Let Me Cook! [Shop Update]

The Shop is open for business!

Inspiration

Players earn a currency called Threads as they play, Let Me Cook! They collect their Threads from a dispenser outside of the Shop. Now, they are able to visit the in-game shop, and use their Threads to purchase cosmetic items like aprons and chef hats. The goal was to keep expanding both the gameplay and the sense of personality and customization in the experience. Opening the Shop made that goal a success as players not only get to spend their threads, they even have a chance to earn reward gear too.

What it does

The original world had the ability to earn the in game currency, Threads, but no where to spend them. This iteration allows players to spend their earnings on aprons and chef hats at the shop point of sale gizmo.

Point Of Sale Functionality:

[ ] View available inventory of mesh IWP
[ ] View available progression rewards and their required actions
[ ] Equip /Unequip owned items
[ ] Purchase IWPs using Threads or Meta Credits

By allowing players the ability to purchase either in Threads or Meta Credits, players who are willing to invest the time still get a chance to access IWP.

How we built it

I created all the assets in Blender and used vertex colors to hand-paint them—helping optimize performance by reducing texture load. All scripting was done in TypeScript to take full advantage of mobile features. I used Photoshop to create store icons and preview images for items.

Challenges we ran into

There was a bug while working on custom UI, but eventually I was able to get to a working model of the purchase flow. Once I got that working everything seemed to fall into place.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm proud of building my shop gizmo from scratch. I really wanted it to be simple, easy to use and fit the vibe of the world. Each time you enter the purchase view you get a little comment from my NPC. It was fun coming up with little quips and comments to display. I especially like the moment where you make a purchase with Threads and get confetti and a "cash register" sound effect.

I am also super proud I was able to add another layer to the existing progression system of 40+ recipes. The original progression allows you to level up without needing to complete all the recipes. The new reward progression allows players to earn special/ non-purchasable star chef hats for each level of recipes they complete.

What we learned

I learned that even when you think you have a solid progression you can always layer more in. Also giving players more ways to play in the world (like the role play the shop can allow for) will give space for emergent gameplay.

What's next for Let Me Cook! [Shop Update]

I plan to continue learning from my players on how to make the world more enjoyable for them. I would like to add more interactions and of course lots more items to the shop inventory.