Devlog: Automation Characters Idle Garden 🌱

20 Aug 2024

Hey everyone! I’m excited to announce the release of version 0.16 of Idle Garden. This update brings new character sprites and info for automators, a fresh intro screen, and several behind-the-scenes changes.

Automation Characters

The most significant change in today’s update is the introduction of Automation Characters. Previously, automations ran in the background with no visual indication. Now, in version 0.16, automations are tied to character sprites that will spawn on the screen and move around as they complete their tasks. Each automation type has its own unique character design. You can click on your automators to see their name and how much work they’ve completed in the garden.

Intro Screen

Version 0.16 also introduces a basic intro screen that provides players with some initial guidance on how to play. While this screen is pretty rudimentary right now, it’s a step in the direction I want to take the game. The intro screen displays each time you start a new game, but it won’t show up if you load from a previous save. (Note on Saves: As mentioned in a previous update, saves from version to version are not currently supported and will fail. I’m working on creating a save upgrading system, but that’s still TBD.)

Continued Refactors

This release also continues the refactor process I talked about in the last update.

Sound Manager

Music and sound effects were previously scattered throughout the codebase. Now, they’re contained within a new manager class. From a feature standpoint, this means players can now mute both music and sound effects. Plus, this setting is saved and will persist when loading from a save.

Button Refactor

As more buttons have been added over time, the button class became unwieldy, managing too many concerns. Version 0.16 pulls button actions out into a separate module, making it easier to manage what actions buttons perform and simplifying the code that handles creating and displaying them. Players will notice that button text size has been increased for better legibility, and the sound for rejected clicks (e.g., trying to buy something without enough cash) is new and more noticeable. Buttons in the pause menu have also been reorganized, and the mute/unmute buttons now correctly update their text.

That’s all for this update! Stay tuned for more updates.

Happy gardening! 🌼