Aim Zen News

Hello everyone, let's see how far we have come this week in our goal of developing Aim Zen, an accessible and innovative aim trainer.

First of all, I'd like to say that this week I added a feature and made some serious improvements to the infrastructure. Let's get started.

[h2]1- Customizable Crosshair System:[/h2]



With the customizable crosshair system, you will now be able to create your own custom crosshair from the settings, for now:

• Color
  
• Gap
  
• Size
  
• Thickness
  
• Dot
  

These customizations have been made available to players, meaning players will have this freedom from the first demo of the game.

[h2]2- Musical Target System Overhaul/2:[/h2]

In addition to the changes made in the previous week, I have made a few more changes to this system so that players can better differentiate targets:

- When targets spawn, the circles around them now spawn with a smoother color transition.

- All circles have been changed to white to reduce eye strain.

- Indicators like "Ok", "Good", "Perfect!" have been colored and made more understandable and meaningful.



[h2]3- Target Selector System Finalization:[/h2]

I finalized the target selector, a system I developed for players to quickly get into practice and warm up, which will form the infrastructure of the Zen Editor in the future.

From the first demo, players will have access to this feature as well.





With this system, you can create the target characteristics you want, no matter which mode you choose. Fast, practical, smart.

[h2]4- Other Changes:[/h2]

• [h3]Steam achievement system integrated, 1 achievement is now available.[/h3]
  
• Fixed various bugs in the Target Selector system. Precision has been added.
  
• Headshot has been made more stable.
  
• Introduced interfaces that allow users to adjust the speed and change direction intervals of moving targets.
  
• Improvements have been made to the maps. [PROTOTYPE, SKY, HELL]
  
• Changes have been made to the lighting and visual effects in the Z1 and Z2 maps. [SKY, HELL]
  
• Code infrastructure has been improved.
  

Hello, and welcome to our weekly development update. Let's talk about what we've accomplished this week.

First off, I launched our Steam Store page a few days ago, in the middle of this week. This required me to create a trailer and prepare visuals for the Steam page. I've completed all these tasks, the page is live and ready! I will continue to update it regularly.

Here are this week's development notes that I'd like to share with you.

[h2]1- Musical Target System Overhaul:[/h2]

I've made several improvements to the music-focused target system to make it more user-friendly. Now, every target hit will provide the player with visual feedback like "Ok, Good, Perfect!" based on their timing.

During our Alpha testing with players, one common feedback was that the rings around the targets took too long to shrink, causing the scene to become cluttered. In response, I've not only shortened this shrinking time but also added an option for players to adjust this duration themselves. Additionally, players can now set how far apart the targets should spawn from each other.



I've integrated a Combo system into the Musical Target System as well. There's now a combo counter on the scene, which actively displays how many targets you've hit in a row without missing. You can see this directly in the scene. This isn't just a visual feature; it also impacts the score. Here's the algorithm I use for score calculation:

currentScore += Mathf.RoundToInt(385 * 2 * (1 + accuracyPercentage / 100f) * (1 + musicalTargetComboManager.comboCounter / 100f));

Additionally, if you fail to hit the Musical targets on time, your combo counter resets, and you lose points. This was another piece of feedback I received during the Alpha test.

[h2]2- Target Selector:[/h2]

I've added a practical target customization menu to enable users to conduct exercises in their preferred style. With this menu, you can modify all the existing target systems in the game and create target profiles to suit your style. In the future, I plan to make this system sharable with other players.



[h2]3- Other Additions:[/h2]

My primary goal is to ensure users have a product with a clean interface and a robust foundation. In line with this, I've added Flickshot, Moveshot, and Tracking targets to Aim Zen, bringing the total to six different target systems.

The currently active target systems are:

1- Gridshot
2- Reflexshot
3- Headshot
4- Flickshot
5- Moveshot
6- Tracking

Note: Remember, you can modify the characteristics of each to suit your preferences. For example, if you reduce the scale of targets in the Gridshot system, you can turn it into a Precision exercise.

If you haven't added Aim Zen to your wishlist yet: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2791290/Aim_Zen/

Hi, I'm Cemil, the developer behind Aim Zen. With our Steam page now live, I'd like to take a moment to share both my upcoming plans and shed some light on Aim Zen.

[h2]Aim Zen Development Journey in Brief:[/h2]

The concept of developing an aim trainer was initially suggested by my former partner. Our distinguishing factor was a sleek, clean interface, aiming to address the shortcomings prevalent in other aim trainers. While my primary responsibility was originally everything outside of coding, due to my partner's diminishing contributions, I took the initiative to learn C# three months ago. This decision was crucial as it allowed me to single-handedly take charge of every aspect, ensuring our participation in the upcoming Steam Next Fest. Eventually, I made the call to part ways with my former partner and continue the project independently.

Post this crucial juncture (one week prior to the release of this article), I systematically discarded all previously written code, opting to recode all the mechanics from scratch. This strategic move was essential to navigate potential legal complications.

At present, I wear multiple hats, overseeing tasks ranging from game design and 3D modeling to UI/UX design, marketing, coding, and licensing processes.

[h2]Music Integration:[/h2]

Initially not part of the plan, music integration emerged as a significant aspect during the prototyping phase of the UI/UX system. Drawing inspiration from the music playing in the background, I started crafting a user interface design. Pleased with the results, I continued refining it.

[h3]Old Interface:[/h3]

[h3]The previous interface has been revamped for classical music:[/h3]
Note: These designs are outdated; the entire interface has been revamped, and the updated interface will be shared with all players when the time comes.

Utilizing algorithms such as FFT, I introduced a music-based target system, inspired by elements from rhythm games. Despite its complexity in planning and execution, the rhythm-based target system is on the verge of completion.
[h3]A sneak peek from the Musical Target System:[/h3]

In the realm of classic exercises, meticulous attention has been paid to eliminate any potential distractions. Users retain control, whether engaging with music-integrated modes or experiencing traditional exercises.

[h2]Zen Editor:[/h2]
Zen Editor stands as an in-game task and map creation editor, potentially divided into 2 or 3 components:

1. A map editor enabling users to craft maps using predefined shapes, shareable with other players.
   
2. An editor empowering users to manipulate classic tasks and share them under their name.
   
3. An editor where users can define target spawn times for our licensed music through a bookmark system.
   

These sections can exist independently or under a unified umbrella. The Zen Editor is currently in the development phase.

[h3]A sneak peek from the map design screen of Zen Editor:[/h3]


Presently, Zen Editor occupies the lowest rung of the development priority ladder. My focus is on establishing the game's fundamental principles and resolving other technical intricacies in preparation for the Next Fest scheduled for this summer.

Closing Thoughts:
Commencing next week, I will be publishing a Devblog every Monday to keep you abreast of the latest developments. Feel free to join our Discord server and contribute your suggestions.

[h3]Discord[/h3]

If you haven't added Aim Zen to your wishlist yet:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2791290/Aim_Zen/

If you haven't checked out the trailer yet:[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]