ASCENT v0.3 UPDATE

SALUTATIONS, adorable robots of all colors, shapes and sizes! it's been a hell of a week for ASCENT- this is probably the most focused i have been on a project for many years. here's a short list of changes you'll see when you drop into the caves to tackle the new levels:

• five new puzzles of rapidly increasing difficulty
• tweaks and changes to existing levels
• lots of sound design
• beautiful new textures for shale, boulders, and the resulting rubble when you drop them onto spikes
• a TON of behind the scenes work on puzzles and features for v0.4- so stay tuned for next week ;)

well, okay, you won't see that last one when you drop into the caves to tackle the new levels- but since you decided to stick around i guess i'll ramble about game design for a bit.

"'skeletons.' right, i guess i DID stockpile some tests"

the tuesday after last week's release of the game i already had a bunch of features coded that aren't even in this update, and i spent a few days making levels with them and playtesting. i decided to save those levels for next week for a few reasons:

first, i wasn't sure how long this burst of motivation would last, so i figured stockpiling some content might be prudent.

second, i wanted to get much better at designing puzzles with the elements i already had- spikes, boulders, titanium, and shale- as this experience would hopefully result in better puzzles when i start adding new features.

third, it would be nice to add new levels to the end of the existing game as much as possible, rather than inserting them into the middle.

and fourth, i promised one of you lovely minds that i would revisit one of my previous projects this week- my 2021 48-hour game Dungeon Keysmith's Apprentice. im hoping the backlog of ascent content will take some of the pressure off as i embark on that daunting journey into the past.

after a week of progress, i am very happy with my decision. i have grown as a puzzle artisan in the last few days, and explored a lot of interactions which can be woven into future levels. (if you get stuck on any of the puzzles in this update, be sure to leave a comment letting me know. the satisfaction i derive from baffling strangers on the internet knows no bounds- and also i have hints available if you need a hand :)

the puzzle element matrix

to help with puzzle design, i made an element interaction matrix. it's a chart which has every element in your game on the x axis; and also every element in your game on the y axis. in each intersection you write down every interaction those two elements have with each other. this results in a database of every conceivable mechanic in your game. a screenshot of the chart for this release of ascent is attached.

i discovered this technique on excellent youtube channel Game Maker's Tool Kit. it proved very useful for designing puzzles, compiling interesting tricks to use later, and planning future elements. i definitely recommend it to any puzzle devs out there!

lets talk about playtesting

playtesting is super important at all stages of game development. every time i've had somebody to play ascent i found confusing* moments and come up with ways to clarify them.

TEST: a player wasn't sure if the reason the couldn't grapple titanium beams was because of the material or the height
CLARIFY: added an animation and a sound effect
TEST: a player beat the first few levels using only the x button to ascend cables and then got stuck when they needed to use the down arrow key
CLARIFY: the 'press x to ascend' quality-of-life ability is now awarded after beating the first level, to make sure they player knows they can use up/down before they continue.
TEST: a bug i didn't know about caused a player to assume a level was impossible- they were testing the mechanic used for the solution but it failed in that edge case.
CLARIFY: i fixed the bug. obviously
TEST: a player said the level ending sound was annoying
CLARIFY: i ignored them. there's no accounting for taste

*puzzle games should not be confusing; they should be perplexing. hope this helps

and of course, playtesters also catch lots of bugs, level design flaws, and alternate solutions to puzzles. one stage had shale in the ceiling that could be broken, allowing you to escape the map (well, not really but it looked very funny). alternate solutions are especially nasty to search for myself- as the puzzle designer i am blinded by the knowledge of the one true intended solution, so my ability to search for varying paths is very limited. i changed several levels which had simpler solutions i missed, either eradicating the shortcut or- in one case- making the new solution the intended one.

gauging the relative difficulty of different puzzles is also helpful for effectively organizing them. the order that levels come in is part of the game too, and it can have a significant impact on the difficulty. puzzles

there is no "playtesting" stage of game development. if you're working on a game- especially a puzzle game- get people to play it whenever you get the chance. doesn't matter if it's just temporary code and developer textures. you will learn something valuable.

speaking of! please, please write comments or post videos of/about your playthrough! they help me a whole lot and the game could very well be improved because of your experience and feedback. as always you are free to message me on discord as well ^^

have fun out there, and i'll see you all next week!