With the holidays fast approaching the team was focused this week on fixing bugs and finishing up projects before leaving and joining the great travel queue wherever they call home. AI got a little attention first. To fix some of the issues we ran into last week with mutants hurling missile weapons behind their backs like a carnival attraction, we made a change that ranged AI can now only start a projectile attack if they are actively facing their target. We worked through a few movement and overlapping issues as well so groups of AI can spend more time hunting and killing players and less trying to find the perfect place to stand while rending flesh.
While we’re on the subject of large groups of mutants, we started work on AI siege activity. Our goal is to give a large group of AI battle tactics and behaviors that would see them attack outpost or player constructed buildings and hold them for a set time if they were successful in overrunning the players left or caught defending a structure.
While we worked through some lingering persistence issues and testing the construction system we decided it was time to come up with an appropriate construction tool. While harvesting has the shark-toothed pan we call the Killit, our construction system currently doesn’t have any physical tool. We went over several design options and looked at a few different concepts before settling on a theme and a few favorites. The final tool should be ready for unveiling soon.
Lastly, we’ve finished the first iteration of what we are calling our diorama system. Basically, the system adds items, attractions, and cover along our procedural road, river and beach systems. Things like mailboxes, street lights, cars, containers, and all the things you might expect to be left behind after the fall of humanity can be found along the game’s natural travel corridors. Below you can see one such area and what it looks like morning, noon, and night.
