Itch.io Release
Now at the Gold stage, it was time to release the game. In this phase, I focused on optimising settings to ensure the game's compatibility with various hardware configurations I purchased and imported the last of my assets and updated the player corpse with a skull. Enhancements were made to win and lose conditions with the inclusion of the king of the hill mode. Three additional respite mechanics were integrated, introducing checkpoints, loading screens acting as a disclaimer at the game's start, and extra player health, transitioning the game from horror to the survival horror genre. Finishing touches involved updates to lighting, UI, and enemy behaviours based on user feedback. Sound effects were added for item collection and the monster, and notes were incorporated to enrich the game's narrative and offer hints about its mechanics. All changes were meticulously documented in GitHub and communicated to my supervisor before our meetings.
Figure 1: Self 2023. Seven Nights in Horshaw House [V1.1] Itch.io Page [Online]
Before I started to work on the press kit, it was crucial to allocate ample time for bug fixing and polishing, given the intricate systems in place. Addressing a particular issue in how the enemy activation was handled, I refined the approach by sending the enemy away and having it return at specific times to avoid script reference loss. To mitigate potential issues with player exploration, level bounds were implemented, resetting the player to the house if they ventured too far.
Seven Nights at Horshaw House version 1.0 was distributed to testers, along with instructions on which respite mechanics to enable or disable. The demo was then shared with my supervisor, followed by my friends, Falmouth University cohort, and, finally, my undergraduate cohort at Solent University.
Seven Nights in Horshaw House - Official Teaser Trailer 2023
Figure 2: Seven Nights in Horshaw House - Official Teaser Trailer 2023 [Online]
コメント