Journal Entry 3

Modifications

• Positioned and anchored fuel bar and score UI elements correctly within the scene.

• Added color-coded fuel level indicator to visually represent fuel amount.

• Implemented dynamic fuel consumption rate that increases every 5 points scored to introduce progression difficulty.

• Enabled automatic generation of new landing blocks when all available blocks have been used and score surpasses 10.

• Created a separate menu zone to freely test drone controls outside the main gameplay (sandbox-like test area).

• Added a fuel consumption rate display as a numerical indicator (UI element).

• Moved the gameplay camera slightly back to improve visibility and landing alignment.

• Developed a functional in-game pause menu triggered by the ESC key.

• Integrated logic for returning to main menu when fuel depletes, displaying context-aware message ("Out of fuel" or generic score).

• Added two types of sound feedback: continuous engine loop (with throttle-based pitch/volume) and block collision "tick" sound.

• Introduced a landing confirmation system with a 3-second stability check visualized via a radial/slider UI indicator.

Time Invested

• UI positioning and fuel bar configuration: 15 mins

• Fuel level color feedback: 30 mins

• Fuel consumption scaling with score: 30 mins

• Block regeneration system (post-10 score): 20 mins

• Drone control test scene/menu: 1.5 hours

• Fuel consumption rate display (UI): 30 mins

• Camera repositioning: <5 mins

• Pause menu (ESC): 2 hours

• Fuel depletion → menu logic + score messaging: 45 mins

• Engine & collision sounds: 20 mins

• 3-second landing confirmation indicator: 20 mins

Outcome

Improved user interface and gameplay clarity with real-time visual indicators for fuel, scoring, and landing feedback. Introduced progressive difficulty, sound design, and robust menu handling. The game now offers a more immersive and readable experience, with a more complete gameplay loop and feedback system.