Our core gameplay mechanics are in place; now we can improve the overall user experience. We will turn our focus to the non-gameplay features that make our games shine. To start, we will add a Heads-Up Display (HUD) to display the player's health and coin count. Then, we will implement multiple layers of parallax background to add depth and immersion to the game world. We will also explore SpriteKit's particle system, and use a particle emitter to add production value to the game. Combined, these steps will add to the fun of the gameplay experience, invite the player deeper into the game world, and impart a professional, polished feeling to our app.
The topics in this chapter include the following:
Adding an HUD
Parallax background layers
Using the particle system
Granting safety as the game starts