*Development End - Final Reflections* 

Frame of Mind 

 As the realization that the first chapter of a new book in my life is beginning to close, I look forward to the future. I am happy to make games and I want to keep doing this. I’ve adjusted to the disciplinary techniques and long hours with a welcoming acceptance rather than loathing. Becoming a game developer feels like a cathartic self-actualization. Creating anything takes time, even best-selling games make patches post-release. All we can do is use the tools in our toolbox to get things done in the best way we know how. This is what the nitty-gritty of game development means to me. When your dreams, no matter how small, finally become playable-it is such a wholesome feeling. Even though my impact is insignificant in the grand scheme, being able to bring an idea to fruition that perhaps one person can enjoy, or at least experience, means a great deal to me. I feel purposeful. These things motivate me to learn from each project, not be afraid to ask for help, rise up from failures, and keep creating with a vision. Everything else is not in my control, so why worry? Nevertheless, this sprint was hard work and much fun! Time for a nap! 

Things That Worked 

• Serendipitously, both errs from the last log were cured! Not by myself, but through bright-minded colleagues and mentors! That’s the beauty of collaboration, where one may not be able to fill in the gaps, another can, and together we can rely on each other.  Working towards a common goal can be much easier than going alone.  It takes a village! I am so grateful for mine.  
• Through mentorship -  The free aspect ratio had been modified to 16:9, build platform switched to WebGL, the player build settings were modified, and all rect transforms were recalibrated for this new view. It wasn’t as daunting as I thought, and I learned the importance of properly configured rect transforms!  
• Additionally, there was a glitch where the player could spam attacks during their turn, this was remedied by introducing a boolean and turn toggle coroutine, and viola! 
• Through my colleague - Dragana had mastered the particle effects the same weekend I had been struggling with them and had introduced parallax scrolling to keep the backgrounds clean! It was so relieving and funny when we touched base and found this out.   
• A typing effect was incorporated into the dialogue configurations, which allowed for a more lively chat experience. The dialogue only allows choices after the chat has completed, the player cannot spam dialogue, and the logic is slightly altered so that the INK lines would appear smoother within their respective text boxes.  
• The SoundManager was tackled last, and I had lots of fun coming up with the tone arrangements for each scene and gameplay elements. 

Things That Didn’t (Yet!)

• With more time, I would have built out a more complex battle system that allows the Boss to recover, deal varying amounts of damage, and set a timer per battle. The player would’ve been allowed to choose attacks based on the elemental type of the boss and would’ve been limited on the amount of healing available to them per fight. Bosses would require more cognitive skills in general, currently, they are a tedious means to an end. 
• I would’ve liked to give the player more connection to the realm. A scene in between the two fights for a minigame allotting fight boosts and extra story-building through NPC interaction would have been nice as well.  
• The Spear of Deliverance reveal mechanic would be smoothed out, as well as a Save/Load system allowing the player to replay the battles with the Spear, one shotting bosses in a prideful  “I am the best” speedrun. 

Thanks for listening!

XOXO, 

ChociMilki