Bird Brain Sprint 2

 This sprint, I worked on creating a couple different systems for the game, including the level points system and rage points.

The first thing I completed was expanding and refining the list of actions a player can do in the game. The list of actions were inspired by the quirky little things that my own birds do, and include throwing toys, vomiting (regurgitation), and pooping - lots of pooping. In this list, I detailed the animation that should be played during each action taken, and a detailed list of where and how the action should take place. These actions were: Pooping, vomiting, looking at reflection, imitate/make noise, ring the bell, eat millet, and throwing toys. In future sprints, I hope to expand on this list if time allows.

An example of the type of thing that my bird, Chicken, does.

Next up was refining and adapting the level points for a digital format. For this, I took advantage of systems like timers and a digitized point system to create conditions such as earning x points every y seconds. For example, you can earn 15 points each time you ring a bell, and in addition to this you also gain the attention of the human (the losing condition), which was not previously possible on a paper format. As I playtest future prototypes, I plan to adjust and fine tune the points to balance the game more, and have planned ideas for things like multipliers that will affect how many points can be earned by a player.

A visual representation of the losing condition in real life.

Last, I worked on creating the rage points system, and adapting the previous system for a digital format. I based the amount of rage points on the level of risk each action had in the paper prototype, and based on feedback from the paper prototype, adjusted how these points were earned for certain actions, one notably being the vomit action. Again, as I playtest future prototypes, I will adjust and fine tune these points and conditions based on feedback.

Unfortunately, we only had one playtest in our responses to go off of, however the feedback was invaluable and definitely helped me better design these systems.

Going forward, I will be taking on this project solo, taking over the roles of programmer, artist, and level designer in addition to lead designer and producer.