Just as I started stepping out of "refactoring hell", I encountered an 'out of memory error ', bringing progress to a halt. Ended up having to care a little bit more about memory management before continuing on with world map work, finishing world 2 levels, and adding a few more mini games!

Asset Management

I was really excited to start working on world 2, started adding more assets to my project... and then I got the dreaded "Out of memory" error when loading the game on device and simulator. I was loading all my assets up front as I'd guess most Playdate games do. I had to back out all the new assets and built a very basic asset manager which "warmed" up assets based on the world they were needed in and then unload them when no longer needed (or at least prepare them for garbage collection). This really derailed motivation for a period of time, but at last I was able to move past it and continue on!

(memory after removing new assets and prior to implementing asset management)

World Map Baseline

When going to prepare the world map for world 2, I decided to do the baseline work for the worlds as well. Figured since I was in the mind set of laying out level markers and doing all the movement work, it'd be easier to all this work at the same time. 

Additionally, I added an indicator to the upper right to show how many "Shiny Feathers" you had collected. At first, I was trying out different icons, but they all looked awkward or too big/small, so I ended up going with some sparkling text instead.

World 2 Finished!

After trudging through refactoring and memory issues, I was able to start work on world 2 levels! I wanted the theme of this world to be "spooky" and started with the visual assets for this world. Aside from visual changes, I added the first enemy to the platforming part of the game, the Bat! Bats will come from either side of the screen and colliding with one ends the game. 

x2 new mini games

In-between work on world 2, I found time to make two new mini games!

Egg Catch

Use the crank to move the nest and catch all the falling eggs!

Chew and Feed

In this game you have to chew a worm and then feed it to a baby bird. Wanted an excuse to use the accelerometer and this was a funny idea I wanted to get out.

Bug/QoS Fixes

• Fixed an issue where bird would clip through level.
• Cat mini game timer would finish too early at max speed in the Bird Gym.
• Caw mini game would trigger audio too many times in some situations.
• Outline added to packages remaining/total text.
• Worm eat mini game would sometimes crash.
• Timer hitting 0 in platformer part of game wouldn't always trigger a game over.
• Collecting shiny feathers would sometimes cause lag.
• Added option to return to Title screen from pause menu.
• Increased outline of shiny feathers to increase visibility and reduced hitbox.

Future

World 3 is going to be "ice" themed, and I've already got the baseline work in for a sliding mechanic! In-between work on world 3 I will also work out a few more mini game ideas I have.

If you have any ideas always open to input! I also post to a devlog on the Playdate Squad Discord more frequently. Thank you for your time and interest!