Monthly Devlog - August

I intend to release Devlogs monthly as I progress throughout development, you can also keep up with development and engage with the community over on Discord

Additionally I am livestreaming game development over on Twitch! Stop by and give a follow if you'd like to catch a glimpse of the game dev process.

On to the good stuff!

AI and You

AI has been progressing nicely with a number of bug fixes, improvements, and new features to how they function. The AI detects the player based on their Total Illumination Value, which indicates how illuminated they are by nearby light sources. Everything from street lamps to flashlights and lightning flashes can illuminate the player and make them detectable. The closer the player is to AI and the more illuminated they are the faster the AI will detect and engage the player.

If the player is detected, the AI will enter a Hunt state. Firing their weapon and and pursuing them. Afterwards they enter a Caution and Investigation state, searching the area for the player and calling for help from other AI (if their Radio isn't disabled, more on that below!). After a brief amount of time they will then move to a new patrol route, more tightly protecting any objectives the player may need to accomplish in that mission.

The AI's status is indicated by a light on their shoulder radio. Solid Green - Normal Patrol Status Blinking Green - Alarmed Patrol Status Blinking Yellow - Caution and Investigation Status Quickly Blinking Red - Hunt / Engaging the Player Status

User Interface and Audio

The UI still has a number of placeholder elements, such as the health bar, but it is starting to shape up. There are now HUD icons for the player's current Illumination Value and animations shifting between the states, Hidden, Partially Visible, and Fully Visible. At Partially Visible the AI will detect the player more slowly, at Fully Visible they detect very quickly so you'll want to avoid being in full light as much as possible!

Additionally there is a Speaker Icon indicating the Ambient Audio Levels of the environment the player is in, as well as their own Audio Signature. Plus, icons for any Keycards the player has retrieved.

The Audio Levels have 4 tiers to them. If the player's own Audio Levels are below the Ambient Audio Levels (indicated by the red audio waves) then they can move without the AI being able to hear them. However, different surfaces such as concrete or snow make more or less noise when moved on.

Gameplay Mechanics

There are a few ways the player can choose to hinder the AI. Using a new EMP Pistol which has shots that can be charged up you can affect the AI without alerting them. For example, shooting the AI's primary weapon with an un-charged shot will briefly disable its flashlight. Hitting it with a fully charged shot will disable the weapon completely for a moment. You can also shoot the AI's radio to disable it and prevent them from calling nearby AI for reinforcements.

More Interactable Items have been created, such as Keycards (either placed in the world or carried by guards) to get through locked doors, radios, and high fidelity porta-potties to hide in.

A new Save System has been made from scratch, and has been steadily getting built up. Currently its main function is indicating how many campaign levels the player has completed. I'm hoping to expand it to create Mission Rankings and visualize the player's stats.

Assets and Levels

The guards finally have their own models and are no longer using the default unreal mannequin! They will have a couple different camos to differentiate them from one another. Progress is being made on the new tutorial level, currently titled Dusk Breaker. UI Popups have been made to give the player tips and hints on the game's mechanics as they move through the mission. And other assorted 3d models are being added regularly.

Whew! That's it for now. This was a large post as it contains a few month's worth of work up to this point. Expect following devlogs to be a tad lighter on content.

Cheers everyone, -Kyle Harrison / Knight Division Games