Dev Report, November 2024

Hello friends!

It feels like I just finished writing the October Dev Report, and here I am again with November’s. This month flew by, and for a good reason - November was packed with progress. Let’s dive into the details!

Level Design Planning

Given the feedback regarding navigation challenges in the early sections of the game, I’ve dedicated significant time to improving this. I’ve completed the layout planning for the final sectors of the Maintenance Compartments and the new Power Core Bay. From a design perspective, these areas are now fully prepared for the next update.

Level Art – Environment Creation

The Maintenance Compartments are now complete, and I believe they turned out incredibly atmospheric. I’ve added numerous environmental storytelling elements for curious players to discover, many of which tie into the notes left behind by the passengers of COLOS-8.

As for the Power Core Bay, the foundational elements (floors, walls, ceilings) are in place. The remaining work involves placing various machinery and finer details. Thankfully, all the necessary 3D assets are ready, so this phase should wrap up quickly.

Electrical Puzzle

Let’s not forget that Parasite Inside includes puzzles! One of them is a new Electrical Puzzle. While not overly complex, it’s visually engaging and will feel familiar to seasoned players. The concept isn’t entirely new but fits well within the game’s atmosphere.

New Save System

Initially, I assumed that incompatible save files between updates wouldn’t be an issue during early development. However, I’ve received plenty of feedback expressing frustration over this. So, I decided to rebuild the Save/Load System from scratch. This overhaul touched nearly every game variable, from the protagonist’s stats to changed objects. The new system introduces additional save slots and a revamped UI, making it far more robust and user-friendly.

I hope that these changes will allow using save files between update versions without any problems.

New Quick Message System

With the game’s Diegetic HUD, some players felt they weren’t receiving enough feedback during item interactions. To address this, I built a new Quick Message System. Previously, overlapping messages made the text unreadbled. Now, older messages shift down to accommodate new ones, offering a cleaner, more readable presentation.

Here’s message types:

• Text Messages: Simple text notifications (e.g., map updates, journal entries).

• Unique Item Pickup: Displays the item’s name and icon.

• Consumable Pickup: Shows item name, icon, and quantity.

• Used/Lost Items: Notifies when an item is used or lost.

• Required Items: Displays the name and icon of an item needed for interaction, making it easier for players to recognize the necessary object.

Meds

Healing items have always been planned, but it’s only now that I’ve implemented them. The new Med Caps system allows players to restore health and reduce infection levels. Scattered across COLOS-8, these capsules add an interesting resource management element, contributing to the game’s balance.

New Enemy Modeling

I’ve completed the modeling of the next enemy type. While it’s still undergoing refinement, but players can expect its debut in the next update.

UI Scaling for Multiple Resolutions

At the request of players with various screen setups, I’ve reworked the UI to support different resolutions. This update eliminates issues with text boxes, buttons, and other UI elements going off-screen, ensuring a seamless experience across all devices.

3D Environment Assets

As always, a substantial number of new 3D environment assets have been created for the upcoming update.

November was highly productive, but there’s no rest for the wicked! I’ll be hard at work in December preparing the next update for release.

Feel free to share your thoughts - I’m eager to hear your feedback!

Best regards,

Kodman