Dev Log: Start Menu Added

The latest project update is the addition of a (non-functional) Start Menu.

Temporary Start Menu

The menu currently includes placeholder graphics and buttons for start, options, contact, and credits. The buttons have basic animations and mouse feedback, but do not function as labeled.

Creating the placeholder art ended up being a challenge and I spent far too much time on. I struggled the most with perspective within the scene - way too many vanishing points to keep track of. I often found myself redrawing guidelines 3+ times due to the variety of angles in the console panels. In the end, it wasn’t even worth the effort because it makes the font harder to read. In the next iteration, I plan to simplify the perspective significantly to address these issues.

The benefit of spending so much time on temporary artwork is that I learned several skills that will help me down the road. I have very little experience drawing machines and working within a sci-fi theme - nature and fantasy settings are more my style. As a result, I had to practice finding references and adapting them to the game’s art style. This will be a huge help at every stage of the design process - from creating mobs to adding vfx. I also spent a fair amount of time experimenting with pixel art lighting, textures, and animations - all of which will be important for improving the final presentation of the game.

Next, I will connect each of the buttons to placeholder scenes. Start will go to the new/load save file page, options will go to placeholder settings (mute toggle and back only), contact will go to a placeholder page with my socials (not linked) and back, and credits will go to a placeholder page with a back button.