The alpha of Xenoparrot Puzzles is well underway! But it's not ready yet. I just have done so much that I need to write it now before it gets even bigger by time I have finished work on the alpha. Then the game files will be updated, currently they're still the old pre-alpha files.

(Full transparency: this devlog was written months ago for the pre-alpha, I just forgot to post it. I've currently been working towards v0.7. So I edited this a bit and here it is.)

So, what's been done over the past few months?

Well for starters I spent a huge amount of time on the art. I updated every sprite, a bunch of animations, the entire tilemap system, and level elements that conflicted with the new art. It looks way way better now. The UI is updated, there is a great story, and to go with it a bunch of pictures. This is the third and final art update over the time I've worked on this game.

I finished every level up to 12, which is half of the game. Whether half of the game is considered a beta, a pre release, or a late and bloated alpha, I don't know. It's version number 0.6, leaning closer to completion than not.

Further I edited the sound system. There are now wind sounds for the environment in each world. That's besides other necessary sounds.

I polished the game a bit too! I added particles, changed the birx's trail, and made the mech-birx animation look more alive.

Other than that I did a game jam. I made "Man" with my brother. In addition (while I was taking that break) I made a few prototypes. I failed to make a 3D character controller, then cloned flappy bird and tower of clumps to remind myself I'm not totally incompetent at programming. In that same vein I started prototype work on RNGneer (an idea I've had), which was a resounding success, honestly I can't wait to continue it some time. But for now I'm returning to Xenoparrot Puzzles, attempting to take it to completion.

The near future should hopefully be like so: more levels. I need 24, so the plan is to make more puzzles, and quality check the existing ones. Once there are more levels I'll maybe add a settings room in the hub.

It's the home stretch of what is pretty much my first game. It was the first project I ever opened in Unity, back in 2019. After all this effort it's nearly time to be on a new project, with my years of learning to back me in a more complex game.

But the immediate next things to be done are mostly coming from feedback I got on a stream by Yän. So I'll write what got changed later with the alpha devlog.

I hope if you read this far you would also be kind enough to play the current build of the game. I would love some feedback, good or bad.