One week left before final presentation

During the past week, we have been improving the game base on feedback we collected during the Beta presentation. We fixed the problem with loud SFX volume during an interaction and optimized the vacuum cleaner's pickup and drop process. We made further improvements to the integration of character animations. We have also been exploring post-processing effects to create an ambience fit for a horror game. To create an eerie atmosphere, we implemented a camera lens effect called a directional Kuwahara filter which reduces noise adaptively while preserving edges. As part of the developing tutorial level that teaches the player basic controls, we have added simple captions that give them hints about the object in their range. To further develop the game's story aspect, we devised scripts for different endings. To make the UI design more consistent, we decided to give the pickup and drop buttons identical designs. We have also fixed bugs and did playtests. 

Our next steps include further optimizations of the game. We will implement horror effects that flash on triggers. We will do even more playtesting and implement more features that will improve the overall completeness of the game. 

There have been several important discoveries along the way. We learned from feedback that our game would have better potential if we could make it into a horror game by taking advantage of the game's cat-chasing-player and cat-chasing food aspects, that the intense nature of stealth games could benefit the reception of the game tremendously if we could pair it up with strategies and a fluffy animal. We have also learned that smooth movement and fast, responsive controls play a crucial role in the player's immersion and that interactable objects need to be optimized even further.