The Game Design Tool that changed how I see my game - Bottled Sky Devlog (April 2024) 

The game looks good and looks like it feels good too, nice work bruv, can’t wait to see more. As you went through the possible options I had the offscreen marker thing ringing in my head, as well as the pan zoom effect (akin to what Brawhalla does). I think if you aren’t going to commit to concise markers then perhaps try a subtle edge gradient (like when you get shot in an fps, which I can barely ever figure out btw😂irony..) have it blur the screen border with desired colour: wide if the enemy is far and narrow it as they get closer, but keeping it relatively wide so it’s more of a range where the enemy will appear rather than give away precise location.. This may have already been suggested 😂not sure, didn’t read all comments

Really liked the video, thoughtsful and well outlined, didnt realise you were such a small channel til I scrolled to the comments, keep this up!!

I have a couple ideas, but I haven't watched your other videos, so I don't know whether they will fit within your game. You mentioned that as a player gets better at a game and learns about the opponents, information becomes less hidden. You could implement this as a gradual change over time in when/how the markers appear. (This could be automatic or through a skill system of some kind.) So for a new enemy, if it makes an off-screen sound, let a marker appear briefly with a question mark. At this point the player doesn't know what it is and how it behaves. After dealing with one or two of that type of enemy, have the marker display an icon for the enemy (or maybe just after the enemy making a sound on-screen). After even more enemies of a type, the marker could last longer or work at larger distances. Other options could be buffs to attack or defence against that enemy as the player learns about it.

Nice video and interesting looking game. The waypoint system i think was a great way to solve enemies going off screen and theres so many options there for the future! I will be looking forward to seeing more ❤

"A solved game is a game whose outcome (win, lose or draw) can be correctly predicted from any position, assuming that both players play perfectly" Perfect Information availability is generally required for a game to be solved, but it does not mean the game is necessarily solved. Tic tac toe, connect 4, and checkers are solved because there is a definitive, algorithmically determined "best move" whereas Chess has not been optimized to that level yet

This video deserves more attention

I really like drill ships, so this appeals to me right away! Anyways I was almost getting ready to suggest the same #3 marker solution that you ended up talking about last, as a game dev myself it is actually my first choice for these kinda moments, even for 2D platformers. I also highly suggest staying away from the zoomed out cam idea, as not only is it unappealing to look at, but it is also extremely easy to lose track of your character when zoomed far out... I seen other folk suggest it as a good idea to devs before, and I simply can't agree with it.

For the algorithm

Make enemies shoot only when encountered, i.e. were seen. If the time off-screen is too long, they are unflagged (!seen). Also tweak the ranges and behaviours so it feels good and fair.

I beg you to avoid precise distance numbers unless you're going for realistic simulation game. Having actual numeric "data" clutters player's brain quite a bit while your gameplay looks clean and cartoonish. Changing marker's size, color, opacity or position is more than enough to convey the object's relative distance. Keep it simple and intuitive! The game looks solid so far.