Devlog 35 - Making the Game Readable

Summary

The HUD is now at a functional mockup stage, which finally made it possible to judge Jack, the enemies, the arena, and the UI as one composition instead of separate pieces.

That test went well overall, but it also exposed the biggest visual problem I have right now: Jack himself is getting lost more than the enemies.

What changed?

  • Finished the first functional HUD POC and started moving on to the Upgrade Selection and Combo Composer screens.
  • Ran normal and high-contrast grayscale tests to judge value separation without being distracted by color.
  • The enemies read well. Jack is much more borderline, especially in a busy group. I am now testing stronger shadows, heavier line work, and other ways to give him clearer separation.
  • Defined a smaller core palette for recurring identity/UI colors, on top of the broader working palette.
  • Settled on Slackey by Sideshow as the main display font. Paytone One by Vernon Adams is the current secondary choice.
  • The card mockups are forcing useful gameplay questions: do upgrades need rarity, tiers, stats, exact values, prices, or some combination of them?
  • Some placeholder UI art still comes from Kenney. His asset library has been extremely useful for getting functional screens on their feet before I redraw everything in Jackstrap's style.
  • I also chose the next arena direction. The shortlist was laundromat, construction site, locker room, tennis court, and street corner. Laundromat wins for now. A locker room works, but paired with a jockstrap protagonist and a boxing ring it pushes the whole game too far toward "sports game." I want the jockstrap to be the recurring joke, not the entire world to be a gym.

What I'm unsure about?

The upgrade-card rules still need gameplay answers before the final UI can be designed properly. Rarity, tiers, stats, and price scale are not just presentation choices.

Next steps

  • Finish the Upgrade Selection and Combo Composer POCs.
  • Fix Jack's value/readability problem.
  • Start the laundromat arena mockup.
  • Keep converting the trailer structure into capture-ready scenarios.