Steam News7 September 20259mo ago

Devlog 26

# ------ Announcements ## Sprint 4rd sprint, of the 3rd cycle. Chapter 03/Pass 02. Less challenging than previous sprint, still quite difficult. Play-tests are always welcome open.

Full notes

Full LifeDev update

Read the full published notes in a cleaner layout. The original post stays linked below.

What changed

0 fixes13 additions6 changes0 removals

Gameplay
Performance
UI and audio
Store

added## GeneralNEW

added## GeneralImprove: * General cleanups, optimizations, small fixes, and documentation everywhere. * * Added `AdaptiveAddToWorld`. Also "Skip generate overlaps" on stream. Reduces hitches on load. * * Shadows on floors. * Moved a ton of things from hard ref to soft references.

added## SettingsNEW: * Added option to set the default RHI. Experimental. Requires a restart. If it breaks, delete your config files (but not your savefiles).

changed## SettingsImprove: * Moved a ton of code to cpp.

added## ArtNEW: * Added outro animation! * Started using style assets for ui elements. Most noticeable on the settings. * * Unified and improved the style of some elements.

changed## ArtImprove: * Moved everything possible to "Packed Actors Level Instances". Improves performance a bit. (A ton of work involved). * Improved "ppl" materials. * Optimized some material's permutation count. * Still working on the hall01.

# ------ Announcements

## Sprint

4rd sprint, of the 3rd cycle. Chapter 03/Pass 02. Less challenging than previous sprint, still quite difficult.

Play-tests are always welcome open. If you want to help me with your feedback, please contact me :)

**Explanation and showcase**

# ------ Game

## General

This build contains HUGE amounts of refactoring.

NEW

Improve: * General cleanups, optimizations, small fixes, and documentation everywhere. * * Added `AdaptiveAddToWorld`. Also "Skip generate overlaps" on stream. Reduces hitches on load. * * Shadows on floors. * Moved a ton of things from hard ref to soft references.

Known issues: * Screen might flash when loading the next chapter. It's a UE thing.

## Settings

NEW: * Added option to set the default RHI. Experimental. Requires a restart. If it breaks, delete your config files (but not your savefiles).

Improve: * Moved a ton of code to cpp.

## Art

NEW: * Added outro animation! * Started using style assets for ui elements. Most noticeable on the settings. * * Unified and improved the style of some elements.

Improve: * Moved everything possible to "Packed Actors Level Instances". Improves performance a bit. (A ton of work involved). * Improved "ppl" materials. * Optimized some material's permutation count. * Still working on the hall01.

## Chapters

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

CH00: CH01: CH02: CH03: CH04:

# ------- Subsystems and plugins

## All

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

## Flashbacks

New: * New clouds effect. * FX on the effects.

## Dialogs

https://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Diags

LifeDev:

Plugin:

## Interactions (and animations)

https://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Interact

LifeDev: * A lot of rework with `SetHiddenInGame` and `Fade`. * * It works well during construction. It helps a lot with Puzzles too. And allowed to move `ActorsShow/Hide` to the Story Plugin.

Puzzle: * Rework how hints work, using the new `SetUseHint` virtual. * Improved properties initialization. Now more reliable.

Plugin: * A ton of work relative to `SetHiddenInGame`. * * Some rework to use `SetAutoActivate` on constructors. * Removed the spot. Moved functionality to regular `Interacts`. This required extra work in the game itself. * Rework item use. * `UseHint` is now a function `SetUseHint`, and virtual. * Improved collisions and auto-activate. * Refactor `CInteractor` so that the collision profile is local to the component (as opposed to the same for all interactors). * * Allows for having multiple `CInteractors` doing different work. * Added `CAnimatorSFX`. Animates submixes effects. * Added field for comments on interactions.

## Inventory / Flags / Teach

https://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Inventory

LifeDev: * Animations on the inventory! * * Took a ton of work, since i had to rework the whole implementation.

Teach (NUX): * Rework the style a bit.

Plugin:

## JSignificance

https://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/JSig

## JUtils

https://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/JUtils

New: * Added a couple of helpers to use style assets on ui elements. * Added experimental ability to get/set the preferred RHI. * Added ability to get hardware info. * Added ability to get number of remaining precompiles. (For PSOs) * Added `AddOutlinerSection`. * * Added sections for `Story`, `Interact`, and maybe others. * Added `IsInConstructor` and `NeedsInit`.

Improves: * Added `ShouldCreate` to `LoadScr`. * Reworked how some UI elements expose some initial properties.

## Sounds

https://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Sounds

LifeDev: * Reworked the menu fx on music. * Added phone ring, hanger squeaks.

Plugin:

## Story

https://codeberg.org/jerobarraco/Story

LifeDev: * Reworked the code for managing the end of the game. * * Updated StepEnd to unload all data layers. * Moved to the StoryManager, the code to manage chapters loading, starting, next, etc. * Removed `RewardIntersTriggerClass`, `RewardIntesActiveClass`. * Created a new class for the books. Starting porting some objects to it. WIP. * Ported a ton of dialogs to "auto dialogs". So that i can remove some declarative dialogs (old system). * * Was a considerable amount of work. * * Removed `LockedDlg`, `TriggerDlg`, `DlgId` from step. * Added "auto flags" for step's start/stop. * Removed `InterFadeIn/Out` in favor for new `ActorsShow/Hide`.

Plugin: * Added field for comments on steps. * Removed unused `TeleportCharAfter`. Reworked `TeleportChar`. * Removed unnecessary `FinishPostWait`. * Added/improved blocking load of assets, during step change, when it's set to block on load. * * Including pso generation. * * Added garbage collection during step fade. * Rework showing and hiding actors. * * Moved `ActorsShow/Hide` to the base plugin. Now they work better. * * New `SetHiddenInGame` refactor ensures that interacts fade in/out. And that puzzles also work well. * * Removed hiding actors on `Begin Play`. * `Story` now depends on `JUtils`. It was something i was delaying, but it actually cleans the code.