Devlog 04 – Introducing XP Orbs & Level Ups

💫 XP Orbs & Level System

This update introduces a key piece of Voidspace Survivors — experience orbs and leveling!
Enemies now drop glowing XP orbs when destroyed, and picking them up fuels your ship’s progress through the run.

It might sound like a small step, but it’s actually a huge part of what makes the core loop addictive. Watching those orbs fly toward your ship and trigger a level-up is pure satisfaction.

🧮 Fibonacci-inspired XP scaling

Instead of a flat or exponential curve, the XP requirement for each level now follows a Fibonacci-like progression — meaning each new level needs roughly the sum of the two before it. This creates a natural sense of pacing:
easy early levels → steady midgame → challenging late game.

• ⚙️ Smooth progression curve — no sudden XP spikes
• 🌀 Early growth feels rewarding and fast
• 🚀 Late-game levels require dedication and skill

This approach keeps the player in flow: leveling often enough to feel strong, but not so fast that it breaks balance.

🔮 XP Orbs in action

Each enemy defines its own base XP value. The orb then calculates its real worth dynamically, ensuring consistent scaling as the run progresses.
The system is lightweight, flexible, and ready for future mechanics like XP magnets and bonus multipliers.

• ✅ XP orbs spawn with smooth movement and magnet behavior
• ✅ Pickup logic and level tracking integrated into the player HUD
• ✅ Dynamic XP calculation per orb

🧩 Current progress

• ✅ Player movement & dash system
• ✅ HP & damage handling
• ✅ First enemy type (small hunter)
• ✅ XP orbs & Fibonacci-based level progression

With this, the progression foundation is finally in place. Next up: connecting the level system to upgrades and weapon unlocks — the real heart of any survivors-like experience.

🚧 Next steps

• 🔸 Upgrade selection UI & logic
• 🔸 Weapon progression and scaling
• 🔸 Early synergy tests

Once that’s in, we’ll have the first taste of the true “loop” — kill, collect, upgrade, repeat.

💬 Stay in the loop

If you want to follow the project more closely or join future playtests, join the Zyragames Discord:
👉 https://discord.gg/PW4gfhcA3p

Thanks for reading and for following along — this update marks a big step toward the final gameplay loop.
Next time, we’ll dive into weapon systems and upgrade mechanics ⚙️

– Zyrano