Back in action for another dev blog! I’ve been going through over a hundred potential map objects. They’ve been sorted by type and fleshed out with better descriptions, so a freelancer can help us out with getting them done. I’ve also discussed potential sound designers along with Carl, who has mainly been working on Wielder progression. Level ups, skills, abilities, spells and how it all fits together. It's not done yet, but getting close to testing. It will be exciting to see if what Carl’s come up with will be as fun as I think it will!
Meanwhile in Loth: The trees are basking in the spring sun and getting ready to explode in a bounty of alluring green leaves.
Niklas has been working with the new research system. It is very much based around large buildings. Since large building slots are scarce, you really have to think about how to spec your research. Imagine a research tree, but which branch you take is decided on what building you decide to build. Right now we have 3 research buildings for Arleon. The Academy, Sacred Woods and War Quarter.
An early test for building research functionality. Niklas pointed out that all visuals are “programmer art”. Well, whatever happened to a simple grey box? All programmers secretly want to be graphics artists, that’s what I think!
David has been working with the Adventure UI this week. Among other things, some important quality of life fixes for the "action bar" so buttons can look disabled when it can't be afforded. He has also fixed so buildings or build sites don't get deselected when a player builds or sells a building. For some heavier interactions, he’s been trying out a fixed camera angle, so the camera can focus on a building when it's being interacted with.
Patrik has put a new and basic artifact inventory system in place. The picked-up artifacts currently get auto equipped into their appropriate slot if their power level is greater than what's already in there. In the long term, we will, of course, have a more advanced inventory so you can shift around your gear and artifacts as you please. Patrik also took the time to do a first pass on the mini-map.
Did I hear intensive clicking from Davids desk earlier this week or was I imagining it? I’m pretty sure I heard it.
Finally, we are looking for an experienced freelance pixel artist to join our team. The work can be performed off-site and we are offering full-time compensation for the right candidate. We primarily need help with objects, buildings and such. A proven track record is a big plus and expertise with buildings (and potentially environments) is also preferred. If this sounds like you, send an email to info@lavapotion.com along with your portfolio link and we will take a look!
Please note that this is a dev blog. Features and graphics mentioned or displayed above may or may not change during the development process.