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Attention, survivors!

Welcome to the very first episode of the Ardem Dev Diaries. In this new biweekly format, we will provide you with exciting insights into the game's development, shedding more light on what the team has been working on. Please note that we will cover a selection of things we have been working on, and there might be additional aspects that didn't make it into this report. Let's dive in!

Level Design

After polishing the west coast of the map and fixing numerous bugs, we shifted our focus back to the south coast, where we began drafting the second city, Albington. It is expected to be roughly twice the size of Ottsburg, the city featured in the playtest, and will include exciting points of interest such as a local high school and a large quarry. Albington is currently in the infrastructure phase, where we define terrain details, street layouts, and building positions.
Additionally, we've been working on a cargo harbor, which has nearly completed the design pipeline and awaits the placement of loot spawn markers. As the cargo harbor is close to a medium-sized sawmill and used to provide urgently needed tools and spare parts, expect some valuable industrial loot! More updates on the sawmill coming in the next report.

Game Mechanics

Addressing feedback from the open alpha playtest, we have significantly reduced the animation length for pickup and tree-processing. Despite dissatisfaction with the current animation length by a lot of users, we plan to offer multiple configuration parameters for both players and server owners to customize their user experience. Furthermore, we have begun work on the bow-and-arrow system, confident of completing the implementation next week. This system includes shooting from standing and crouching positions, taking your stamina into account. Prolonged bow drawing will drain stamina, causing the character's arm to shiver and significantly reducing accuracy. Different bows will possess varying attributes such as impact force or max range. Despite minor animation and camera issues, we are pleased with the results and look forward to seeing you try it out in the next playtest.

AI

AI is a crucial focus for us in the upcoming playtest, encompassing two main groups: wild animal AI and hostile robot AI. Over the last two weeks, our focus has primarily been on wild animals, yielding positive results. Although we implemented basic AI for wild animals some time ago, it wasn't multiplayer-ready until recently. Now, wild animals roam the map, either solo or in different-sized herds, depending on the animal. All animals follow a basic needs system, prompting them to visit places for drinking, eating, sleeping, or exploring. Additionally, animals can be killed with guns, bows, or melee, and gutted for specific resources. The next steps for implementation involve adjustments to animations and addressing edge case behaviors like killing the herd leader or fleeing.
If there are specific topics you'd like us to cover in future dev diaries, please let us know!