One of the critical parts of any game project is the various navigational elements that it has. With the previously mentioned goal of having this project be compatible with multiple input types( Mouse/Keyboard, Touchscreen, Gamepad ), specific navigational UI had to be created from the ground up to meet this intended usage. The circular navigation will be an essential part of the project in that it will provide dynamic, easy-to-use navigation that will be versatile and esthetically appropriate.
This navigation was not difficult but also not easy to implement and is entirely done VIA C# except for the Prefab buttons. Some logical challenges needed to be addressed to achieve these transitional effects within the dynamic nested navigation. It is still not entirely completed at this time, but it is at a point that it is ready to be integrated into the appropriate areas of the project for usage.
With the Circular navigation ready to be used, the focus shifted to selecting interactable objects( Players, Pets, NPCs, etc. ) within the World. This also had some hurdles that needed to be addressed to support multiple input types( Keyboard/Mouse, Touchscreen, Gamepad ). The solution was to implement a Raycast check from the desired Vector position of any input device and check if there are one or more results. If there is only one result, the appropriate Circular navigation will be displayed, but what if there is more than one? Such as if Players and or Pets are stacked on top of each other. In that condition, a Selection Panel will appear to ask the user which selectable object they would like to interact with. This resolves the common challenge with selecting something behind another object and not being able to do so.
After the functionality was implemented to select interactable objects such as Player Avatars, the focus shifted back to the Friends System, which would allow users to send and receive friend requests. This type of request is an essential part of any game social system and will pave the way for other similar types of functionality to be implemented in the future.
It isn't easy to believe, but it is almost that time of year again. No, I'm not talking about Christmas. On June/07/2021, CSK will be turning 11. This year I thought I would ask the community to see what the players would like to do. Last year I broadcasted the 10th anniversary on Twitch and shared the overview of where the project is going. If you have an idea of what you would like to do or see, please share.
As always, it is my pleasure to share with you some of the other things that I work on behind the scene. Here is another early character concept art.
You can also view the game development of this project on Tuesdays and Fridays on twitch.tv/csk_des. Follow on social media to get notifications on the start of broadcasts.
If possible, try to enjoy this great weather we are having for the short time period that we get it.
Have a great weekend :)