This week, the development team working on Depths of Erendorn has made progress across multiple areas of the game, focusing on enhancing gameplay systems, refining visual elements, and resolving technical challenges. From updates to camera controls and dungeon systems to the creation of new magical effects and environmental improvements, the collective efforts of each team have continued to enrich the immersive world of Erendorn. The 3D Modelling team advanced the design of the Earthen Dwarf Guard armour, while the Client and Server teams collaborated on optimising dungeon generation and improving gameplay stability. The Environment team refined the natural landscapes with optimisations to foliage and procedural systems, and the Visual Effects team experimented with innovative magical effects to expand the possibilities for dynamic visuals. These combined efforts ensure that the world of Erendorn continues to evolve, delivering a more polished and engaging experience for players. As always, join us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit for daily updates on Depths of Erendorn. Alternatively, join our Discord for all the latest! - now let’s get into it!
3D Modelling
This week, the 3D Modelling team at Depths of Erendorn made significant progress on the Earthen Dwarf Guard armour. The model underwent the process of retopology, a vital step in optimising high-resolution sculpts for in-game use by simplifying their geometry while retaining intricate details. This ensures that the model maintains a high level of visual fidelity while being efficient for gameplay. Following the completion of retopology, the team began the texturing phase, which will bring the armour to life with carefully crafted materials and colours that align with the Earthen Dwarf’s rugged and resilient nature. These developments mark another milestone in the creation of this formidable character design. Examples of the work completed by the team can be seen below.
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Programming
Client
This week, the Client team at Depths of Erendorn focused on finalising the camera upgrade and addressing tasks left over from before the holidays. The camera system now includes persistent settings for speed, tether range, and deceleration, with proper saving and loading functionality implemented. These updates ensure consistent and dynamic camera controls, including independent speed changes when moving the camera towards its tether target. In addition, the team worked on resolving remaining issues from the level switchover, enhancing gameplay stability. Progress was also made on post-combat systems, enabling dead entities to function as lootable interactables. This new feature allows multiple entities to link to a single interactable blueprint, further enriching the game's mechanics and interactivity. Additional work completed by the team can be seen below.
- Refactored the post-combat execution order to allow loot containers to be assigned to Entities in a Session after death.
- Set up the framework for making living Entities Interactable.
- Implemented context menus for Interactable Entities.
Server
This week, the Server team at Depths of Erendorn focused on resolving several bugs affecting the placement and orientation of set pieces within dungeons. These fixes addressed issues that caused set pieces to be incorrectly positioned or rotated, ensuring that dungeon layouts are both functional and visually coherent. Additionally, ongoing collaboration with the Client team has helped align dungeon components, including walls, floors, and ceilings, with server logic, creating a seamless experience during dungeon generation. These updates mark important steps in improving the reliability and precision of the game’s dungeon systems, enhancing the overall player experience.
Environment Art
This week, the Environment team at Depths of Erendorn focused on refining the world’s natural elements to enhance both visual cohesion and performance. The World PCG graph was refactored to optimise its processes and improve interlinking, resolving previous issues where trees would protrude through boulder stacks. Additionally, adjustments were made to the wind settings for ferns and small shrubs, aligning them more closely with the grass wind to create a consistent and immersive environment. Work has also begun on upgrading the world grass to improve its appearance while maintaining performance, with further refinements planned to strike the perfect balance between visual fidelity and optimisation. Examples of the work completed by the team can be seen below.
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Visual Effects
This week, the Visual Effects team at Depths of Erendorn explored new creative concepts to enhance the game's magical elements. Focus was placed on developing magic footsteps and experimenting with magic path materials, a long-term goal that could provide dynamic and versatile effects for a variety of applications. Work began on crafting a material that can be controlled in real-time using dynamic parameters, enabling greater flexibility and customisation for future effects. This initial step lays the groundwork for visually striking and interactive magical effects that will enrich the immersive experience within the world of Erendorn. Examples of this experimental work can be seen below.
That’s it for this week’s devlog, but have you seen our monthly roundup of December yet?!
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