INTRO/GENERAL

From the art/alpha build to the beta build was a lot smoother than prototype to art/alpha. As I had the clear goal of creating the bobber selection mechanic, which was accomplished in tandem with creating different reels for the player to play with. Adding a level of complexity to the fishing mechanic without taking away anything or making any radical changes. As well as a platform to possibly add progression, which was an issue player-testers found within the art/alpha build. Overall, the main goal was to create the bobber mechanic and I have more or less achieved that. 

———————————————————————————————————————

UI DISCUSSION

Overall the Ui has been revamped into a crispier and funnier version to showcase the simple joy the game wishes to give players.

The goal for the main menu for this version, has been improved visually and has had some changes done to it. First off the bobbers have been moved to the pause screen within the game itself. As after some thought, leaving the game, changing bobbers, then going back in seemed all too tedious. So now it is a simple pause and switch within the game itself so as to not annoy the player with the amount of clicks they need to use. Currently the fishbook has no use as the fishbook mechanic has yet to be developed, but that is planned for the full release as is more fish types. The question mark is to a controls menu that lets the player see all the controls of the game. It is inside the play button as I believe when a player starts a game the easiest button to find should be the controls. And having it be right next to the play button lets players easily and quickly spot it. The fish images have been moved around to feel less static and give a more unique style to the main menu. 

The addition of the pause menu was first to add a way to let the players change bobber’s within the game, though a help button was later added to let players view the controls. The simplicity of the pause menu guides players into finding what they need quickly, as unlike the start menu which is meant to be a first impression. The pause menu is a tool, used to assist the player in the quickest and easiest way possible. Which is reflected in the simple coloring and text being clear and to the point.

The controls menu itself is simple, containing the key and description of each control within the game. Control menus to me should always be clear and simple as to let the player quickly look through and understand how they are able to interact with the game. Which is reflected within the plain coloring and basic text.

The bobbers menu within its current form is focused on informing the player of their bobber options. With a deep purple used to have the bobber art pop more and the text to be easy to read. Letting players see what each bobber does and the major changes that occur when a different bobber is selected. The art choices of the bobbers were to give players a quick view of what each could be. The default bobber is a base of yellow with pink stripes and it’s speed and score are within the middle when compared to the other two bobbers as it is used to teach players how to play the game without having them struggle too much with speedy fish or get bored with how long it takes to catch one fish. Its color choice was done to make the bobber pop out more for the player to more easily learn how to capture fish without having to search for their bobber for too long. The focus bobber is a blue base with teal stripes as it is meant to be slower both in speed and how long it takes to capture a fish. Its purpose is to be a relaxing option for players that do not want a challenge but instead a simple time to relax. As such the colors more easily blend in with the background and are dimmer, compared to the other bobbers. As to give the players a more relaxed feeling. The speed bobber is a base of light purple with orange stripes, it is meant to be a challenge to players. Increasing the speed of everything within the game and giving a much more challenging option to players who want to test their reflexes and get more fish quicker as a reward. The coloring was chosen as a reverse of the default bobber, showcasing that it is a harder version of the default. The golden bobber with a very light bluish green base, and golden stripes meant to showcase its speciality. As it is a true challenge for players that use it, due to how much faster it is then the speed bobber and that there is only one fish present during the fishing mechanic. The reason for its existence was to add some sort of final challenge for players that want one. Rewarding them for learning and understanding how the fishing mechanic works.

In this build the fishing spots have now been turned into unknown fish meant to give the player the sense that they are trying to pull out one of multiple fish. The grip bar has also been changed to being a fishing pool with a bobber to give a visual sense of pulling the fish in.

The fish capturing screen has remained the same, I believe the previous was an effective tool in letting the player know what fish they caught. The background and text being lighter is used to give players a sense of joy due to them getting a fish. While also making the fish pop more. 

\The fish failure screen has remained the same, as it is useful in making the player want to avoid this screen. Due to its harsh red text and dull background.

———————————————————————————————————————

GAMEPLAY DISCUSSION

Overall, the gameplay updates have been mostly explained under the discussion about the bobbers. As that was the goal of the beta build, but I also added different types of reels that spawn whenever a bobber is selected or when the player resets the level. 

The default bobber will always have three fish that move along the center circle. A somewhat slow speed to let the player have a chance to learn about how to capture fish. The bobber speed reflects this as it is only a tad faster then the fish.

The goal of the focus bobbers was to slow things down for players that want a simpler experience. Which is why one of the three different reels for the focus bobber is simply just two long fish. And the speed of all three focus reels is slower than that of the default bobber. As to simplify things even more. 

The speed bobber is meant to give players a challenge if they find the focus bobber or the default bobber too slow for their liking. Which is why all of the fish within the speed reels are all much shorter and faster for added challenge. And with the high speeds of the bobber, and low score it should not become too boring for the player.

The golden bobber is meant to be the hardest challenge within the game. As due to its one reel with one small fish moving at the fastest of all the fish. Gives the player a chance to really test out their fish catching skills and see how well they can hit the fish. 

———————————————————————————————————————

ENDING STATEMENT

Overall the beta build was meant to add depth to the game and update the Ui. I feel like I accomplished both and did what I could within the time frame. Hopefully the final build goes as planned. With a fishbook, different types of fish, and maybe sound if time permits it.