With the approaching deadline of the project, the teams focus has shifted to code clean up and fine tuning of existing mechanics. Something more involved that I was able to work on this week was the introduction of another use for the stun shot within our game. We wanted the stun shot to be used inside and out of combat, so I have introduced stun shot "puzzles" to force the player to use the mechanic and hopefully remind / encourage them to use it in boss fights and normal combat.

This was mostly a design-based feature so there is not a whole lot of code to cover for the process. The only thing that was necessary to add code-wise was the crystal orbs that do not hurt the player, but still allow the player to hit them to recharge their stun shot faster. This was simply done by refactoring some of the enemy code we already had. Outside of that though, we have had testers in the past comment on how some rooms felt empty and pointless. All these rooms were reworked to have a stun puzzle in them to keep variety in gameplay high as well as reducing time wasting content. Stun puzzles can often be seen blocking a check point. Completing the puzzle is not always necessary, but it does mean you must forego the checkpoint. I am hoping the addition of this feature makes the stun shot feel more integral to the game and increase enjoyment on a user end.