Devlog #9 - Agenda for v0.2.1 dev cycle

With v0.2.0 completed, core gameplay is basically done and there are no more technical hurdles or agonizing design decisions. From here on out it’s all content creation, gameplay refinement, and purely optional technical challenges. I’ll continue putting in 20-30 hours a week and try to livestream 10 hours of grinding out artwork, playtesting, etc - if I can settle on a streaming schedule.

Also, we’re not gonna waste time on Godot specifics for now because there’s a decent chance we’re gonna switch engines.

Level Building

• Cheap filler - spartan indoor/urban/subterranean environs
• WIP: Spaceport
• Silicon Valley pod city
• St Connor chapel and roadhouse
• St Connor roads and minor buildings

Art

• Faces: Revisit Plan A
  • ✔Swappable heads & bodies
  • Shape key / blendshape face customization & animation MAYBE NEXT YEAR
• Characters & outfits
  • ✔Outfit tests
  • Draw & bake outfits for both female character models
  • Add male 2 and ‘Pat’ models
  • Outfits, alternate heads, and hair for all models
• Low-poly clutter bones
• Outdoor clutter: weeds, rocks, leaves, sticks, etc
• Furniture
• Texture Materials

Vampire Vision Shaders

• ✔Washed-out and desaturated in bright lighting conditions
• Aura vision in the dark (to be augmented by various sorceries)
• Integrate with gameplay

Sky & Lighting Enhancements

• ✔3D Moon - the simplest solution?
• ✔Solar disc
• Horizon/sunrise/sunset tweaks
• More fog
• ✔Clouds
• Outdoor night: street lighting, ghostly auras, moonbeams?
• Deliberate tenebrism (i.e. selective bright lighting in dark scenes)
• Between this and the artwork, I want to achieve some stunning nighttime vistas. I probably won’t, but by God I’m gonna try!

VFX

• Spells
• Blood
• Improved Torches & Candles
• Smoke & Fire

Follow up on AI / Behavior Trees

• Take the time to get it right…
• Modes (sleeping, reaction animation override, offense, defense, panic, etc)
• NPC schedules, long+short range travel, activities, diversions, hunting/evasion

Animations and Controls

• Flying
• Crawling or Crouching
• De-jankification

Quest & Character Development

• Write/outline stories as fodder
• Basic stuff with levels & character models built so far

BIG PICTURE

• Core gameplay loop - talk-exploration-action-discovery
• Shapeshifting and stealth gameplay
• Alienation as a driving force
  • Of an ancient vampire in changing times and/or new territory
  • Of a young vampire, alternately
  • Of the mortal human characters as well
• Sense of purpose
  • Vengeance! A proper vampire never forgets a grudge. Punish/persecute your nemesis!
  • Make friends and influence people in pursuit of world domination
  • Build a cult/harem of wannabe-vampire NPCs
  • Master sorcery/alchemy
  • Become a lich lord, demigod, etc
  • Alternately, become an angel

Sorcery, Alchemy, Spellcrafting

• Component/skill fractional level bars (in CC and component picker)
• Potion brewing and usage
• Other magickal items
• Implement all magical energy sources (leylines, elements, terror, etc)
• Transmute and store magical energy
• More components and premade spells

Audio

• ✔Troubleshoot certain spatial audio nodes that aren’t working
• More footstep sounds, breathing, snoring, doors
• Combat sounds
• In-game electronics/UI sounds
• Music: record practice tracks, use some in livestreams and in game
• 1 or 2 new finished soundtracks

Modding Tests LATER

• This is a Godot problem, so I think we’re gonna look into other/custom engines before we come back to this
• Basic mod loader using existing Godot features
• Finish our mod creation tool (Godot addon)
• PCK extractor tests (to access base game content)