Diving into Game Dev Update #8!
Welcome to Game Dev update #8; sorry it's taken so long but my plate has been overflowing with things to do in the last two weeks with lots going on. It's cooled down for a couple of days before I go on holiday for two weeks so I thought what better to do than show off some of the new features that I have been working on! As usual I have a nice detailed text update and an accompanying GameDev video for those visual enthusiasts to watch!
And to get you started - a picture of the scene view of our hero about to get destroyed:
Building a crafting system
What a meta title! That's right though! I started looking into the logic behind various potential crafting systems and what would be best for hierarchy. Naturally we already have a sturdy item system in place, so I hooked into that and have extended it to cater for Items that are 'ICraftable'. An ICraftable item has a recipe responsible for creating it!
So the system that I added in for testing is probably about 50% done in terms of a basic implementation (excluding GUI - just logic). However right now it is a very simple system and merely the beginnings of something great. I am hoping to have a load of recipes when the game is finished for all those survivalists that love crafting,
Hunter AI - The Start
One of the final AI systems that I will implement for the very base edition of the playable game will be the Hunter AI. It doesn't take much explanation as to what this badboy specialises in, however I can tell you that there will be a very special version of it in the game, and it will come to be one of the key features and mechanics of Hierarchy!
Currently I am working on a tracking system that will allow for an inventive approach to having AI find you without having that 'I CAN'T SEE YOU BUT I AM GONNA FIND YOU' feel that many games unfortunately have. I give a brief description of it in the video but currently Living entities leave an invisible trail (currently visible for debug purposes) which a theoretical Hunter AI can find, and then investigate further to see if it can find the player.
After it has found 'X' amount of tracks it will increase in speed and find the source of the tracks. If you don't escape you will die. There are ways around it such as slowing it down with traps, or going to high ground and teleporting to areas that require a longer walking route! Again the system is in it's infancy but I am hoping that it will be ready for show after I get some development done after my holiday!
Powers, Status Effects and Refactor
In addition to the usual, I have done some refactoring of movement to allow for status effects to correctly affect it, updates to powers so they are more accurate, as well as general improvement across the solution.
One part of this update was the addition of two new debuffs: stun and slow! They now work well and can be attached to projectiles, AOE Powers and more! Just a sign of things to come as we move forward with development - if you want to see the stun in action just check the video!a
3D Modeller and Artist
This week I spoke to a 3D Modeller and artist who were interested in joining the project - one is working on a terrain mesh and another is working on some items for within the game! Hopefully in the next update we can show some of the creations off as its really looking great!
The World of Hierarchy
I did a sketch of a top down view of the map recently, and it was incredibly messy so I converted it into a more colourful and understandable format so that when the time comes that the terrain mesh is built it can be used as a guide of sorts - I explain parts of it in the video however here is is:
If you are interested in a high-res version head over to the gallery!
Video Goodness
Below is the video of the above news in a different format!
Until Next Time
Well that's it for this week, and although it was a short and sweet update I am hoping next time to have some more juicy stuff and get this show on the road! I am going on holiday for two weeks after which time I will be full steam ahead! Thanks for reading and don't forget to 'Watch' the project here, Follow me on twitter, and subscribe on YouTube! Don't forget to leave feedback, and if you feel you have something to offer get in touch!
Speak to you soon, heroes.
