It’s hard to believe it’s been four months since my last update. A lot has changed since then, and I’m excited to share some of the progress I’ve made on Silent Corruption.

So, what’s new? Well, keep reading!

Jane Modelling & Animation

One of the biggest milestones for me has been completing a prototype model of Jane, my protagonist. While she still needs some work (namely, tweaking and texturing and optimizing the model further) she’s now in a state where I can test out animations and get a better feel for her movement and interactions.

This is just an alpha model at this point, but it’ll do the trick to give me something visually appealing while I refine her further. In Unity, it’s amazing how much of a difference having even a basic character model makes. Suddenly my game feels more grounded in reality!

Programming & Technical

While I have to admit that my initial plan was to dive headfirst into coding, it turns out that the preparation phase has taken longer than expected. As a result, I haven’t made as much progress on the programming side of things as I had hoped.

However, during this planning and prep time, I’ve been able to make some important groundwork for my game’s core mechanics. One thing I have implemented is a basic character controller script that allows Jane to perform simple movements like walking, running, and crouching. This has given me a solid foundation to test out ideas and start building from there.

I’ve also been working on setting up the camera system, with the goal of having multiple options for different areas of the game. So far, I have a basic fixed camera setup that provides a clean and cinematic feel in many situations; think corridors or other areas where you want to emphasize storytelling.

While it’s not as much progress as I had initially hoped for, these small wins are still important milestones for me. By testing out the character movement and camera systems, I’m getting a better understanding of how the game will feel when everything comes together, which is essential if I want to create an experience that’s both engaging and polished.

Narrative & Lore

I’ve also been having fun reworking some elements of my narrative and lore. Sometimes you just need an extra layer of depth or clarity, so I’m going through everything again with fresh eyes.

From the larger themes to specific character motivations, I want Silent Corruption to be an immersive experience that draws players in!

Level Design

Moving right along… level design has been taking up some serious time. Here are some key areas I’ve been thinking about for my main game:

• A high-level concept of all the main areas for the whole game.
• The First Level (Tutorial/Introduction): A brand new area that sets everything in motion! It’s still in development but, I’m excited to share its progress soon!

Infrastructure & Productivity

A smaller but no less important update is related to my infrastructure. I set up a home server specifically for hosting my game files on Git repositories! Not only does this help keep costs low (no shared servers or expensive storage solutions needed), but also gives me full control over all development data.

It’s these little things that add up and make life as an indie dev way more manageable. Plus, it means I can focus solely on Silent Corruption without worrying about hosting expenses!

Next Steps: Bringing it All Together

Now that I’ve got some solid groundwork laid out, it’s time to start building on those foundations. Next up is working more heavily on the prototype/vertical slice; a playable demo of my game that will test out all my ideas and mechanics.

This means diving back into programming, where I’ll be focusing on fine-tuning everything I’ve been planning so far. It’s going to be a busy time in the code lab!

I’m also looking forward to exploring level design and environment art more extensively. While I’ve had some ideas floating around for a while now, it’s only through hands-on experimentation that I’ll really get a feel for how all these elements come together.

In terms of specific goals, my plan is to create an increasingly complete area, one that feels immersive, engaging, and most importantly, fun. It won’t be perfect by any means (there’s always room for improvement!), but it will give me the chance to test out a broad range of mechanics and get a sense of what works best.

Preparation has taken longer than expected, which is why I’m running slightly behind schedule now. But trust me when I say that this extra time in planning phase has been worth every bit of it. Having gone through the process so thoroughly, I feel like I have a much clearer picture of what my game needs to be successful.

So, stay tuned for some exciting updates from the world of Silent Corruption! With any luck, you’ll see something playable soon!

Until next time!