Our development teams has made some exciting progress in refining Depths of Erendorn throughout the week. The 3D modelling team meticulously detailed the spellcaster armour set, adding a new jewel, enhancing boots, and improving shoulder plates. The client-side team implemented features in the Dungeon Room Panel and worked on UI elements and mapping tools. On the server side, long-ranged melee attacks were fixed, and enemy groups can now roam together. The animation team improved character movements, while the VFX team integrated 2D elements into visual effects. Our teams' dedication is evident as they create an immersive gaming experience. 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
The 3D modelling team is currently focusing on refining and detailing the armour set specifically designed for spellcasters within our game. They are meticulously working on various components such as wrist guards, belts, boots, and shoulders, ensuring that each piece reflects the essence of magical prowess. To elevate the visual appeal, a new jewel has been meticulously added to the belt, accompanied by intricate details along its length. The boots have received additional plating and straps, augmenting their enchanting allure. The shoulder plates have undergone extensive enhancements, emphasising their structural integrity and captivating form. Examples of the work completed throughout the week can be seen below.
Programming
Client
This week has been about continuing to improve the new Dungeon Room Panel's existing implementation and adding any additional planned features for the panel; displaying voter names alongside their vote, displaying uniquely ranked enemy totals and updating Events and enemy totals for rerolled rooms. Additional work completed by the client side team can be seen below.
- Updated how multiples of enemies are stored, taking elite rank into account.
- Added elite rank display to the Room Panel's Enemy section.
- Updated how Ballots conclude and display their results.
- Implemented a Voter Status widget to display party member's names and vote choice on the Room Panel's Ballot section.
- Added the updating of the Room Panel post reroll, so players can now see the events and enemies in their newly rerolled room.
- Improved layout to function with different numbers of players, expected enemies and events.
- Worked on implementing and updating existing Mapping tools into the new nav system.
- Fixed issues with zone displaying and debugging.
- Refactored chunk loading.
- Fixed loading zones causing every nav node in the game being loaded into memory.
- Adjusted mapping settings to create fewer but better quality nodes.
- Fixed an issue with being able to pathfind through walls.
- Implemented more new UI elements and updated some existing ones.
- Adjusted some parts of the vendor window's functions to fit with new UI elements.
- Updated stats display with some new naming conventions and removed display for a stat that is intended to be hidden.
- Returned to work on some visual updates to the character creation screen that had gotten buried under other tasks for a while.
Server
This week the server team has been focussed on two main things; long ranged Melee attacks, and Group roaming code. It'd been spotted that players using spears and polearms were not being able to attack from the extended reach that their weapons should allow them to. After some searching, it was discovered that the item database had incorrectly set the range stat on these items, so the database was corrected and the list of items regenerated. Finally, enemy groups now have the capability to roam around together in the open world, potentially to bump into or ambush players! This is very early days, and a significant degree of lag spikes and bugs have been caused by this new system, but it has been implemented, and now functions within the server.
Sound Design
During the past week, the focus was primarily on sound development for the Giant Ant enemy, using the latest animations provided by the animation team. The goal was to enhance the enemies' audio experience and create a more immersive and engaging gameplay environment. While there were no significant updates or changes to report, the team dedicated their efforts to refining and perfecting the sound effects associated with the Giant Ant's movements and actions. By aligning the sounds with the character's animations, they aimed to bring the creature to life and add depth to its presence in the game. Examples of the work completed throughout the week can be seen below.
Animation
This week, the animation team made several notable updates. For the Crocodile, the team increased the speed of the walk cycle, resulting in a more dynamic and lively movement. The Dwarf character is currently undergoing exploration and updates, with considerations to relocate the position and pose of two-handed weapons (hammers, axes) to prioritise holding the lower part of the handle in the right hand. This adjustment will facilitate the creation and updating of attack animations. Additionally, the run cycle animation for the Dwarf character was improved to have a more natural and immersive feel while traversing the world on foot. Lastly, the team successfully created an unarmed attack animation for the Giant Ant character, adding an exciting new combat capability. Work on the animations completed throughout the week can be seen below.
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Visual Effects
During a period of downtime, the VFX team took the opportunity to reflect and conduct research. They immersed themselves in other game titles, drawing inspiration and insights from various sources. As a result, the team embarked on a creative journey, crafting a range of animated 2D elements that will find their place in the future of Depths of Erendorn. The team recognised that certain effects are better suited for creation in a 2D space rather than within the confines of a 3D environment. With their newly created 2D elements in hand, the team plans to integrate them into the current visual effects within the engine. This integration aims to enhance the overall impact and visual appeal of the game, breathing new life into existing effects and creating a more immersive experience for players.
That’s it for this week’s devlog, but have you seen our monthly roundup of May yet?!
