Devlog: Hud Layouts / Inventory


Latest game development advancements.

HUD Control:

The HUD layout can now be changed to alternate layouts, to serve different tastes. While it would be nice to let players manually adjust every part of the layout themselves, that's a bit too much work right now. 
So instead, players can simply alternate between different presets. Nothing too big, but we all have different preferences when it comes to HUD layouts. This is something I can expand on more in the future too.
Top Left Corner: Alternate HUD Presets



Inventory Manager:

This object is probably among the most complex systems I've ever had to program, having taken approx. 2 weeks to create (and it could still use more work).
The Inventory Manager does what its name suggests, though it's presence is atypical for an old-school Classicvania experience. It allows the player to store specific types of items that can be used at a later point without having to fit into the sub-weapon slots. As a result, they may not be lost upon death like sub-weapons are.
The Inventory Object has multiple states:
  • Closed
  • Transition
  • Open
With additional modes that layer on top once opened:
  • Browse
  • Action Select
  • Overflow Confirm

Inventory Basics Showcase

When Browsing, players can horizontally navigate the inventory. Attempting to use or discard an item enters Action Select mode, in which players can vertically navigate available choices. If the player acquires an item when their inventory is full, they enter Overflow Confirm mode, in which they can navigate all four directions -- allowing them to use the pending item on the spot or replace one of their older inventory items with it. 
Every window is drawn to position & scale itself based on context in relation to the main box. The choice selection windows are a bit duct-taped together, however, so they won't always work reliable if the available options were scaled upwards. I may have to improve this system in the future - and also expand on the Overflow Confirmation system.
The inclusion of this feature provides us a few benefits I'll probably explore more in the future, like an expansion of the Mel Button feature (which has not yet been re-added).
I've also added extra skins for fun.
Customization!


Pitfall Recovery (Toggle):

A newly-added feature to the engine allows players to fall into instant-death pits without actually dying instantly. Although doing so is not free - there is a price for its activation.
Not only must the feature be toggled on, it also costs 1 HP and 10 Weapon Points. If these costs can not be paid, the player will not be rescued. Additionally, although not required to activate, each rescue will reduce the player's current Gold by 10.
This offers players a way to reduce frustration, but prevents it from being overpowered. You may only get 1 or 2 uses in a typical scenario and you may not want to lose more Gold.
This feature is why I created the Inventory manager object -- to allow players an easy way to toggle it on / off during gameplay.

Okay, give me a Beat! 1-2-3-4...



Early Save / Load:

Both of the previous GUI systems allow some degree of customization, but it would be pretty annoying to have to constantly change to your preferred layout & skin. So I decided to briefly explore the concept of saving & loading data.
While I don't have a dedicated save data manager system, I HAVE created a few small scripts that allow the game to save your preference and automatically load those preferences even if we close the game. This can probably be used for a proper system to save player progress in the future -- though it is unfortunately readable & editable by users, so there is a chance that other players COULD break something if they do so. Still, it's pretty cool.

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That's it for now. Don't forget to eat & sleep.