New: Player & Pet Selection Screen
I finally got the player and pet selection screen in. It’s basic but it works, and it already gives the game more intention right out the gate. You can pick your character, then pick your pet — each one with their own stats and feel. I want this screen to eventually give more narrative flavor, but right now I’m just happy it’s functional.
Pets Got Range (and Style)
So now pets aren’t just visual. They actually have different fields of view and their own starting ability depending on the type. Some scout wider but slower. Some are faster, but tighter radius. Trying to build variety without making one clearly better than the others.
You can already start to feel the difference in how you move around and approach scouting based on your pick. Feels good.
Event Notifications In
I’ve added notifications that pop up when big stuff happens — mission objectives updating, damage taken, new regions uncovered, stuff like that. Helps a lot with flow. Makes it feel less like “just moving around” and more like you’re actively making progress.
Exploration Mission: Live
There’s now a mission running in the background: Explore 80% of the map.
Simple, but it’s a good core loop to test. The moment you hit that 80%, it pings a complete flag and now I can start adding more layered missions on top of that.
Starting on Abilities
Began wiring up some early character abilities. Right now I’m keeping them simple — vision buffs, temporary movement boosts, stuff that interacts with the map in small but useful ways. Once I have a few working per character archetype, I’ll shift to how they evolve or upgrade mid-mission.
Where We’re Headed Next
Next up I’m gonna flesh out more of the character skillsets and start testing what combinations feel fun vs. what’s just… extra. Once I nail the “movement + scouting + survive” loop, I’ll shift back to pet behaviors and start prepping for enemy patrol logic.
Appreciate y’all still rockin’ with this. It’s a solo grind but every week it feels more like a real game.
—B.
Afro-Future Rising