In terms of programming progress, this sprint did not contain a lot of overt progress. This is primarily due to external factors (Open House, Extra-Life, Career Fair, Career Presentations, Work meetings), occupying much of the development time over the course of the week. However, due to previous iterations tackling excess objects, it should not be much of an issue. This week did focus primarily on implementing a few new additions to the current list of games, concentrating on the polishing of mechanics according to QA feedback received.
As of this week, I have implemented and embedded font system that should allow for the testing and utilization of various fonts our games may require. Our design focus for the fonts must meet two basic requirements. First, the fonts must be pixel / sprite based, therefore matching with the accompanying art style. Second, the fonts must be easy to read; as the iPhone screen limits the font sizes we can effectively apply. This means that implemented fonts should not have any unnecessary embellishment, as not only may it cause readability issues, but it also will be undetectable on the smaller phone screens.
The actual implementation process for fonts is relatively simple. A file will contain a list of embedded fonts that are built into the swf / ipa, therefore allowing us to bring the font style to any device. When creating a TextField within the game, a user only needs to set the font type on a TextFormat to the embedded font key, as well as enable embedded fonts on the TextField.
It is important to note that there is a divide between visuals that will need to be resolved in the near future. Some text may be generated dynamically, and therefore created by TextFields within the game. Timers, Score, and Objective Prompts are all forms of text that are created in the game. However, creating TextFields is not very efficient, so when possible, text should be contained within the game's images. This also allows additional room for embellishment. Therefore, whatever font type is used in the game's architecture must also be used when creating art assets.
Some additional work has been done on current Micro-Games. With font implementation, various bug resolutions have been conducted to ensure that text is properly formatted on the screen. We have also decided to highlight the Make a Pizza Micro-Game as a crucial Micro-Game to resolve. QA Testers have designated the game as the most difficult, primarily due to its lack of clarification. Therefore, as of this sprint, we have limited the selection to full topping placement only, no longer allowing for halves to be accessed. We have also adjusted some of the art assets to prevent the underlying pizza from causing topping confusion. We will also be potentially limiting the selection to six toppings, instead of eight, and further distinguishing each of the six topping pieces.
We also increased the size and formatting of the Like the Post game, while also increasing its scroll speed. Users should now be able to quickly run through readable posts, while also being able to focus more on the character portraits and names. The Answer the Call game was also redesigned a bit, now combining an Exit button with the hang-up feature. The Answer button is also noticeably larger; ensuring that players can easily designated the correct call. There is now an X mark on the hang-up button, therefore conveying the idea that players can close out of unwanted calls.
Documentation, regarding additional programming details and disciplinary reviews, were also completed during the sprint. During the upcoming sprint, there are plans to further continue polishes by conducting some extensive work meetings to allow for simultaneous collaboration on some of the various current game designs, as well as to tackle the Hub system. While the Hub system was intended for this sprint, it has been postponed due to time limitations, as well as the fact that it will require us to examine it as a team during the next sprint to ensure a proper implementation. Initial programming work may occur to begin creating some of the functionality, but the overall Hub project will be done primarily between programming and design.