Pathfinding, Fading, and Boss Brains: July Devlog

🧠 Smarter Zombies: Pathfinding Overhaul Complete

No more zombies dumbly faceplanting into walls.

• New A* Grid System: Custom-built from scratch to handle huge zombie swarms without lag.

• Obstacle Padding Logic: Prevents enemies from hugging colliders. Looks better, plays smoother.

• Zombie Collisions Disabled: Forget the awkward crowd-stuck shuffles — they pass through each other now, fluid and deadly.

• Script Cleanup: Obsolete systems like ZombiePathScheduler are gone. Simpler logic = better performance.

Performance? We tested this thing on hordes hundreds strong — smooth like decapitated butter. 🧈🧟

🌐 Dynamic World: Occlusion-Based Tilemap Fading

Who turned out the lights? Oh, it was a tree.

• New Scene: RuralAmericana_01 — your first taste of the overgrown apocalypse.

• Tilemap Layers: Ground, Props, Colliders, and now FadeableProps — smart environment rendering that fades when the player walks behind obstacles.

• Custom Shader + Script: A TilemapFader uses player proximity to dynamically alpha-fade occluding tiles.

• Sorting by Y-Axis: Implemented camera-based sorting for pixel-perfect layering.

It’s not just pretty — it’s readable. No more losing your survivor behind a bush.

🔧 Settings That Actually Stick

Options menus shouldn’t suck. Ours don’t.

• Volume Sliders: Music & SFX with FMOD support, saved with PlayerPrefs.

• Resolution Dropdowns: Duplicates filtered out, fullscreen toggle works right.

• UI Prefab: Works across main menu & pause menu — modular and reskinned with full pixel art polish.

Got a CRT or a 4K ultrawide? We got you.

☣️ Boss Brain Boosts

We’ve revisited the Radioactive Furnace — your bile-spewing bullet-hell nemesis.

• Attack Patterns Finalized: AcidSpit, ProjectileBurst, WallBarrage, and SpiralBlast now rotate cleanly.

• Summon Phase Logic: Boss becomes invincible, spawns minions, turns green with envy (and poison) until you kill them all.

• Performance Polished: All FX pooled, no lag spikes, and the visuals drip with radioactive flair.

This boss doesn’t just challenge you — it tests your ability to survive a tactical nightmare.

🧪 What’s Brewing in the Lab

Future targets — because this undead machine never stops mutating:

• 🧱 Finish arena lockdown system for proper boss fights.

• 🏠 Build the Safe House for meta-progression (upgrades, currency, unlocks).

• 🔓 Implement extraction logic + victory triggers.

• 🧠 Optimize pathfinding further using flow fields or spatial partitioning.

• 💾 Add save system for Contagion Credits and unlocks.

💀 Join the Plague Parade

Every wishlist, follow, and comment pushes this solo-dev dream further into the necrotic light.

Made with no studio, no publisher — just code, caffeine, and a pile of zombie parts.

🖤 Wishlist the game 📢 Follow for updates 🧠 Drop feedback — your ideas fuel the swarm

Until next time — stay sharp, stay sick, and don’t stop running.

– Para82