Boilerline: Critical Pressure - DevLog #5

Heya!

And welcome back to our devlog! This week has been all about breathing life into our mechanics, polishing up those visual flourishes, and crafting the assets that make Boilerline truly, well... Boilerline. Let's dive in!

GAMEPLAY MECHANICS OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT

Patrick and Seppe have been full steam ahead implementing our core gameplay loops. First up, our zombie AI got a massive overhaul - enemies now navigate obstacles, react to players, and re-route around blockages in real time. Check out these two gifs to see our shambling hordes:

Alongside smarter undead, they've laid the groundwork for item creation and resource collection. Players can now gather wood & iron, and craft 'em up, producing everything from ammunition to fuel to mechanical parts. Finally, they've implemented the first turrets - stationary steam-powered guns that mow down enemies and feel supremely satisfying. Early feedback: these turrets are startin to feel terrifyingly fun!

RFX & VFX MAGIC

While Patrick and Seppe coded fire, Jan's been adding smoke and sparks. He built our Reactive FX system, so footfalls leave trails that shift with each terrain type.

But the real showstopper is the turret impact VFX, as seen at the top of this article. When a zombie rounds the corner and catches a blast, you'll see wisps of undercarriage smoke and scorched steam venting from the barrel. Feast your eyes:

ASSET & ENVIRONMENT ASSEMBLY LINE

Over in the mystical lands of "art pipeline", Justin and Adriaan have been knocking out assets like crazy. The rolling steam train itself is getting it's finishing touches. Adriaan's sketchin up the finished turrets.

Justin's also added drills, a chainsaws for brave operators, and the finished player model! Here's a small gallery of their latest:

With this arsenal in hand, players will have more toys than a Victorian inventor's workshop (depends on the Victorian workshop I suppose?).

As you can see, progress has been non-stop this week. Our rails are laid, our steam is pressurized, and the undead are running scared. We're super pumped for next week's milestones - expect even more polish, more features, and (fingers crossed) our first actually playable public test build that isn't just a tech demo!

Until next time:
Cheerio!

Your Group 21