Hey folks!

As we are nearing the end of the polishing phase, all the kinks are smoothed out of the mechanics and the visuals are boosted to their limit, leaving us with a game to be proud of. We managed to optimize a few things that were bugging us for a while now: the dash got less jittery, the player pickup is way more reliable and sounds that didn't come through are audible.

The visuals and presentation got a major upgrade, mostly due to the need for clear player feedback: be it through sound effects, animations or added UI. We made sure the players falling off the other side of the ship can now be spotted by putting an exclamation sign over there head. The cannon's purpose is made more clear, with a big reticle appearing when the enemy ship is inside. That ship now has a clear indication of health too. Instead of opting for an extra health bar, which would most likely clutter up the screen, a crowd of marauders was added, diminishing with every shot that hits their ship.

The ship rig allows us to make our trusty barge rattle and twist while it's soaring through the air. Plus we added a clear indication when a new cannonball is being spawned, by throwing the cabin door wide open. Menu and join screen now adequately show the player what button they are supposed to press to join the game and give you a nice controller rumble and robot greeting on join. Winning the game also rewards you with a good old robot dance!

Since this will be our last devlog, we suppose a few words of gratitude are in order. First and foremost to each member of the team: our artists, which shaped the look and feel of the game with their eye-catching art style and funky animations. The devs, all of them responsible people with a knack for problem solving and consistent coding. And all in all for everyone's patience, understanding, a good group spirit and atmosphere!

It feels appropriate to thank our supervisors, whos feedback and guidance shaped our project for the better, no doubt.

And lastly, a big thank you to anyone following up on our progress, reading the devlogs, trying the builds, checking out the itch.io page.

We sure enjoyed creating this game together and now that leaves us only one thing to do:

Let's Ship IT!

Thanks for reading!

Over and out.