Plunders & Platters

A boss fight is the most content-hungry thing you can attempt in a four-day jam, and a bad one is worse than none. It had to read as a real encounter without the authoring time a real encounter usually needs.

Built the Kraken around three attack modes — melee, ranged, and area-of-effect — with AI that tracks the player continuously, so the encounter generates variety from state rather than from scripted phases. Buoyancy mechanics made positioning during the fight a genuine skill rather than a formality.

• Kraken Boss Battle: Engage in a thrilling boss fight with a Kraken that I designed, featuring three attack modes—melee, ranged, and area-of-effect (AOE)—and AI that keeps its eyes locked on you at all times.
• Dynamic Combat System: Master fast-paced battles at sea, blending melee and ranged tactics against giant sea monsters.
• Buoyant Ship Mechanics: Navigate realistic ship physics as you sail through monster-infested waters, adding a layer of strategy to movement and combat.
• Inventory and Save System: Manage resources, equipment, and recipes with an inventory system, alongside saving/loading functionalities to track your progress.
• Comprehensive HUD Design: A fully integrated HUD that serves as the manager of all widgets, ensuring seamless interaction and gameplay feedback.
• High Seas Culinary Adventure: Explore the blend of cooking and combat as you defeat sea monsters and collect rare ingredients to dominate the cooking competition.

Three composable attack modes produced more perceived variety than a longer scripted sequence would have, and cost far less to build. Routing every widget through a single HUD manager kept the UI coherent under jam pressure.