Weekly Penguin
December 24th, 2016
Making of TAGAP 3

Meet the Funky DJ

The DJ's wallpaper

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The Funky DJ is the sound wave supervisor of PDOE (Pluto Department of Engineering). He is in charge of the Grand Theremin Engines and as such he is effectively the highest ranking engineer of PDOE during the war. After all, it's the Theremin waves that both hurl Pluto across space and shields the planet from cosmic radiation.

While he is personally responsible only for the Theremin technology, as a technophile he actively pursues a great variety of R&D projects. Thanks to the effective combination of war-era research pressures and open-minded enthusiasm of the Funky DJ, Pluto's technological development has reached an unprecedented pace.

The Funky DJ may be a touch flamboyant, but he is a true savant when it comes to harmonising the Grand Theremin engines, buying him a lot of leeway. Leeway which doesn't hesitate to take advantage of, as he surrounds himself with the most hi-tech equipment Pluto has to offer.

The DJ designs

Pluto Department of Engineering

PDOE insignia

PDOE, or Pluto Department of Engineering, is the body responsible for the design of most of Pluto's technology. During the war effort, PDOE's role has risen from a smaller think-tank of inventors and their automated factories to one of the biggest and best-funded departments of Pluto.

Their biggest undertaking by far has been the creation and the maintenance of the devices that allow Pluto's travel across the stars – the Grand Theremin engines buried deep into Pluto's crust. These giant sound generators are being constantly monitored, supervised and directed by the newly-appointed leader of the department, The Funky DJ.

While the constant operation of the Grand Theremin engines is PDOE's most important task during the war, one shouldn't frown upon their skills in creating robots and other equipment, either. From microscopic nanites to multi-ton attack robots, the technical know-how showcased by the department is without an equal on our Milkyway.

And even when they're doing all that, the engineers of PDOE still somehow find the time to create wonderful new technologies for the public benefit. That said, not many of Pluto's citizens may realise that those helpful robots serving you in the nearest public office are based on technology designed for warfare.

Screenshot

Since we're focusing on PDOE and its boss here, we thought it would be appropriate to feature more stuff from the levels set in the confines of Department of Engineering. So, here's an action shot taking place in the innards of Pluto's paragravity generator – starring Smartgun-wielding Pablo, a Penguinator and loads of particles!

TAGAP 3 Holiday 2016 Screenshot

(this is actual gameplay footage)

What am I doing right now?

Well this section is going to be short; I'm working on the final boss, starting with the art assets. Per usual, this began with pencil sketches, followed by turning them into proper vectors. This is where I'm now; Next up I'll add shading and textures, after which I can finally split the artwork into in-game sprites.

And that's it, really. I can't type out much else without spoiling the whole thing, now can I? Sorry.

Is there anything I can write about? Well, I've been doing the final menu system rewrites. This has been somewhat disheartening, actually; Lots of good code I did for TAGAP 2, particularly the level select screens, aren't used and got the delete. See, while TAGAP 3 has distinct levels, you travel to them organically via an in-game Hub, rendering the menu-based level select not only useless, but game breaking.

But now back to crafting the final boss. Here's hoping I can get the sprites done by the end of 2016 (knocks on wood 😉)!

Holiday Greetings

So, there was our Holiday Goodie Bag for 2016! But one thing before you go; Just in case you've missed it, here is our Greetings Card for this year:

Season Greetings 2016

To share the card, use this permanent link: https://www.tagap.net/pow/p489.htm

Have a peaceful holiday, everyone!

Until 2017,

Jouni Lahtinen, the head penguin