[h1]Oh hi![/h1] It's that time again - this month didn't have a lot of flashy stuff going on like previous months but there's value in [i]the process[/i] so I'll be talking a lot about that while introducing 3 new stages I made during the month. [h1]World 1 - Feesh Frenzy[/h1] This is one of two stages in World 1 that introduces an animal buddy to ride on. This is also how stages look when I'm prototyping them. My process involves plotting tiles in MS Paint (1 pixel = 1 tile), and using different colours/shapes to represent different things. Once I'm happy with a plotted layout I transcribe it into the room editor and make tweaks as I go. [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/041/937/283/7f4fd75d0fa73dc0f8084f0921e7e73e_original.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1691982058&gif-q=50&lossless=true&s=a8a4a9812cc24c36cd1d52e877d3bf60[/img] This process is a huge time saver because I can design stage layouts months in advance and wait until all necessary elements have been made before getting started. I can also design stages from virtually anywhere without the need for dev software. When I have a bit of downtime but aren't able to work on Windswept directly this MS Paint approach becomes a neat lil' creative exercise. Before we explore water a little deeper - I wanted [b]Feesh Frenzy[/b] to feel super similar to a DKC2 swimming stage, complete with hidden pathways to discover. Obviously it's hard to tell what'll be hidden in this state but you get the idea. One thing I still need to flesh out is the "reward" for bringing an animal buddy to a destination. You'll get a cloud coin for your successful escort mission so I just manually dismount where it's supposed to happen. [previewyoutube=QEEjKFQ0zCc;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]World 1 EX - Thornado[/h1] [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/041/937/731/32918cb3f1c0ee406fdd1aac834d5372_original.gif?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1691985248&gif-q=50&q=92&s=640d20410a52cdbe7d58a60327d11da6[/img] EX stages are unlocked by paying a Moon Coin toll at Laamp's Shade, when you do a warp appears that lets you challenge something much harder than everything else you've been doing. These stages also introduce the [b]Soul Link[/b] mechanic. In EX stages and the postgame both players are needed in order to beat them - when you enter these stages your souls are linked and any hit one player takes applies to both. If you've been playing multiplayer with someone up to this point you're in for a bit of a workout! Playing the [b]Duck only / Turtle only[/b] game modes will lock you out of these stages for obvious reasons but there's a small warning of this on the selection screen. Each of Windswept's 5 areas will have its own EX stage and in order to advance through to the postgame you must beat all 5. Think of it sort of like the Star Road in Super Mario World that serves as a gateway to the Special World. [b]With all of that said, here's Thornado![/b] A stormy, thorny gauntlet requiring practice & mastery of some core mechanics such as Attack Jumps and Piggyback Throws. To assist with frustration and to serve as a good teaching tool there's more than one checkpoint so you won't have to do the whole stage again every time you reach a new thing you haven't experienced before. I didn't get around to it in time but the stage will also feature a tornado whipping around in the background. [previewyoutube=TUvxuTdyxT4;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]Postgame - Pop to the Top[/h1] Remember last month's update where I introduced PipPop? [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/041/937/368/1678f744695534b083cd6d06617d48b0_original.gif?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1691982688&gif-q=50&q=92&s=2d5fb0e6da472ead58346d44e75b7309[/img] Well, this is a classic example of me sometimes going off-script to pursue something silly. PipPop was never planned for Windswept but I had a mighty need. But why pursue this on a whim out of nowhere? [b]Welcome to game dev, baby! [/b] Scope Creep is a bit of a scary thing and an easy way to lose focus on what's important. But what if we put scope creep in our scope? Is it still scope creep then??? [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/041/937/553/b5e5a12db08f461448957020ad82a47f_original.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1691983768&gif-q=50&lossless=true&s=0dd7876870e6f7c0aad72383bc1b70d4[/img] My [b]Master Doc[/b] touches on every part of Windswept and I leave little pockets of wiggle room for myself. Stages are typically themed around a specific enemy, mechanic or setting - leaving blanks in the stage list gives me a chance to put my new ideas to the test. Generally the better an idea is, the easier it is to make a stage. If I want to introduce a new enemy that wasn't in scope it needs to offer a lot! [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/041/937/769/0db0a79e331d863c9b235dea2cb63893_original.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1691985706&gif-q=50&lossless=true&s=0d20ad0439b9e4a7eb98b2222c4f5bee[/img] So here's [b]Pop to the Top![/b] - A postgame stage and deep exploration of just how versatile a single enemy can be if the idea is good enough. Granted, with a new idea things won't always go according to plan! [previewyoutube=9tJMSh6MSyI;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]That's it for this month![/h1] A lot of the time has been balancing last month's animal buddies for their respective stages. It takes a while but isn't tangible enough to talk about at length. You'll see more of them when I have more so say though! See ya 'round ~