Upgrades

This week I have been working on developing the background image since it was very flat and boring and did not really blend with the other environmental elements. This was also true for the totem pole and we have gotten feedback stating that we should do something more with it. So I gave the totem pole some highlights and shadows that also gave the coloured blocks some texture. The background I gave some texture by adding old looking stone tiles and grass which highlights the area of the totem pole, the further away from the "scoring zone" the more broken and scattered they are until the jungle takes over towards the edges.
Here is how it looked before...

 and now...

I decided to recycle the plants we already had by changing the colour and bringing down the contrast to make them fit and blend into the background better. I used the grass mostly towards the center and the more jungle-looking plants towards the edges to make it look like a ruin centered in a jungle. During the playtesting session last week we got some comments that the screen felt a bit cluttered and i think that it was partly because the plants stood out so much against the background. By making them blend in more I have been able to use more of them, making the environment more interesting, without making it look as cluttered. I still have to wait until all new obstacles and the level design is complete so that we can test it properly in-game, but it is looking good so far.