.

The main menu and alternative title scenes before the Somme battle now include sound effects for the button presses, again created manually and imported into project assets.

The player’s health bar is no longer manually interactable, as was the case previously. This fix essentially stopped the player ‘cheesing’ the level and nullifying the enemy’s artificial intelligence balances made.

An improved artillery asset was also imported, this was designed to better emulate a structured emplacement, as opposed to a player sized block in the scene.

The player, friendlies, and enemies now possess a ‘death’ animation in which once their health reaches 0 their renderer is recolored and their sprite is stripped of many core components, essentially bricking the object in the world.

                This effect replaced the previous ‘destroy on hit’ rudimentary death mechanic previously implemented. This change was extremely well received throughout user-testing and gameplay feedback and will be discussed more below.

Now enjoy some GIF’s and Images of these changes, in effect, down below!

Above are some patrolling friendly units. They are now equipped with weapons, and some have been given observation duties, with rotating models.

Here is an example of a quick weapon charge directly at an enemy trench! This breifly demonstrates enemy pathing, movement, attacking, and death animation (also the player!).

Let me introduce the 'Short Magazine Lee Enfield Rifle Mk III', or Mk-III for short, this is the new enemy primary weapon. This will make a fine addition to our collection!

User Testing

Much of the feedback from the last odd week of data collection revolved around automatic firing modes for the main weaponry. There was also some talk about the implementation of improved AI, particularly in regards to their difficulty. Healing items, faster shots, and varying weapon sounds were also mentioned. Some specific examples of feedback collected include:

“Probably better AI tracking and healing items”

“Definitely give the environment artwork some more time, make sure the player can't see the blue background”

“Full auto shooting, grenades...”

Grenades and environment were also references and will each be discussed in the next heading in greater detail. Overall, I believe this round of feedback to be extremely useful, and it will play a part in the developments going forward for Trench Warfare.

Next on the horizon?

There are still many assets and interactions on the drawing board for Trench Warfare, although updating the AI to pose more of a challenge to the player, and another layer of dynamics, will likely be a top priority for later editions.

Level restricting ‘walls’ will also be an addition added within the next update. This will likely come with cinemamachine camera restriction elements so that the player isn’t left staring at half a blank screen while standing at or around walled off areas.

                These areas will most likely be made from assets that would have accurately represented the battlefield at the time. This includes, traps, mines, barbed-wire, mortar-fire, among other elements to restrict the player.

As mentioned in user testing above, there will also likely be some form of automatic fire for the main weaponry of the game, along with useable actions of melee and close combat fighting. I also hope to include some sort of ‘melee animation’ which may be both targeted and triggered by the player to enemies which will add to the emersion of performing a quick succession melee attack.

Other quality of live improvements may also be added that have not yet been mentioned here, although this just about finishes this devlog update.

Thank you, folks, for participating in Trench Warfare!