April 6th, 9:00 AM. Chris's bedroom, the epicenter of indie game development (self-proclaimed), was abuzz. "Power-ups!" Chris declared, holding up three fingers. "Shield, spread shot, bomb. Let's make this spaceship a weapon of mass destruction...of red blobs."
Max, already deep in the code, was muttering about instance() and yield(). "I think I can create a shield object that follows the player and absorbs damage."
Tyrone, surrounded by sketches of explosions and weapon effects, was designing the visual representation of each power-up.
They spent the morning tackling the shield. Max created a translucent blue sphere that surrounded the spaceship. Chris connected it to a timer, making it last for a limited duration. Tyrone added a shimmering effect to make it look extra cool.
The spread shot was next. Max modified the laser firing code to create multiple projectiles at once, fanning out from the spaceship. Tyrone designed a new, wider laser sprite for this power-up.
The bomb was the most challenging. Max created a large, expanding explosion that destroyed all enemies on the screen. Chris added a cooldown timer to prevent it from being spammed. Tyrone created a spectacular explosion animation, complete with screen shake.
By 9:00 PM, the spaceship was a veritable arsenal. It could shield itself, unleash a barrage of lasers, and obliterate everything on screen with a single, glorious bomb.
"We're overpowered!" Chris exclaimed, laughing, as he effortlessly destroyed waves of enemies. He really like designing.
Max, ever the balancer, was already tweaking the durations and cooldowns. "Needs to be fun, but not too easy." Start learning more on balancing the game.
Tyrone was admiring his handiwork. "Those explosions… chef's kiss." He felt he have a good power up visual.
April 7th. Enemy variety. Tyrone took the lead. "Time for some new bad guys."
He designed three new enemy types: a fast, zigzagging green blob; a slow, heavily armored blue blob; and a purple blob that shot projectiles.
Max implemented their movement patterns. The green blob used a randomized, erratic path. The blue blob moved slowly and directly towards the player. The purple blob stayed at a distance and fired projectiles at regular intervals.
Chris connected the new enemies to the spawning system, mixing them in with the original red blobs.
By evening, the game was significantly more challenging. The different enemy types required different strategies, keeping the player on their toes.
" Its a bullet hell now," Max jokes.
"More enemies, more fun!" Chris declared, dodging a barrage of projectiles. Start thinking of enemy placement.
Max was pleased with the AI variety. "It's starting to feel like a real shoot 'em up." He's having fun implementing more enemies type.
Tyrone was already sketching even more enemy concepts. "We need a mini-boss…and a real final boss." His vision is getting better and better.
April 8th. Visual polish. A day for the "juice."
Chris tackled screen shake. He added a subtle shake to explosions and collisions, making the impacts feel more powerful.
Max experimented with particle effects. He added trails to the projectiles, sparks to the collisions, and even more elaborate explosions.
Tyrone focused on the backgrounds. He created more detailed space environments, adding distant planets, nebulae, and asteroid fields. He also improved the parallax scrolling, making the depth effect more pronounced.
By 9:00 PM, the game looked significantly better. The screen shake added impact, the particle effects added flair, and the improved backgrounds added depth and atmosphere.
"It's…juicy!" Chris exclaimed, admiring the visual spectacle. He really like making games now.
Max nodded, satisfied. "The little details make a big difference." He master the basic of particle effect.
Tyrone, ever the perfectionist, was already planning further refinements. "Needs more polish. More everything!" His game visual is getting more and more appealing.
Three days, three milestones. They'd added power-ups, enemy variety, and a whole lot of visual polish. The game was transforming from a simple prototype into something truly special. They were ready for the final sprint.