August 2024 Devlog

Hello Groundskeepers! Boy, 6 months sure does fly by huh? I had intended to post a devlog every month but have fallen short of that goal. I have however, been working on Groundskeep and would like to share some updates since the last devlog. 

Scrolling Screens

Since the game plans on having over 70 screens of unique cuttable grass, I had initially intended on having the screen fade out and back in when you walked to another part of the field. I have come up with a workaround that achieves a pretty effective scroll mechanic a la Zelda. 

Old

New

How this works behind the scenes is fairly convoluted, but does get the job done. Essentially, when you go to the edge of the map, the camera snaps to the center of a plus shaped area that mimics the grass of the field. A copy off the player moves off screen and the camera scrolls. While this copy is happening, all the behind the scenes swapping and code changes are happening on the original playfield. Once the pan finishes, the camera snaps back to the main playfield and the player can continue playing. It's replacing the fade out with what amounts to a cutscene. 

Massively improved movement

In the last build, if you tried to turn into a single square opening, you had to be in the exact pixel position to walk into that area. I made adjustments to the game engine so if the player is turning on the edge of a wall/grass, it'll snap the player into the proper position. This greatly improves the feeling of movement and generally stops the player from feeling like they get physically stuck.

Old

New

Pause Screen/Upgrades

The pause menu has been greatly expanded. In addition to the map, which has been moved to the left side, there is now options for settings, music, two purchasable unlocks that I will outline in the later in the post, as well as 3 level bars. These corelate the the level upgrades you can purchase at the hardware store. These include:

Machete Lightness: The lighter your machete is, the faster you move

Machete Durability: A more durable machete means you will need to return to the village to sharpen it less

Machete Sharpness: A sharper machete will cut a piece of grass quicker

Cafe Boons

Logan at the cafe is happy to hook you up with drinks for the work you are doing for the island. He'll brew you a coffee, steep you a tea, or pour you a bevvy. He only asks that you hydrate with water before you grab another. On the gameplay side, these drinks each offer an optional boon for the player, with a downside attached.

Coffee: You feel energized, moving quickly, but tiring out easier (Raises Lightness Lvl., lowers Durability and Sharpness)

Tea: You feel zen, like you could cut grass all day, but at your own pace. (Raises Durability Lvl., lowers Lightness and Sharpness)

Bevvy: You feel buzzed and don't know your own strength, but are clumsy and sleepy (Raises Sharpness Lvl., lowers Lightness and Durability)

The boons are optional, free, and can be swapped out or removed at any time with a cleansing glass of water.

Fixed Machete Position

When swung, the machete used to just appear above the piece of grass it was to cut, which often meant it was far from or overlapped the player. It now appears directly in front of Vern.

Randomized Items

I have started to implement the items that you will find in the field that you can then sell at the general store to then buy upgrades at the hardware store. When you begin a new game, most all of the items will be randomly scattered within sectors of the map. This guarantees that every playthrough is unique and you (almost certainly) won't find the same item under the same piece of grass on a new playthrough. The sectors help assure that they are still spread evenly and they don't end up say, all on the left side of the map.

Items earlier on in the game will be worth less while items deeper in the field will be worth more. On that note...

Tougher Grass

As you go deeper into the park, the grass gets thicker and tougher. This means that while that initial grass was fairly easy to cut, if you rush to the end of the park, you'll find that one swing immediately drains your stamina. You could run back and forth between town, cutting one piece of grass at a time, but I'd recommend you start at the bottom and focus on upgrading your machete. 

Puzzle Minigame Code

I am still working on implementing this into the game itself, but I now have code that can at least unpack a binary string into a full puzzle. Meaning I should be able to put a bunch of binary strings into the game that, once implemented, will become playable puzzles. This is one of the more ambitious parts of the game so I anticipate it taking some time. 

Walls and Pathways

I have added the ability for me to add bushes(walls) and underlying pathways anywhere on the map. The bushes will let you know the edge of the map, as well as fill out the space more, while the pathways are a helpful guide leading you to the upgrades you'll need at the end of the game. These two little things have really helped the space feel much fuller, which I am very grateful for.

Recoding Grass Memory

Every piece of grass is recorded as a flag on it's own variable. I used to use 10/16 possible variable flags to record every row. Took me a while to realize by recording columns instead, I could utilize all 16 flags. This has made the code much more efficient and freed up a lot of variables. Which means more grass!

More Grass Screens Playable

In February, there was 3 screens of cuttable grass. At the current moment, there are over 28 screens (with many more to add).

Finder's Flag and Sharpening Stone

Two purchasable items have been added that can be gotten at the hardware store. The Finder's Flag let's you plant a flag at your current position and return to town. When you enter the park again, you have the option to go right back to that flag. The Sharpening Stone will let you sharpen your machete from the pause menu to 50% of your max stamina. Both these items will be a bit pricier, but it's up to you whether you want to save up for them, or focus on machete upgrades first.

Actual Gameboy Testing

Picked up an Everdrive cartridge to confirm the game is running well on original hardware. It is!

That's all for now. Thanks for dropping by and if you're interested in this project, please consider following it on Itchio or the GB Studio Discord. Also, share it with a friend who needs a chill game to play before bed. Till next time!

-Ty Ryan