Pushing for completion

Despite taking much longer than I expected, the development of the Pandora Arena mini-game is a major step forward in solidifying many aspect of the final game design.

In addition to fleshing out the shooting mechanics (ensuring fluid experience for both controller and keyboard/mouse input), it also helped flesh out the following subsystems:

• Object interaction system - pop-up description with context action menu
• NPC interaction system - no forced waiting, walk away from conversation anytime (a much more streamlined experience compared to the one used in the Pandora Puzzle mini-game)
• Lock-on targeting system - seamless simultaneous support for both lock toggle and hold/release modes of play
• Inventory system (rudimentary) - auto-hiding, non-modal UI

I'm furiously trying to finish up the final stage of this mini-game (the mech "battle"), put in all the missing textures and FX, and move on to the next phase of development.

Feel free to download and play the preview (unfinished) version!