Hello wonderful people from the internet!
Welcome to the eleventh chapter of our development journey!
We’re past the double digits now, and the adventure keeps gaining momentum. As Enu continues to evolve, we’re here to share the progress, the pivots, and all the behind-the-scenes moments that are shaping the game into something truly special.
Things are moving full steam ahead as we gear up for our playtest at the SRH Werkschau on September 20th! There’s still a mountain of tasks ahead, but we’re feeling confident about delivering a strong, insightful test at the event. On top of that, our funding application is in high gear, keeping us busy, but we’re (almost) perfectly on schedule.
What is the current state of play?
In Game Design, we’ve begun greyboxing the tutorial level and, as expected, ran into a few challenges with the rotation mechanics. Fortunately, we’ve also found ways to address them. The main issue was how to visually represent platforms in the alternate realm while preventing players from rotating randomly and ending up in unintended spots. Our solution: introduce a limited time in the “ability state” (the state after rotating), giving players control while keeping the mechanic balanced.
In the Art department, we’ve made great progress, our teaser image is complete, and we’ve finalized concepts for three of the four realms. The image below shows the teaser image.
The first image showcases the Southern Realm. Yes, the names and moods have shifted since earlier versions. While the names are still being finalized, the atmosphere for each realm is now crystal clear.
Next, we have Rhûngard, the Northern Realm, an icy, snow-covered landscape.
Finally, the Eastern Realm, a place teeming with mushrooms and spores.
The last realm is still being worked on.
Once all the realms are fully fleshed out, we’ll share a deeper dive into each one. In the meantime, keep an eye out for YouTube Shorts over the coming week, where we’ll break down and explore these concepts in more detail.
In the Programming department, we’ve refined the UI for both rune and gear upgrades. There’s now a compact menu that lets players seamlessly switch between upgrading gear and upgrading runes. We’ve also implemented gear upgrades so that enhancing your gear now unlocks additional rune slots, adding another layer of progression and customization.
Game Design
This week our focus will be on the Game Design Document (GDD). We’ll be preparing and polishing a variety of documents for the funding application, including the GDD itself and project descriptions, making sure everything is clear, professional, and presentation-ready. We’ll also aim to continue progress on the greyboxed tutorial level, though this may be challenging given the heavy workload from the funding preparations.
Art
We’ll be finalizing the concept for the Western Realm before moving on to creating the first enviromental assets that will bring the tutorial level to life.
Programming
In Programming, we’ll be setting up the gear system and implementing core functions such as dropping, picking up, and equipping items. This is a crucial step, as handling gear data accurately is essential for smooth gameplay. We’ll also continue refining the RuneWeaver UI, which manages both gear and rune upgrades.
That wraps up this week’s chapter in our journey! Every step, big or small, brings us closer to the game we’ve been dreaming of. It’s exciting to watch the pieces click into place, and we can’t wait for you to experience it all.
Thanks for following along, cheering us on, and being part of this adventure. Your encouragement keeps us moving forward, and the best is still ahead!
