We have just finished architecting our code for the alpha release of the game. We will now start implementing this design, which will consist of a single level. The level will have at least the basic art assets included, as well as everything on the logic side. The level will be rather basic, but still fairly comprehensive to make sure our code is functional.
Once we have a functional level, we will split our focus between designing new levels and implementing the menu for the game, as well as load/save abilities. Once the menu and load/save are implemented, adding new levels should be very easy.
We just completed our final UI Design mockups, which were done via pen/paper with cutouts. We tested this design with students in our class. See the picture below for the design. The paragraph below that is a summary of the game. Feel free to check out our Final UI Design document for more detailed analysis of our test results, and a walkthrough of a number of such cutouts.
The user chooses the fuel cell input using the colored rounded rectangle buttons on the bottom; these fill the fuel bar from left to right. The user can swipe a fuel cell away to remove it. They can drag a cell to rearrange its order in the bar. When the user is satisfied, they can press the play button. The spaceship will then move along the paths that correspond to the left-most fuel cell, collecting any items that might be at the traversed states. The user wins if the they reach the path leading off-screen, at which point they move on to the next level. If they fail to complete the level, the screen will fade to black, and then fade back so the player can retry the level.
We have completed a basic prototype of the game, with picture below. The user can tap the buttons to fill their fuel bar, and then press the Play Button and the spaceship will traverse the paths according to the input.
We are preparing for the final beta, to be completed by Thursday. This will consist of two playable levels, one easy and one more difficult, with a full menu and all game mechanics implemented. The user will be able to choose between levels (if they have completed the first level), the game will transition between levels, and there's some "juice" in the form of music and fancy animations.