Planet Nine Dev Log Week 10
This week is our final week of Alpha, as a team we have worked so hard on this game over the past 10 weeks and to see how it has progressed in such a short time frame has been nothing short of amazing. The game is far from being finished but at the start of next we will be entering our beta phase. (That is of course if we get approval from our client to do so!) At the time of writing, the game is basically playable from beginning to end, it just needs some tweaks here and there to ensure that we hit that Beta Milestone and can start refining the game into a more polished and atmospheric experience.
Anyway, let's take a look at what everyone has done this week!
Ronan worked on integrating his new toxin system into more parts of the level and ensuring that it interacts with light in the correct way. He also worked on a lot of bug fixing, focusing mainly on incorrect player death and checkpoints not working as intended. He got that working somewhat properly. Finally Ronan also was going through and implementing Toxin and fixing the lighting in my puzzle areas.
Charlie was working on closing up some seams in the walls that have been found through general playtesting. There are alot of different holes in the walls so Charlie has been working through the first area and will work his way through the rest of the level in the coming weeks. He also helped to fix some more bugs to ensure that the game is relatively smooth for Alpha. Charlie also updated the swivel spotlight and got that working as intended.
Noah & Marcus are both still away this week!
Moving onto design Dan has been working on the final sequence for the level, as well as fixing the level layout to make sure everything is where it needs to be. The cinematic that Dan has created for the final moment of the game is really cool and something that you should experience for the first time in the game, so I am not going to show you now. However, if you want to see it for yourself you’ll have to complete Planet Nine when the next build is out.
Will has been working on completing his conveyor section to try and get it into the game before Beta. However at this stage we do not think Will’s area will be able to be incorporated into the game in time and we will have to cut the area out completely. It was originally going to be placed between the end of my 2nd puzzle section & Dan’s final area. But due to the area being so large and still not complete, we do not think it will make it into the final game.
This week, personally I was working on continuing to set dress my two areas. I also began tweaking the geometry in the areas to ensure that players cannot manipulate and break the game by gaining charges unintentionally or jumping over the catwalk area. I also finally finished stitching the level’s into the main level sequence and they now fit seamlessly into the final game. I also began working on a concept for the game’s cinematic trailer. At this stage I have only started a storyboard sequence, but will continue to work on it in the coming weeks.
Finally lets move onto the artists. Connor has been making subtle tweaks to his modular kit. FIxing the trim sheets that he has created and re-texturing his walls to ensure that they fit seamlessly together. He also worked on fixing the roof materials and floor materials as well.
Petra has been working on texturing her different set dressing assets with the trim sheets that she had created last week. She has textured over 50 different assets this week and they have all been updated within Unreal. These all look amazing and Petra has done such an amazing job with all of her assets
Kye has been smashing out his modular kit as well. He has created a different set of walls, floors and roofs that look more factory like and will be used in later sections of the level. The work he has done on these assets is absolutely amazing and I cannot wait to see how these look in the final game. Included in the image below is a little diorama that Kye has created showcasing the assets he has created.
Lachlan worked on some more UI concepts for the game and implemented them into the engine. These look amazing and really match the tone we are going for with the game.
Anyway that is all for this week. As we wrap our Alpha stage we are getting more and more excited to show you guys the game and how well it has progressed. Next week we should have our official Beta build out for testing. If you want to check the game out for yourself it is right here and to check out any of the previous week’s Dev Logs they can be found right here. Thank-you again for taking the time to read these logs and for supporting the team!
