Some fixes and new additions had been added. More importantly camera placement has been implemented where the body is tracked and multiple controller inputs were implemented.
New additions
Texture placeholder
New zombie body texture was made. This was done to make it visually clear which direction the zombie was facing.
However, upon testing, it was found that the position of the camera made these textures less prominent. There may need to be additional visual aids to indicate the direction of the zombie. This became extremely necessary when different controllers are designated to control different limbs, the zombie can rotate a lot so it is easy to lose track of which controller controls which limb.
Leg floating resolved
Floating issue was resolved, ensuring that only one leg can be controlled at a time. This same approach was applied to every other limb. That is before, the thumbsticks would control both arm and leg.
Now they each controller controls only one limb at a time.
New camera system
The new camera was implemented with the cinemachine, this is placed directly behind and follows the zombie around.
The motivation for this is so that the player(s) are able to see the whole body as well as the space around the body, as such a clear view of the action is visible. The shadows of the body and other objects help with judging distances between objects, however there may be room to add additional visual aids to clarify the position of the zombie.
Multiple controller devices
The Unity Input system had been added, now multiple controller devices can be used to control different arms.
However, there is still a need to allow the player to choose which controller controls which limb. Some kind of system to handle this would be useful, this would also be useful in allowing the player(s) to manage and choose different limb types for each limb part.
Limb Management System
I believe the next step for the project is to implement a customization system for the limbs. This will be presented as a menu before gameplay begins. This is also a chance to implement visual aids to clarify which player is controlling which limb. A case study will be conducted to identify how other games approach multiple controller/player management.
Octodad (Young Horses, 2010)
Has a separate menu that lets players designate which controller controls which limb. This has the benefit of letting one single controller control additional limbs as well as disabling an arm, this is possible as only one arm is necessary for gameplay.
There is also a roulette mode that randomises the designated limbs.
More importantly, Octodad makes use of a visual effect to highlight which limb is being controlled by giving players a colour.
Note also how the body is translucent while the tips of the limbs are still clearly visible. This helps with interacting and visually tracking objects through the Octodad body as well as making it clear which limbs are being used.
Mount Your Friends (Stegersaurus Software Inc., 2014)
Mount Your Friends approach to cooperative gameplay is turn-based, this reflects their process of adding additional players for cooperative games. That is additional players are able to enter their own name as well as choose a team.
Players can enter their name. New players are given a unique flag to represent their turn
Once additional players have entered their name they can choose a team to play as. Teams are composed of different characters that can be cosmetically customized. Doing so allows the player to add additional cosmetic artifacts and colours. Within this team customization menu, additional team characters can be customized and added to the team.
This customization can be used to differentiate teams, although the player is free to customize teams how they wish.
Limb controlled
See also how individual limbs, when manipulated are highlighted in red and have glowing aura around it. This makes it clear which limb is being controlled.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo, 2017)
Mario Kart 8 allows up to 4 players in a cooperative play setting. Upon selecting the chosen amount, players are then asked to connect their controllers by pressing both bumper buttons at once.
This an effective way of handling and establishing which player controls which device. Doing so also readies every player for the selecting an avatar. This is a simple process where each player concurrently selects a unique avatar to play as.
Each character is visually distinct from one another. Players are also assigned a colour to be associated with.
Players are then able to customize the kart their avatar will be riding, this offers both cosmetic changes and ability related changes. Helping players to further differentiate their avatars. However, this is not a major problem for local cooperative play as it uses split-screens for such games, assuming players can identify their assigned screen.
What can be used
- Menu system that let’s players designate which controller controls which limb.
- Use of visual aids to identify each player (e.g unique colour).
- Cosmetic options to visually differentiate players.
- Visually highlight active limbs.
- Button inputs to connect/affirm which player is controlling which device.
Next Steps
A menu and system is required to manage multiple players and the limbs they wish to control. For the game this may be composed of two menus. One for detecting/declaring which device is controlled by which player and another to handle which player controls which limb and to customize each limb.
The prototype shows players the whole body. Each limb slot will have Player numbers and Name of slot displayed. Players will also be able to swap between different limb types.
As such the following menus will be made to implement this system:
- A menu for choosing the number of players and to detect/connect controller devices and assigning which limb for each player to use. Here each player will be assigned a colour.
- A menu for customizing each limb, as shown above.
References
- iMore, 2020. How to Select your Controllers. [image] Available at: <https://www.imore.com/how-set-multiplayer-races-mario-kart-8-deluxe> [Accessed 31 August 2021].
- iMore, 2020. How to set up a local race. [image] Available at: <https://www.imore.com/how-set-multiplayer-races-mario-kart-8-deluxe> [Accessed 31 August 2021].
- Nintendo, Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development, 2017. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. [Video game] Nintendo Switch, Wii U. Nintendo.
- Stegersaurus Software Inc., 2014. Mount your Friends. [Video Game] Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360. Stegersaurus Software Inc.
- Young Horses, 2010. Octodad: Dadliest Catch. [Video Game] Android, iOS, Linux, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, OS X, Playstation 4, PlayStation Vita, tvOS, Wii U, Xbox One. Young Horses.