Mid October, 2025 Update

After about a month and a half between updates, a lot has changed! A level has been made, movement added, and new components! I will try to break it down best I can from when we last caught up. 

(Picture from game)

Main Goal (10/14/2025)

First off, lets talk about what we are trying to create. Since we started, I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to take. As we have gone on I have been heavily inspired. I am personally a big fan of 'Cozy' games, and media. "Thumbelina", "Arriety" , "Animal Crossing" and other earthy-colorful media are some of my favorites. And so I wanted to combine the natural elements and idea of being a small person in a big world, with the stealth elements like the ones found in "Breath of the Wild" to create a cozy fantasy stealth game!

My main goal is to make the player feel like a hero, despite sneaking around. Sometimes, your hero isn't a big strong brute of a knight, but a stealthy assassin. And in my game "Winter's Grove", you will play as "Winnie". Winnie, while escorting the princess of their kingdom, was attacked, and is now trying to escape the grove, rescue the princess, and return back to their home kingdom. Players will find themselves in a world that feels bigger than themselves, but ultimately charming. However, they shouldn't be fooled, as this charming world is dangerous, and will not let them return home with ease. 

New elements

Let's get the nitty gritty out of the way first. We added a lot to the game such as:

- Enemies that will chase, and kill you!

- Rocks you can throw

- Yassified MC

- Creepy Enemies

- A crouch

- A Dash

- Noisy grass that will alert the enemies

All of these mechanics are put together throughout level 1 "The Camp" to introduce the player to the game. 

Below I have included all the updated code blocks for these mechanics

Enemies

First off, you can see the enemies can patrol. They can be toggled between 3 options: Patrol, Teleport, or Random. Patrol points exist for the enemy to walk through, and rotate between whatever ones you assign to them. They can also simply teleport to these points. For later levels, I will use this to have enemies appear and disappear at special intervals, encouraging the player to take note of their location, and time their movements. 

They also have a new look

Lastly, they will attack the player, and send them back to their start or last checkpoint. Of course, this makes the enemies a problem. At this point in development, the player can only outrun, hide, and trick the enemy. The player is weaponless, of course, so they are fairly useless face to face with them. This can make the player feel weaker than their opponents, and push them to think of ways to avoid them instead of face them head-on. They can try to outrun them, but they will need to find ways to shake them. It may be easier to take your time, and find ways through the levels instead. 

(Pictures of Enemies, code, Patrol Points mapped out)

Interactables

The player can interact with two new things. A rock, which you can throw, and upon impact it will make a noise to alert the AI. The AI will have to check it out, since they are of course looking for anything suspicious, like a pesky assassin looking for their princess. It floats and spins too, which is cute. It is fantasy afterall, perhaps the earth goddess favors our 'Winnie'.

Except, sometimes the leaves you step on will betray you and alert the goblins. So maybe not. 

(Pictures of Leaves, Rock, Code behind these)

Player Mechanics, and New look

From the FAB shop, I have picked out the model 'paragon: Sparrow' to represent our MC for now. She looks stealthy, cloaked up, and perfectly fits my fantasy world. *

The player can dash about, to get away from the pesky enemies, or can crouch to hide. This of course is coupled with a crouching animation.

(Picture of character)

 *Since writing this, it has been discovered the model is broken

Map, and New Level

Now lets talk about the visual elements! As you can see, we have a full map, called the "camp" Where Winnie first finds herself. She's just broken out of her restraints, and is ready to get out of here! But don't get caught, or you will be sent back to the start. You start in the infirmary, and can run through it to find a storage room, and lastly the open camp grounds. Once out you "win" this starting level, and the game really begins. 

The player will learn to hide from the enemies, throw the rocks, and can even choose to run and dodge them if they like. You can hide around corners, or in small nooks. There's a few moments to pause, and catch your breath, or plan, but once you get going, its a fast paced dart from the start of the room to the end. I want to create a sense of urgency with this, as the player is trying to rescue the princess,  and save her from what may be an untimely death!

(Pictures of Map Layouts)

Playtesting, and improvements (10/16/2025)

Playtesting was where I found the most room for improvements. They say you have to look at work through others eyes to get a good idea of whats wrong.

I have included the video where my partner "Korben Shrotberger" plays through the game, and gives me direct feedback. Based on his suggestions I am changing the following:

- Adding a delay to the discovery of the rock, and returning to patrol

- Giving a moment of relief between the second room and the outdoors, such as a hiding spot, or pillar

- Doors between rooms

- Adjusting lighting to be less intense, but still keeping it 'bright' to keep the cozy fantasy feel instead of scary.

I would also like to make these changes if plausible:

- Enemies hear items in the other rooms, and this is triggering them in weird ways

- Enemy sight is inconsistent, and buggy

- Rock gets stuck on random geometry

- Cannot see through player to be able to throw rock around corners.