Progress Update : 4-21-15
I have been hammering away on "The Maker" boss. It is about 80% done - which is pretty sweet. Wanted to share some details of development and of the boss in general.
Boss Details / States :
1) Off State : Connect hoses, Set Variables, Etc.
2) Initialize : Boss turns on / Off guard / Resets / Checks for hose connects & Pump brains in : Set to Attack mode
3) Attack : Checks for hose connects (used for minion spawning #)
3-1) if hose connection is present (1 of 4) Boss Spawns minions, can harm player on contact
- Each hose connect = 3 spawn-able enemies
- Boss checks connects and multiplies it by 3 (bossSpawn = hoseConnects * 3)
3-2) Alternate Attack (still working on)
4) Guard : Stops Attack / Pulls in armor plates : Set to OnGuard
5) OnGuard : Completely guarded - invincible to player attacks
I went through a lot of iterations in terms of boss designs (3 alone just with the current design) before landing on the current one. (I'm sure there will be some more minor changes)
As far as development is concerned, I wasn't 100% sure on everything for the boss and how it would interact /attack / etc with the player. So I started with a sketch, and a basic idea of functions. I then quickly mocked something up with pre-defined behaviors / plugins to get something working. I'm visual so the ability to visually interact with something, goes miles for me. Obviously It's not 100% perfect right out of the gate, but it gives me a great starting point to build from and/or refine & polish.
Stay tuned for I will be posting more throughout the week as I refine "The Maker" boss