Big things since last update!

Stars and Red Coins:

I basically ripped the idea of red coins from SM64 to test out my first couple of stars for the demo I'm planning to release.  I made a red coin manager actor that tracks whether you've collected all the carrots, in this case, and spawns a cartridge when you're done!

Saving and Loading:

I've coded a scalable saving and loading system for the game to track the collected "stars" per level and amount of lives remaining, which I've also added a cute little pixel UI for.  Each star is unique to the level its spawned in and automatically adds itself to the map stored in Unreal's saved folder.  

Demo Level:

I started fleshing out the whitebox I'd been working with, and we're aiming for a bit of a wizard-y, high altitude platforming for this first level, which I plan on eventually converting to the first demo world. The level art is a bit rough for now, but I'll touch it up as we solidify our vision for the world. My next goal is to develop a material that adapts to the height of the terrain to make dirt paths easier-- I'm almost there, but most tutorials are juuust  a bit off from what I need.  

ETC:

I changed how the camera moves just before compiling the weekly build and turns out it's a bit too nauseating... (woops) I want the camera to give the player a little leeway in the direction they're moving to better obverse the environment in front of them. It works, but a little toooo well. I'm gonna need to go back and figure out how to smooth out the camera more consistently so it doesn't make anybody's head spin.

I also modified the platform logic to enable smooth spline movement and maintain the player's velocity when they do a regular jump off the platform. I don't think this is a very conventional decision, but it feels right? I'll have to get a consensus from playtesters, but I'm okay with the current state of it.

TLDR; Game feels great, and I have all the pieces for a great level in place-- it's just about putting them together. I wanna get a nice looking demo out by the next sprint and conduct some playtest on whoever I can get my greasy little paws on. 

~ Jiggles