Hey again! We know, we know, it has been a bit longer of a hiatus since our last update than there normally is, and the main reason for that is that it was U of T break time, and well, some people had exams during it. However, we are BACK!!! We have had a lot on our plate this week, since today July 2nd is our alpha presentation! As a result, in the past few weeks, we've been working hard on delivering something presentable (somewhat). There are still some hiccups, but the game is for the most part playable right now with a tiny tutorial and some smaller sized puzzles, as well as a ton of new stuff. Below I will also list a lot of discussions that were not implemented yet, but here is what has been going on the last 3 weeks (June 12 - July 2):

Gameplay:

• Ever since our two discussions with the TA as well as the Professor, we have decided to pivot a lot of things to make them more "feel good" and fun. For starters, we've decided to transition to a first-person perspective. We had a LOT of discussion on it, and we still are not unanimous about it, but at the very least we are testing it out, and perhaps by completion we will give you guys the option for first or third person.
• We've also added some new mechanics, specifically barrier type mechanics. We added a window that allows the user to see through and swap through, but not walk through. It is showcased in the tutorial level for now, and is in use in a puzzle we still have in the works. We also added a see through barrier that you cannot walk (yet) or swap through. This was implemented in the first place since we had a lot of feedback that on the mirror puzzle, people did not know where to look. This way you can see where to look, then figure out how to get there rather than being confused the whole time.
• Finally, we have implemented snapping for the triggers, since it was very hard to get (especially the tree) into the right position to complete the picture. On top of that, we are still working on making swapping feel more intuitive (not relative, but direct).

Art:

• First things first, we have animations in the works! The player models are fully implemented and working (although still in T-pose), but animations are in the works and should be out soon.
• We had a lot of discussion on story design and how we can implement it. Especially with our new puzzle coming out, we will be tying it to the story a lot more with visual storytelling, so expect a lot of cheesiness soon (this will make sense soon)
• We have also implemented better-looking models, for example, a d6 dice model that we used maybe a little too much since we love it. We are still working on perfecting highlighting, so for now, ignore any glitching you see on it

Design:

• As mentioned already, we do have a new puzzle in the works, which will be using a lot of the new barriers we implemented. On top of that, we are also planning to layer puzzles, such as completing a painting puzzle, being a required condition to begin the next puzzle in that level, rather than just leading directly to the next scene.
• And one more thing about puzzles, we are planning on changing up the first (not tutorial) level involving the mirrors as right now, they are extremely finnecky, super you have to see it, and generally too easy once you do see it. The mirror itself may see some changes, on top of the level definitely will, especially for beta build.

But who wants to read all of that anyways? Dowload the alpha now on our main page!