DEV

Staging Ruins and Upgrading Creatures

With sprint 25 coming to an end today, the team is busy adding a bit of polish, and finishing up goals. While filling in the map, and laying down a network of connecting trails is going to be an ongoing process, the handful of sections to the South that we’ve been focusing on are looking great. We’ve added buildings, places to explore, and paths to get there. We took some topographical liberty in a few spots, and added a line of cliffs to explore. We try and stick to a geographically realistic Lahaina in most cases, but this area is one long flat plain, and we felt that it needed a feature to break it up, and act as a landmark.

We noticed that there was very little minable stone in the area, so we’re adding enough new rocks to appease even the most rabid mineral enthusiast. The team discussed possible areas to build out in the upcoming sprint. We looked at a few concept drawings of post-apocalyptic fishing villages, bridge dweller enclaves, and abandoned military outposts, and kicked around some ideas about what to include next.

Our Trophy Hunter monsters received a major AI upgrade this sprint, and we watched a demo of the final, (for this sprint), product. They now have ranged attackers who: try to push players towards melee combatants, avoid line of site, and utilize surrounding cover for protection. There’s still some work to do, but they are miles ahead tactically from where they were. Here’s a shot of a group of Trophy Hunters coming out of the jungle, and looking for victims along the beach near the “Welcome To Lahaina” sign.
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We talked at length about various weather related bugs we need to address. We’re still having trouble with the rain which falls but doesn’t get a player’s clothes wet. Running full speed during the hottest part of the day doesn’t raise your temperature, and you don’t get cold at night. There only seems to be one type of cloud in the sky at any given time, and we need some help with wind physics in regards to the foliage. Right now leaves and limbs are moving to the beat of their own drummer instead of going with the breeze.

We’ve added a number of ravaged buildings and homes to the map for players to explore and seek shelter in. With the structures in place, the team has been busy adding furnishings, rugs, and knick-knacks that really tie a ruined room together. We’ve added some obvious loot crates/boxes inside and out, but we’ve also hidden useful items inside cabinets, appliances, and furniture. Rewards now await those brave enough to reach into the deepest crevices of a couch and root around in 60-year-old pet hair and cheese snack crumbs.

We still have some weathering to do to these old homes, but below you can see a couple of prime beach dwellings, with a few suspiciously placed crates sitting out in the open.
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