# ------ Announcements

\n

## Sprint

\n4rd sprint, of the 3rd cycle. Chapter 03/Pass 02.\nLess challenging than previous sprint, still quite difficult.\n\nPlay-tests are always welcome open. If you want to help me with your feedback, please contact me :)\n\n**Explanation and showcase**\n\n\n

# ------ Game

\n

## General

\n\nThis build contains HUGE amounts of refactoring.\n\nNEW\n\nImprove:\n* General cleanups, optimizations, small fixes, and documentation everywhere.\n* * Added `AdaptiveAddToWorld`. Also \"Skip generate overlaps\" on stream. Reduces hitches on load.\n* * Shadows on floors.\n* Moved a ton of things from hard ref to soft references.\n\nKnown issues:\n* Screen might flash when loading the next chapter. It\'s a UE thing.\n\n

## Settings

\nNEW:\n* Added option to set the default RHI. Experimental. Requires a restart. If it breaks, delete your config files (but not your savefiles).\n\nImprove:\n* Moved a ton of code to cpp.\n\n

## Art

\nNEW:\n* Added outro animation!\n* Started using style assets for ui elements. Most noticeable on the settings.\n* * Unified and improved the style of some elements.\n\nImprove:\n* Moved everything possible to \"Packed Actors Level Instances\". Improves performance a bit. (A ton of work involved).\n* Improved \"ppl\" materials.\n* Optimized some material\'s permutation count.\n* Still working on the hall01.\n\n

## Chapters

\nAll:\n* Implemented more card effects. (I think \"what works\" doesn\'t have anything to work with, but the logic is there).\n* * Redesigned and reorganized their effects a bit.\n* Improved the hints all around. Added more hints, and tweaked how and when they get enabled.\n* Improved doors quite a bit. Optimized windows too.\n\nCH00:\nCH01:\nCH02:\nCH03:\nCH04:\n\n

# ------- Subsystems and plugins

\n

## All

\n> Public repos for the plugins are updated on a later date, according to (my) availability.\n\n

## Flashbacks

\nNew:\n* New clouds effect.\n* FX on the effects.\n\n

## Dialogs

\nhttps://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Diags\n\nLifeDev:\n\nPlugin:\n\n

## Interactions (and animations)

\nhttps://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Interact\n\nLifeDev:\n* A lot of rework with `SetHiddenInGame` and `Fade`.\n* * It works well during construction. It helps a lot with Puzzles too. And allowed to move `ActorsShow/Hide` to the Story Plugin.\n\nPuzzle:\n* Rework how hints work, using the new `SetUseHint` virtual.\n* Improved properties initialization. Now more reliable.\n\nPlugin:\n* A ton of work relative to `SetHiddenInGame`.\n* * Some rework to use `SetAutoActivate` on constructors.\n* Removed the spot. Moved functionality to regular `Interacts`. This required extra work in the game itself.\n* Rework item use.\n* `UseHint` is now a function `SetUseHint`, and virtual.\n* Improved collisions and auto-activate.\n* Refactor `CInteractor` so that the collision profile is local to the component (as opposed to the same for all interactors).\n* * Allows for having multiple `CInteractors` doing different work.\n* Added `CAnimatorSFX`. Animates submixes effects.\n* Added field for comments on interactions.\n\n

## Inventory / Flags / Teach

\nhttps://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Inventory\n\nLifeDev:\n* Animations on the inventory!\n* * Took a ton of work, since i had to rework the whole implementation.\n\nTeach (NUX):\n* Rework the style a bit.\n\nPlugin:\n\n

## JSignificance

\nhttps://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/JSig\n\n

## JUtils

\nhttps://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/JUtils\n\nNew:\n* Added a couple of helpers to use style assets on ui elements.\n* Added experimental ability to get/set the preferred RHI.\n* Added ability to get hardware info.\n* Added ability to get number of remaining precompiles. (For PSOs)\n* Added `AddOutlinerSection`.\n* * Added sections for `Story`, `Interact`, and maybe others.\n* Added `IsInConstructor` and `NeedsInit`.\n\nImproves:\n* Added `ShouldCreate` to `LoadScr`.\n* Reworked how some UI elements expose some initial properties.\n\n

## Sounds

\nhttps://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Sounds\n\nLifeDev:\n* Reworked the menu fx on music.\n* Added phone ring, hanger squeaks.\n\nPlugin:\n\n

## Story

\nhttps://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Story\n\nLifeDev:\n* Reworked the code for managing the end of the game.\n* * Updated StepEnd to unload all data layers.\n* Moved to the StoryManager, the code to manage chapters loading, starting, next, etc.\n* Removed `RewardIntersTriggerClass`, `RewardIntesActiveClass`.\n* Created a new class for the books. Starting porting some objects to it. WIP.\n* Ported a ton of dialogs to \"auto dialogs\". So that i can remove some declarative dialogs (old system).\n* * Was a considerable amount of work.\n* * Removed `LockedDlg`, `TriggerDlg`, `DlgId` from step.\n* Added \"auto flags\" for step\'s start/stop.\n* Removed `InterFadeIn/Out` in favor for new `ActorsShow/Hide`.\n\nPlugin:\n* Added field for comments on steps.\n* Removed unused `TeleportCharAfter`. Reworked `TeleportChar`.\n* Removed unnecessary `FinishPostWait`.\n* Added/improved blocking load of assets, during step change, when it\'s set to block on load.\n* * Including pso generation.\n* * Added garbage collection during step fade.\n* Rework showing and hiding actors.\n* * Moved `ActorsShow/Hide` to the base plugin. Now they work better.\n* * New `SetHiddenInGame` refactor ensures that interacts fade in/out. And that puzzles also work well.\n* * Removed hiding actors on `Begin Play`.\n* `Story` now depends on `JUtils`. It was something i was delaying, but it actually cleans the code.\n\n

# ------ Links

\n\nPlay on Steam https://store.steampowered.com/app/2450230/LifeDev/\n\nForums https://forums.unrealengine.com/t/solodev-lifedev-my-game-about-overcoming-cptsd/1172122\n\nTwitter: https://twitter.com/jerobarraco\n\nMastodon: https://mastodon.gamedev.place/@jerobarraco\n\nSupport on patreon (\"one time\" also available) https://www.patreon.com/c/jerobarraco\n\nSupport on liberapay https://liberapay.com/nande\n\nSupport on Ko-fi https://ko-fi.com/jerobarraco\n\n

[ 2025-09-07 23:38:04 CET ] [Original Post]