Devlog 4: Prototype Map

It has been a little while. First thing I switched from trying to do daily devlogs, it is too much stress. Devlogs will just be numbered now.

Also I took a bit of a break for a couple of weeks. What I got done however was a map that I can use to test mechanics on. It took a bit to make.

After testing on the map I noticed a bunch of issues with the AI which I then tackled. Mainly they couldn't really navigate and would get stuck on walls, so they can now pathfind better through the map, in addition they will try to brake before taking tight turns. Additionally the Enemy cars will try to predict a bit better where the player is going and will attempt to intercept that path. 

The AI is still a bit clunky however, and I am thinking of having them predict the player even better, in addition to generalizing when the AI should be braking to improve them chasing the player.

Also in the last blog post I mentioned UIToolkit, so I tried to make some menus using it. It turns out it is not really ready yet, so I think I will stick with Canvas for this game. 

Overall development has slowed down a bit, and I have hit the point where I need to go back and refactor/redesign mechanics, but just before that, it is finally time to do an art pass, which will also hopefully increase my own productivity seeing as it is a more relaxing and creative task for me. 

What the art pass will entail will be figuring out the art style for the game, making a fitting shader, making some evironments/props, and making a car with maybe the driver. Basically figuring out what the game should look like to best match the theme of the game. It will mostly be NPR work since I don't think a PBR look is the right decision here. 

Anyway not to get ahead of myself, that is what I will try to tackle next, so for now this concludes this devlog.