PogoChamp News

This week I spent my time primarily working on end-game cinematics & stuff related to the final level. It's all still work-in-progress, so I don't have anything to show off quite yet. I also started working on 2 more levels, which will probably be ready by next week. There's just a little bit more work to do before PogoChamp can exit Early Access and officially "1.0", so if you've got any feedback or level ideas, let me know!

Surprise! Three more new levels! I wasn't expecting to finish 6 new levels in the last 2 weeks, but when you've got ideas (that aren't too complicated), the levels just pour out. This brings the grand total of levels to 96!!! Meaning there's only 4 more levels before the game is "content complete". Over the next few weeks I'll be working on new levels, cinematics, and some features that I've been neglecting like control remapping, in preparation for the 1.0 launch! No official date for that yet, but I'll let you know once I know!


I realized that I hadn't actually made a "normal" 2D level. All the other 2D levels are kind of gimicky, and are much later in the game, so I decided to make an introductory 2D level. The initial version of it was too hard for new players, but I'm pretty happy with it now. Nice, simple, and should help new players learn the mechanics.


The rocket-jumping mechanics with the Bazooka power up were so interesting & fun that I decided to make a few levels that are just about traversal using the bazooka (instead of shooting stuff like Three Strikes and The Chopper).


This is another rocket-jumping level, but more complex, and requiring more precision than Blast Off. It's a very late game level, so it can be quite difficult to complete!

• BUG FIX: Fan air VFX emission rate wasn't being adjusted for height changes.
  
• BUG FIX: Bazooka explosion knockback could apply to the same object multiple times.
  
• UX / GAMEPLAY: Add Controller Deadzone option.
  
• CONTENT: New level: Perspective Shift (#17).
  
• BUG FIX: Self destruct explosion VFX wasn't rendering properly in A Quick Break.
  
• CONTENT: New level: Blast Off (#46).
  
• CONTENT: New level: Close Quarters (#89).
  
• GAMEPLAY: Update demo to include some new levels.
  

This update is all about the brand new Bazooka power up. Three brand new Bazooka-focused levels brings the level total to 93!!! Just 7 more levels before PogoChamp can "1.0"! It's so close I can practically taste it!


You know what to do.


Is it even a real video game if there isn't a helicopter boss fight? Well no worried because there is one now!

• CONTENT: New level: Rocket Science (#73)
  
• CONTENT: New level: The Chopper (#66)
  
• BUG FIX: Fix bug where helicopter continued shooting missiles after it was destroyed.
  
• GAMEPLAY: Getting shot with a direct hit from the helicopter now kills you.
  
• BUG FIX: Fix bug where bazooka didn't plat sounds when landing.
  
• BUG FIX: Fix bug where helicopter SFX only came in through 1 ear.
  
• BUG FIX: Helicopter missiles now have SFX when fired.
  
• CONTENT: New level: Three Strikes (#35)
  
• BUG FIX: Bazookas now show poof VFX in replays.
  
• DEV: Update Unity version to 2020.3.26f1.
  
• UX: Move under construction sign in level select.
  
• BUG FIX: Fix issue where goal zone activation in Three Strikes wasn't recorded in replays.
  
• BUG FIX: Fix issue where helicopter SFX were not affected by volume settings.
  
• BUG FIX: Fix issue where glass shatter SFX was not affected by volume settings.
  
• DEV: Update FMOD Studio version & FMOD plugin version.
  

Wow it's 2022. Did I think PogoChamp would be done by now? Yes. Am I proud of how much I've accomplished? Absolutely. Do I think 2022 will be the year PogoChamp 1.0s? Definitely.

With this update PogoChamp has 90 levels!! That means there's only 10 more to go until I reach my goal of 100! After taking a nice vacation I'm feeling energized and creative, and I have high hopes that I can make the final 10 levels fun and interesting for you all!


Gigantic fans are an idea I've had for a long time, but I hadn't figured out how to make a level where they're fun/sensible. I think this and Fan Club are actually really fun, so I hope you like them!


I realized that after adding several levels that used the jetpack/space helmet power up, there wasn't really a tutorial level that explained how to use it, so I made one!

• BUG FIX: Pot power up collider in Get Over It was bigger than it should have been.
  
• BUG FIX: Pot power up no longer disappears if you hide + unhide a ghost in replays.
  
• BUG FIX: Fix position of "Under Construction" sign in level select.
  
• CREDITS: Add some imported assets to the credits (most notably stuff in The Heist).
  
• VISUALS: Add visible jetpack boosters to the jetpack power up to make what it does more clear.
  
• GAMEPLAY: Get Over It pot power up now provides 2x as much "coyote time" when sliding off a surface, which should prevent loss of momentum from slipping off small surfaces.
  
• CONTENT: New level: Blown Up.
  
• CONTENT: New level: Fan Club.
  
• BUG FIX: While watching replays in A Quick Break, the camera no longer moves up 10 units each time the replay restarted.
  
• CONTENT: New level: Flight School.
  
• CONTENT: Reordered a bunch of levels.
  
• BUG FIX: Fix issue where the leaderboard would not properly reload if you exited a level before a leaderboard upload finished.
  
• GAMEPLAY: In The Classic, your character is now focused to the left side of the screen so you can see further into the level (should make the classic a bit easier because it means you have more time to react).
  
• BUG FIX: Leaderboard score uploads weren't being started properly, which caused them to take 10 more seconds than they should have. (They weren't being started, so they would always time-out and then retry after 10 seconds.)
  
• UX: Add "Reset" control information to The Basics.
  
• BUG FIX: The rings in the cannon absorb visual effect weren't full circles.
  
• GAMEPLAY: Change Tumbler bounce behavior so it is less finicky. Should make the level more reliable / easier.
  
• BUG FIX: Fixed an issue where Fan Club took a very long time to load (for no reason???).
  
• DEV: Working on new power up and new levels.
  
• LEVEL ORDER: Maxi Golf changed from level 7 -> 5. I wanted people to get to this level sooner because it's a nice teaser for "Oh this game has some whacky stuff!".
• LEVEL ORDER: The Pits changed from level 6 -> 10. The Pits was pretty hard for how early it was. Adding the reset prompt to The Basics meant I could move this level to later in the game.
• LEVEL ORDER: Hurdles changed from level 26 -> 27 (swapped with Cann Cann). Hurdles is harder than Cann Cann.
• LEVEL ORDER: Blown Up added as level 28.
  
• LEVEL ORDER: Flight School added as level 43. I needed a jetpack tutorial level before Light 'em Up (Level 55), so it made sense to make a level like this one.
• LEVEL ORDER: Flubber changed from level 45 -> 73. People found Flubber to be much harder than other levels in the 40-50 range.
• LEVEL ORDER: Fan Club added as level 57.
  
• LEVEL ORDER: Bouncer changed from level 68 -> 67 (moved several spots earlier when considering the added levels). Bouncer is pretty simple compared to some of the other later levels, so moved it up a few spots.
• LEVEL ORDER: The Classic changed from level 74 -> 76. I wanted to separate The Classic and A Quick Break since they're both 2D levels.
• LEVEL ORDER: A Quick Break changed from level 75 -> 80.
  

* Fix incorrect collider size in pot power up for Getting Over It.
* Fix bug where pot power up disappeared if you hide + unhide a ghost in replays.
* Fix position of "Under Construction" sign in level select.