Recent Updates

This update focused on several smaller things rather than one larger aspect.

Health

Health was added for the player with a health bar in the bottom right. Collecting presents will re-generate this health slightly. Code added to automatically restart the game (for now) when health bottoms out, resetting the score and other necessary variables.

This makes it feel much more of a game now! 

Though I'm sure the hit point amount and such details will get tweaked along the way, so let us know any feedback!

Reindeer

One of the main things I spent time on was fixing the reindeer. I knew the solution before wasn't permanent and had flaws - it was a quick add-in to test the mechanic. 

The main thing I wanted to do was to tween the reindeer into position rather than just instantly move them. With the reindeer being attached to the ship, this took more than a simple tween. Though it is what I spent a little chunk of time on, I won't go into details as it isn't really important to the player.

Here are some details that ARE important to the player that I implemented:

• Only 6 reindeer MAX allowed to collect.
• Reindeer will also get destroyed (actually teleported, see below) when hit by a ship. This does not destroy the ship though.
• Reindeer will go to the side that have fewer.
• Reindeer will shuffle into formation, so they won't straggle far away from the ship.

Oh, and if you don't know, each reindeer fires a laser when you shoot. So collecting the reindeer increases your firepower.

Snow

Particle effect added to appear as snow falling. This was rather simple and also easy to tweak, so let me know any feedback about size, opacity, movement, etc

Teleport

So since we are dealing with Santa, Elfs, and Reindeer, it was decided we shouldn't have these dying and such with ships exploding. Though I was excited for someone to whip out some cool explosion pixel art, but we do have a teleport visual effect.

So now when things get hit and "go away" they get teleported out of here, ha.

Misc

There were a few tweaks here and there as well in the process but not much to note. I made slight alterations to my present, a snow globe, but I might change it out for something later. I'm not sure it is easily recognizable as a snow globe, but I can't think what else I want to make.

Oh! We also got a Santa sprite actually in the sleigh! I guess that is pretty important!

Feedback

As always, let us know any feedback!