To be fair, the last two weeks are blurry in my mind. Between reading week and the game jam we had before I kind of forgot the progress I had made before, and it is hard to get back into focus. But it shall happen, because I have only a bit more than a month to finish it all. As for the newest updates... Here they come, in no particular order.

Design

My friend helped me create the title and figure out the main aesthetic of the UI. I had some doodles and him, being a graphic design student, turned them into something that looks actually really cool.

I also started doing the icons for the HUD.  I think they're cute.

Level Design

FINALLY! I am done with that. It took me way longer than it should have. I was doing the levels separately and it just was not working. I then changed my approach, and decided to design the forest as a whole, and then separate it into the levels.

I still had problems with that, how does one create a forest without it being boring or too repetitive? I then had the greatest idea. (Not really) (But it was a great idea either way)

I love playing D&D. Lately, I have been taking on the role of the DM, and I know of websites that help with dungeon creation. I wondered if I could use them to make the forest layout. Using just one simple generator did not give me the results that I wanted, but there was one generator that created maps out of existing maps. It kind of Frankenstein-ed them, and then I decided to use that and Frankenstein my own maps out of the already Frankenstein-ed maps.

The first draft looks insane and I'm aware, but it helped a lot. Then, I drew over it to simplify it.

With that, I imported it and put it into a plane in Unreal. I lowered the opacity and then used the landscape tool to create the levels. They are very fun to explore!!!

Final Models

I did the final tweaks of Dulce's model. The embroidery in their robe has actual meaning! They represent the legend of the light bringer, as well as the fight between light and darkness. I may not have the time to explain every single thing in the game, but I will be adding the hints of lore into it even if only I get it. It helps with the worldbuilding and all that...

I also FINALLY updated the Sombras' model. They are a bit taller than Dulce and their antlers are symmetrical. Their idle pose looks more like an inverted triangle, which contrast's Dulce's silhouette.

They also have their own attack animations now, which is great! They look very cool. I went for a brighter outline for their texture, so the player can see them more clearly when exploring. Also, Dulce now has a light above them that is set in a specific channel that only affects Dulce. That way, they are always visible even if the environment is dark, and the light does not affect other parts of the world.

Prop modelling

Having the drafts for the levels, I went on to do my 3D asset list. I have not worked a lot on it, but it is happening. In the picture, you can see the blockout of the cave behind Dulce. They are so unbothered by the horrors that they will have to face once I add the filters to this level. It is much easier to edit levels when they are actually bright and everything is visible, rather than when I have already set up the dark night sky.

I made a scale guide and started making some... Vague, at the very least, references for the models I will need.

I'm choosing to share this one picture because you can also see how I took screenshots of the empty levels and I drew on top of them the things that would be there. I used to think that, if I were to make concept art, it would look very pretty and nice, but now I know that functionality is more important than making it look super pretty and cute.

Saving System
Besides all the good things, I have had issues. The saving system worked well at first, but when I tried to save the location of the player it went insane. Furthermore, once I respawned, I could not load the player's data, which just screwed up with the pick ups and everything. I spent way too much time fixing it, and I could not do it, so it is on pause right now. You can respawn by reloading the level when you die, and that is as far as it will get for now.