Gelement update #5

Hello again! It's time for a new year of learning and development. I hope to get lots of progress this year if my schedule allows it, but for today I just want to talk about some of my plans for designing and fleshing out levels.

Currently, the game is split into around 50(ish) stages across 6 worlds. I've already shown of the first world, Greenvale, and the first level, the blooming heights. I'd like each level to feel unique, so every stage will have unique mechanics and visuals. While the stages for the most part will be linear, I'd like there to be plenty of nooks and crannies to explore over the course of Prim's adventure. So each stage will have two kinds of collectables: Idols and Elemotes.

Elemotes are concentrated portions of the elements that make up Prim's home. Over time, these elements can leak out of the terrain - creating Elemotes! These pickups are located all over, so the player is never expected to gather them ALL, but grabbing lots of them will reward you at the end of the stage.

Idols are old relics and artifacts made from a valuable metal called silven. Unlike the Elemotes, Idols are much rarer and harder to get, so there are only a few to each level.

At the end of the stage, all the Elemotes and Idols you've collected will be tallied up, along with some other stats like time to complete and number of deaths. Then, depending on how well you performed, you'll earn a stamp like this gold one here!

Performing as well as you can will earn you a platinum stamp, which will then show up on the map to mark your expertise with that level.

I was hoping to have a full results screen mocked up by now, but I've run into some issues with the camera system as of late. I've been avoiding it for a while... but I think I need to do a full rehaul. Fun!

Anyway, that's it for now. Here's to a successful 2025!

-Charlie