Game Jam Day 5 - The Jam is in the Kitchen

My headset needs an update, so I'm writing this post a little earlier than usual. It's day 5, and the game feels nearly complete!

Sound of Music

I decided on a vibe for each level, then found a few songs on bensound to represent each location; the Living Room, the Office, and the Kitchen (spoiler: there's another new level). Along with the music, I also added some sound effects. I have some sounds in the menu to make it feel more immersive, as well as some funky cat meows when objects are scored and combos are completed. The cat meows were my not-so-subtle callback to an inspiration of this game: Tony Hawk Pro Skater. 

Along with the music, I added a settings menu to adjust the music volume. I also moved the credits button into the settings menu to make room for another feature on the main menu.

I decided not to add collision sounds since it caused a ruckus when each scene loaded, and interfered too much with the scoring sounds. I think the game feels fine without collision sounds, but maybe that's only my opinion.

Minor Improvements

I spent a lot of time today tweaking and fiddling with things to get some minor improvements done. I added a "How to Play" script, a fade to black as each level ends, fixed a few bugs related to the scoring display, and updated the project icon to match the rest of the branding.

Kitchen

The latest addition to the game comes in the form of a new level! The Kitchen is full of stuff to knock over, and paints a quaint little picture of the life of the household. 

This level adds a fun little twist. The player can drop down off the bar onto the counter, and continue playing. This marks the first level where the player can move to a new "surface" and not see the level end scene. There is a small trap in the sink to catch a clumsy cat or two. It also allows the player to help the house a little instead of just cause chaos. Want to put some dirty dishes in the sink? Go right ahead! That also scores points!

Level Select

During testing, I found myself wanting to play the same level over and over again. This led me to add a level select screen. I moved the credits into the settings menu, and replaced the old credits button with a level select button. 

The level select menu generates on the fly based on some global information about the game. I learned how to generate and connect buttons to signals through Godot script, which was fun! The code below is the bulk of the work. 

What's Next?

The last thing to do in the game for this jam is to add a pause menu. I keep calling it a "pause" menu, but I don't think I will actually pause anything. I may just pop up a menu that allows the player to end the level early, go back to the main menu, or exit the game. 

Once that is complete, I'll start the process of building and publishing the game! My daughter has been asking when she can play, it will feel great to say "Now!" next time she asks.