Develop Scene Transition System

[brylie]

Implement a simple system for transitioning between different scenes within the game. This system should manage the loading and unloading of environments seamlessly, ensuring a smooth and engaging player experience. The transition system will be critical for maintaining immersion and minimizing disruption during gameplay.

Objectives

• Seamless Transitions: Create transitions that are smooth and visually appealing to enhance the player's immersion in the game.
• Loading Efficiency: Optimize the loading times of scenes to reduce any perceptible delays or performance issues.
• Flexibility: Ensure the system can handle various types of scene transitions, such as from indoors to outdoors, between different levels, or during key narrative moments.

Requirements

• The system must support transitions between all major game environments (e.g., home, school, other key locations).
• It must handle the preservation of game state and context during transitions, ensuring no data is lost.
• Transitions should include a loading indicator or screen when necessary to manage player expectations.
• In the most simple form, quick transitions can be done via cross-fade, such as fade out/fade in.

Tasks

• Design Transition Framework:
  • Outline the technical requirements for the transition system, including methods for loading, unloading, and displaying scenes.
  • Design a generic transition handler that can be adapted for various scene types.
• Implement Transition Triggers:
  • Develop triggers within each game scene that initiate transitions. These could be spatial triggers (e.g., doorways, paths) or event-based (e.g., after a conversation or completing a task).
  • Include animations or effects that enhance the transition (e.g., fade in/out, screen wipes).
• Optimize Loading and Performance:
  • Implement efficient loading strategies, such as asynchronous loading and resource management techniques, to minimize transition delays.
  • Test and optimize the performance of transitions on all target hardware to ensure consistent frame rates and responsiveness.
• User Interface for Transitions:
  • Design and implement a user-friendly interface element, such as a loading screen or progress bar, that informs players during longer transitions.
  • Ensure that these UI elements align with the game’s aesthetic and user experience goals.
• Testing and Refinement:
  • Test the transition system extensively under various gameplay conditions to ensure reliability and smooth operation.
  • Collect feedback from players during testing phases to refine and improve the transition experience.

Acceptance Criteria

• Transitions between scenes must be smooth and maintain the player's immersion without causing disorientation or frustration.
• Loading times should be optimized to be as short as possible, with progress clearly communicated to the player.
• The system should be robust and flexible enough to handle new scenes and transitions as the game expands.