DEVLOG: Foundations

Since our last update, we made a difficult decision: after years with Godot, we switched to Unity. It wasn't an easy call. As Viroid Games, we invested heavily in Godot - books, community events, courses, tutorials. We supported the engine for a long time. But when it came time to build MR.E for real, we needed stability, a mature ecosystem, and a path forward that wouldn't lock us into constant workarounds.

Unity gives us that - and, if MR.E ever finds investment, it gives us something else: a workforce. Game engine choices come with workforce realities. As much as we believe in Godot, the numbers are against it when it comes to finding professional help. That's just the truth of it.

That being said, the switch came with a cost. Learning curves, new workflows, and a few days of "why isn't this working?" But the foundation is now solid. We have a clean Unity project, version control that actually works, and a level generator that turns simple text maps into greyboxes. It's not pretty yet - but it's functional, it's moving forward.

On the design side, Deck 1 finally feels real. The logistics and storage zone now has a logical layout: escape pods near the lift, cryo storage next to it for easy sample transfer, a mezzanine loading control overlooking the cargo bay, and cargo holds flanking the main space. Every room now has a reason to exist. Locking all that in gives us a clean blueprint to build from.

We also wrote a stack of maintenance logs; the kind of small worldbuilding details that make a ship feel lived in. A crane that drifts. A gym with bad ventilation. A medical bay incident that turned into something unexpected. Vance, our grumpy chief engineer, is slowly finding his voice.

Next time: greyboxing++ Deck 1. Less planning. More building.

— Viroid Games