If you’ve been following us on social media, Patreon, or even on this very website, you’ve probably noticed how excited we are about concept art. It’s just so cool to see someone else’s take on your vision. It’s even cooler when their take aligns with your own in a way that takes it to a whole new level! This is what we’ve been experiencing! And now, we’re watching it come to life.
Above, you’ll see a recent version of the new player character’s model by Pedro and I’m just amazed. Every so often, we hit a development milestone that reminds me just how achievable our goals really are, and I’m so grateful for the team I get to work with. Just to frame the level of detail and execution going into this model: that model with only one wheel alone is made up of around 10,000 polygons! There are six wheels! I still remember the early conversations where we worried about getting a building set up on the base, but when looking at this? It feels like everything is just a matter of time.
But still, there’s more to a great game than beautiful graphics. Apparently, you people want “mechanics” that “make sense.” Well fine then. Lately, we’ve also been working on the interaction system for Gears of Eden, which has a lot of moving parts! Obviously, you need some method to actually interact with things, and that interaction needs to do something. What you might forget, however, is that the player needs to know what they can interact with in the first place! This will undoubtedly be an ongoing development; as our UI evolves, this aspect will be expected to keep up.
Right now though, there are two indications for an object’s interactivity. First, when you mouse over the object, it gets highlighted for a sort of “hey, check me out” effect. We also have a mouse cursor that changes both its appearance and opacity based on whether or not you can interact with something and if you’re close enough to do so. This limited range is also important; it would just feel strange if you could pixel hunt from across the map and open a door. We’re working hard to create a world and a system for interacting with that world that feels good and makes sense. We look forward to getting your feedback soon!
As mentioned above, these updates take a lot of time and talent. You can help them happen faster by supporting Gears of Eden! Seriously, imagine what we could do with an actual budget! Take a look at our Patreon, and join the team!
That’s it for this week’s Dev Update, but we’ll back next week with even more super cool stuff to tell you about! Seriously, it’s so cool to be in this phase of development where things are happening left and right. Be sure to follow us on Twitter and Facebook to hear about every bit of it as soon as possible! We’re going strong right now, but it’s all thanks to the support of our community. Thank you for sticking with us and thanks for reading. Have a great rest of your day!
