Toaster Launcher Dev Diary - April 2024 - Back to Work

  A month has passed since the release of the demo of Toaster Launcher and its announcement, and now I have gathered up the reviews to analyze the current state of the game and see if there are any huge pitfalls that would prompt a complete rewrite of the game.

    Fortunately, there are none. These reviews inquire that the gameplay is simple enough that the closest thing to a rewrite is to simply optimize the code. On the other hand, the complaints mainly range from a lack of Quality of Life features to an unrefined User Interface to a polishing requirement for game animations. The only actual bug is that the player can still respawn when the game is paused.

    Development of the game will now resume, mainly focusing on addressing the concerns and on analyzing and optimizing the code. Then I would focus on adding new content. Anyway, just because I gave a month for the reviews does not mean I have not been working on the game. I have spent the entirety of April on planning additional content and on writing the story.

    The plot is fairly simple: An eccentric scientist had a pest problem in his kitchen when his assistant had bought a toaster. Instead of simply calling the exterminator, the scientist repurposed the toaster into a "pest elimination device." After dealing with the pests, explosives barged in from the roof, which the toaster had fortunately dispatched. The scientist and his assistant witnessed explosives raining from the sky, so with their toaster as well as their other inventions, they went on a quest to save the world from the explosive threat.

    Additionally, I have planned out some additional power-ups and hindrances, which would change the gameplay in a slightly more elaborate angle.

New Power-ups (left side, in order of appearance):

1. Spaghetti - Nukes all explosives currently in view.

2. Sandwich - Double damage.

3. Mirror - Summons an illusionary toaster on the other side, horizontally-inversely mirroring the player's movements and can shoot its own toast.

4. Honey - Bullets travel much faster.

5. Extra Life - Self-explanatory. It gives the player an extra life.

New Hinderances (right side, in order of appearance):

1. Spoon - Flips the player's controls. If the player uses the mouse, the toaster would instead be repelled by the cursor.

2. Flashlight - Limits the player's view into a spotlight around the toaster.

3. Megaphone - Doubles enemy spawn count.

4. Salt - Halves damage.

    Lastly, into the planning of the City level, I have planned out some exclusive enemies, such as pipe bombs and land mines, both of which would take the ground into account. Also, the parachute explosive would be removed from the Sky level, making it a City exclusive instead.

    

    Make sure you stay tuned for updates on the game's development! 🍞💣

- Arolf Delano Santos