[h1]Laamp's Shade[/h1] I think now is as good a time as any to talk about the purpose of Laamp's Shade, the minigames, and why I chose to design them this way. [h1]Let's start with the minigames![/h1] [b]Arcade Life vs Home Life[/b] Arcade games of the 80s -> '00s like Adventure Island, Metal Slug, The Simpsons, TMNT and so forth were inherently anti-consumer by design, but they were still fun! They'd give you just enough of a chance to gain a feel for the game before all your lives ran out, forcing you to choose between forking out more coins to continue or to try again from the beginning instead. This later became the norm for the NES era of home gaming. Gaming of that era was no joke, and while I don't personally like it when games are designed this way there is an overwhelming sense of accomplishment when you eventually beat one of them. Incidentally a large part of my youth was spent playing DDR - a game that would rob you of the song you were playing and all future songs the moment you missed too many steps. [b][url=https://www.twitch.tv/videos/1678482007?t=58s]I still play it to this day[/url][/b], but I wised up and bought an arcade cab when I was 19 because of how much of a money sink it was. [b]Windswept's minigames are being designed with this sort of approach in mind.[/b] If you die in a minigame you have to start from the beginning! They're only short games but their longevity comes from trying to reach the end in one piece. I didn't want to put a financial restriction on them like an actual arcade would so the only thing they'll cost you to play is [b]time[/b]. You can earn extra lives by either collecting 100 coins or by jumping on 8+ enemies consecutively. With extra lives you'll be placed at a designated checkpoint making your path to progression much shorter. This way you get more chances to practice where you failed (Super Mario Bros. 1 style). To make things more arcade-y I added a score to keep track of everything you do - you'll lose points for finishing with a slower time but gain points for finishing with more lives. I'll leave the rest up to high-score runners to find the most optimal route for the highest score possible. There's also a progress bar so you'll know exactly how far through each game you are. It's sure to make some players nervous as they approach the final few hurdles! [h2]Hop Prince[/h2] Our first unlockable minigame is fully complete! I had a lot of fun making this lil' frog course and I hope you enjoy playing it too! [previewyoutube=TXw6FTqIpQ8;full][/previewyoutube] [h2]Quick Pip Runner[/h2] This one is functionally complete but is still waiting on its visuals. Still, I think it's another banger of a game while being completely different to Hop Prince in terms of how you play. [previewyoutube=WmZ178z2OKw;full][/previewyoutube] [h1]Everything else...[/h1] [img]https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/042/357/923/327af2711e50ef2144b5ed05c5075a73_original.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&w=700&fit=max&v=1695119001&gif-q=50&lossless=true&s=87fd576a974750ef9afddd854fb312c0[/img] You can see from this super early shot there's a lot of room for [i][b]stuff[/b][/i]... I want Laamp's Shade to be a respite from your journey, sort of like a player hub where there's no real pressure to do anything. [b]Relax, spend time... and coins![/b] Laamp isn't just here to collect your Moon Coins from bonus areas, after your initial payment they head inside and run all of the stalls. By the time you first reach this place you should have a modest collection of star coins - here's where they'll be used! [b]None of this is in the game yet so I'll give a brief summary now and go into more depth at a later time.[/b] [h2]1. Laamp's Bulb[/h2] For a nominal fee you can gaze into Laamp's crystal ball[b]-- I mean[/b], lightbulb. In a bright flash you'll be shown a location where a missed collectible still resides. Now, you might be thinking "It costs Moon Coins to even get in here, why is the collectible-finder locked behind finding collectibles?" - Simply put, I don't want this feature to be used as an initial crutch. I want players to try their hand at finding things first. Exploration and problem solving is a big part of Windswept's core experience and structuring it this way means players can experience much of the early game the intended way before taking matters into their own hands for the rest. [h2]2. The Jukebox[/h2] When a track has been unlocked it can be played right here! I'm still debating if tracks should be discoverable in stages the same way Music Sheets are in Shovel Knight, or if I should make them unlockable by spending Star Coins - I'd love to know your thoughts! [h2]3. The Minigames[/h2] A row of arcade cabinets - all of them are Out of Order! Looks like they won't work until their cartridges are found. There's one cartridge hidden in each world, good luck finding them all! [h2]4. Laamp's Stand[/h2] Each area of the game has you encountering a variety of different characters. At Laamp's Stand you can buy boxed action figures of each one, view your collection and play with them too. If you regret unboxing them Laamp conveniently has a reboxing service too. 5 of our Kickstarter Backers paid for a Custom Action Figure, they'll be available as part of a special set once they're all made. [h2]5. The Scoreboard[/h2] A bunch of in-game stats will appear here along with Windswept's achievements. Not all platforms support achievements/trophies so having this it in the game will ensure everyone has the same experience. [h1]The Roadmap...[/h1] I've mentioned before that I'm trying to get all the [i][b]side stuff[/b][/i] out of the way by the end of the year before focusing fully on the main game. Well, THIS is all the side stuff. I don't expect to have everything fully finished and feature complete by that time but so long as I have a foundation to work from, I can polish everything passively alongside other game elements. That's all for this month's update, though!