A Feather's Journey v2

A Feather's Journey Ver2
Game Rules
Click two points on the screen to generate wind.

• The first click sets the wind’s starting point.

• The second click sets the direction and strength.

Guide the feather to the goal while avoiding obstacles. Each collision reduces durability—lose all durability, and it's game over!

Gameplay Video

Technical Details

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ymN6pBtSCLdmet9nj3xGeS9k_Or908CExIpWvkkzVJg/edit?usp=sharing

https://github.com/WangJeff1221/Week4

Design Details

State Machine Mechanic

The main development focus of this game is feather state management, controlled by a state machine.

• When the speed is zero, the feather enters the Idle state and remains still.

• When speed is greater than zero, the feather enters the Floating state and automatically rotates, simulating a more natural floating motion.

This state transition makes the feather's movement more natural and enhances visual effects and physics-based realism.

Wind Mechanic

Players click two points on the screen to generate wind.

• The first point represents the wind's starting position, and the second point represents the wind's endpoint.

Wind direction = Endpoint - Start Point, and wind strength is determined by the distance between the two points, with a maximum force cap.

This control method requires precise wind placement, ensuring players don’t overshoot or fall short of the goal.

Particle Effects (Ver2)

When the feather floats, particle effects are released. These particles do not change direction with the feather’s rotation; they continue to float along the direction in which they were released. This effect enhances the visual presentation of the feather’s floating motion, making it feel more natural and dynamic.

Balance

The difficulty of the game is mainly reflected in:

• Wind precision: Players must carefully choose the start and end points of the wind. Too little force might not move the feather, while too much force could cause loss of control.

• Obstacle design: The placement of obstacles follows a progressive difficulty curve—early levels allow players to familiarize themselves with the mechanics, while later levels introduce narrower paths and more complex obstacles, requiring strategic wind usage.

• Durability system: The feather loses durability with each collision, forcing players to complete the level efficiently before durability runs out.

Iteration & Optimization

During development, I made multiple adjustments to the mechanics:

• The initial design allowed the feather to rotate anytime wind was applied, but this made it look too unstable.

• The final implementation uses speed-based detection, so the feather only enters the Floating state and starts rotating when its speed is greater than zero, making the motion feel more natural.

• Wind force calculations were also adjusted: Initially, wind force was calculated purely based on drag distance, but this led to overly strong or weak forces. I later added a maximum force cap to prevent extreme cases.