Smarter Systems, Interactive Items, and a Fresh Start

Hey everyone! We’re back with another development update as we continue polishing our prototype and expanding the gameplay systems. This week’s progress was about making the world feel more reactive, from smarter AI behaviour to fully integrated item systems.

🎒 Item Integration & Equipment System

We’ve integrated equipped items into the inventory and player system! Players can now pick up and equip items directly from their inventory, making item usage feel seamless and intuitive. The flashlight is now fully functional as a pick-up-able item, ready to guide (or maybe deceive) you through the darkness.

The updated system ensures your equipped item syncs properly after swapping, dropping, or dragging items, keeping gameplay fluid and responsive.

💡 Flashlight & Battery Updates

Our flashlight is now smarter than ever, as it remembers its battery level even after being unequipped, so swapping to another item won’t magically recharge it. Batteries can now be picked up and used to restore flashlight power, complete with updated sprites and outlines for better visual clarity.

👁️ AI Improvements

The enemy AI has received another major round of upgrades. It now:

• Patrols its environment intelligently when unaware of the player.
• Reacts to mirror interactions, appearing near the mirror when first used.
• No longer attacks players while they’re hiding (you’re safe… for now).

These improvements make the AI feel more natural, reactive, and just the right amount of unsettling.

🪞 Map Reset System

We’ve added a full map reset system to help with testing and replayability. Resetting the map now:

• Clears non-key items from your inventory and respawns them in the world.
• Resets doors and puzzles to their initial states.
• Returns both player and enemy to their starting positions.
• This system helps us streamline internal testing and ensures smoother future playthroughs.

🌒 Visual & Interaction Touch-ups

• New sprites for items like the flashlight, batteries, bed, and chest.
• Fixed various visual layering issues (no more floating item sprites).
• Improved quick hotbar controls: It can now be opened using either scroll direction for smoother access.

💡 What’s Next

We’ll be spending the next stretch of development:

• Polishing all major systems and fixing minor bugs.
• Refining AI movement and player interactions.
• Adding more puzzles and environmental details.
• Continuing to improve visuals and integrate art assets across the game.

Thanks as always for following along with our progress! The game is steadily coming together, and we can’t wait to show you how all these systems connect in the next build.