Pre-Alpha Release / DevDiary #7
Shello Gushers! We are finally back with a new appointment of our DevDiary. Today, together with our DevGushers we will be taking stock of important news in the development of Gushi Force and the first playable version of the game.
In fact, the pre-alpha version of Gushi Force was released a few days ago, and the entire GushiLand team is testing the game. If you want to stay updated, we have created a DevCenter on Discord in which we periodically release update logs, build by build. If you are curious to find out even more about the game’s development, we recommend joining Discord:
✨ Also remember that our Marketplace is open and you can finally get your Gushi! Discover now https://marketplace.gushi.land/ ✨
Preparations for the testing phase
After the first phase of programming Gushi Force’s multiplayer system, we ventured into testing the new features. The management logic of our multiplayer will be “server authoritative”-read our last story if you want to know more-so it was necessary to open numerous instances of the game that could simulate the presence of multiple players within the server and allow us to check for bugs in the system.
Each test needed several steps in order to baste the structure, this would have greatly lengthened the testing procedures, and wasted a considerable amount of our time. For this reason, we decided to update the exclusive development interface to include commands that would allow us to more quickly carry out the basic actions for structuring in the testing phase.
In addition, we decided to include a log console for each open game instance, so that we would have specific logs in real time and broken down for each instance. This change greatly facilitated our work by simplifying the debugging task.
Gushi in the field!
As debugging progressed and our multiplayer system ran more and more smoothly, we could gradually turn our attention to placing Gushi on the battlefield during a match.
In order to do this, it was necessary to take into account the area to be assigned to each of the players. Therefore, we structured an arena area allocation system. The moment the first player accesses the server, the system will assign him a value that will define his left or right side (a similar system is used on Pokémon Unite), the next player will obviously be assigned the opposite value.
After solving this need in a practical way, we turned to the placement of Gushi in the areas belonging to the two players. Fortunately, this step was made easier by Unity’s “Netcode for GameObjects” components. By adding the “NetworkObject” component to each Gushi, all that is needed is to register it in the objects to be synchronized between clients at the beginning of a game.
Pre Alpha of Gushi Force
To prepare for the testing phase of Gushi Force, we first clarified what essential features needed to be included right away in order to be tested. Since this was the first real prototype of the game, the first thing to test was obviously a common fight between two players.
In order to test the fights, we first included the ability to select which Gushi to use during a match — a minimum of 3 up to a maximum of 6 — choosing them from the different DracoGushi species available so far in the Marketplace. (P.S. Get your Gushi now! https://marketplace.gushi.land/ ✨)
After the initial selection, the player finds himself inside one of the game’s procedurally generated maps and has the option of placing his Gushi inside the arena within a 4x9 tile area and having them move and fight against the opponent’s Gushi.
However, these simple but by no means trivial game phases required the development of other special features. First, it was necessary to build a system that would allow players to conveniently and effectively test the game by combining three basic components: player 1, player 2, and server. Since we do not yet have a remote server, it was essential to design an interface that would allow players to start a server locally on their own.
Another aspect that we had to take into account during this phase was compatibility with different mobile devices. This part of the work took a considerable amount of time because we had to set up a system that scaled the various interface and game components without generating visual errors.
To get better feedback from the testers, we also set up a color grid around the game scene. This will give us a clearer view of how the game screen will look on different devices.
Pre-Alpha Testing!
Early versions of the Alpha of Gushi Force are currently being tested by the team on PC and Android devices (with iOS coming really soon). In addition to the features already mentioned in the previous chapters, these early versions already include within them other interesting dynamics, such as the ability to inflict damage to the opponent’s Gushi by attacking with one’s own creatures and some effects of the different arena tiles that are triggered when the Gushi passes by.
To effectively collect all feedback, we have also created an internal form that can be filled out by testers by entering various bugs and any suggestions. This system is allowing us to quickly unearth numerous small bugs and take care of their fix, improving the whole game experience step by step.
In the coming weeks we are looking forward to a long but challenging task of implementing new features and continuous improvements to the entire Gushi Force system. When all the basic features are integrated, we will create a gameplay trailer and streaming to show you how it works.
About GushiLand
GushiLand is a new gaming experience on blockchain powered by Algorand. Strategy, action, and fun in a play-to-build ecosystem approachable and profitable for both casual gamers and pros.
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