This is a post from the Zinnia Games blog: https://zinniagames.com/the-friday-tiding-9-sixty-six-percent/

The Friday Tiding #9: Sixty Six Percent

29 Nov, 2024

Project Petunia's second demo hurtles towards the finish line. There is still plenty of work left, but the better majority of it is done at this point.

Level Ups

So we might as well jump right into it. What's Popping is now complete, having its full layout ready to go. Firewalker is also near completion as well, being around 75% done by my estimates.

So with the Medium tier being close to finished, there are only two more levels that stand between me and the release of Demo 2. I haven't mentioned anything about the Hard tier's two levels, so now would be a good time to change that.

The first of the last tier's two levels is going to be the return of the Hoverboard gimmick from Skate O' Clock in Demo 1. That level was very simple in layout, mostly just being a show off of the gimmick. For Demo 2, the resident Hoverboard level will be known as Hanged Ten. I don't have anything to show from Hanged Ten currently, but it will have more new stuff than just Hoverboarding.

The second level in the Hard tier, and the one that will act as the finale of Demo 2 will be a full remake of Acrophobia from Demo 1. I don't plan on this remake having any new mechanics, instead it will be a pure test of platforming skills.

Gnarly Nasty

Since we've spoke about the Hoverboard, I should give some info on the changes I've made to it. Right after I completed Demo 1, I had some ideas for new mechanics and changes to old ones that would make these levels a lot more hectic.

The first of these changes is being able to crouch, or go Slalom mode on your Hoverboard. This isn't a huge change, but allows some more variety on hazards the player encounters in these levels.

The second and more impactful change is reworking how the turning around is handled for the Hoverboard. In Demo 1 the player would make contact with a sign that causes them to slowly reverse direction. These signs served their purpose, but they were definitely a pace killer. The new turn around mechanic is to instead have the player grab a pole and quickly swing around it before blasting off at max speed. It looks cooler, and it keeps the pace up. The player can also jump from these poles, and this allows me to create even more varied scenarios for the Hoverboarding segments.

Learn To Play

While there will be six main levels in Project Petunia, Demo 2 will also be the debut of a tutorial level. This tutorial will serve to tell the player about what they can do, and makes sure that they know about the powerups and their functions.

Since I'm still not entirely sure that most players for Demo 1 realized the extent of the powerup's abilties (and Demo 2 introducing new ones), this should make sure I can end up with more feedback on them.

That's everything I wanted to talk about for this week. As Demo 2's development enters the final stages my confidence in this game continues to grow. Hopefully we'll see the fruits of my labor once this thing gets out. See you next week.