equipment design / playtest night update

i was able to get the test level done in time for playtest night on saturday.

test level 3 - designed to show off the core mechanics of the game. showing the player a spot they cant reach, giving them the power up they need to get there, bosses, elite enemies, basic enemies, even pvp. the win conditions of scoring the gem or eliminating the enemy team are also all working. i stripped it down to two players but the networking worked over a switch. all in all a rough but successful demo.

i noticed during playtest that if characters die with an item they need to navigate the level, the item is also gone and they cannot get it again. the idea is that character will drop all the items they are carrying when they die, but this could lead to players dropping items in places they can no longer reach.

maybe i can make it so when they reach a place they need with the equipment, they can hit. a button or something to keep that way open, then they can make it back. so if its an area they can only reach with double jump, they hit a button and it drops a ladder or makes a bridge.

i want players to only be able to equip two items at a time, then when they die they only keep those two items and drop the rest where they died. i'll have to think about this system on my run tomorrow. this is as much a level design problem as it is a power up system puzzle.