logs log

I improved the stick system. I changed from having one Stick node to having a FuelItem node and a fuel_item resource. This lets me create little files that hold data for each type of fuel (e.g. how long the fuel burns for, its mass, its sprite), then the same code is used for each fuel item but alongside this is the little file that tells the code what values and sprites to use. I then used this resource to create a new fuel type: log. This is heavier and burns for longer.

This clip shows me throwing logs and adding them to the fire. There’s also a tree I’m working on that is currently just a static sprite but eventually you’ll be able to chop it down to get some logs and sticks.

Doing this stick stuff got me thinking about how I’d like different types of fuel to act, and I realised instead of fuel immediately disappearing and adding some health to the fire, it would be much more interesting if they individually burn and their burn times correspond to how long they last in the fire. The more fuel you add, the bigger the fire gets, but you burn through your supply faster. This makes it more realistic and less boring, you have to feed the fire slowly to make it last. To make this meaningful, the fire could produce heat (bigger fire, better heat) and you need heat to survive, and the progression system could be linked to how big your fire is. This shifts the game loop from putting all your logs on the fire to minding the fire and choosing when and what to add, stockpiling logs to make a big fire so you can progress. Also, maybe the fire can die and its not game over, but you’ll get cold (and eventually you’ll die or something) so you have to start the fire again using sticks. This system would also open lots of doors for different fuel types and effects, e.g. wood types have different heat outputs, some produce lots of smoke, some take a while to set on fire, some produce more light, wet wood would be worse and produce more smoke, maybe putting a log on a small fire will kill it. I think this should make for a much more interesting system, the old idea was very boring and probably not very fun, but it does sound harder to code so it will take a while.