This week was about getting all the small pieces we built to work together.
We struggled with some annoying Unity bugs and some more with network prediction and interpolation.

After re-designing the “perks and powerup” system for the third time, we found a nice solution that’s and almost grind-free and has a slight boardgame flavour in it.

We also built some basic skyboxes and nebulas, and it was a nice little challenge to get them look right.
I ended up drawing them by hand. They smell like my grandma’s cookies now, almost.

Here we are for another development update on SYDER, our sci-fi themed multiplayer shmup.
This week has been pretty intense both on the coding and creative side, with the “netcode” almost comlete and the basics of the game world properly documented.
Right now we are stress-testing the proto-game under heavy lag to see how it performs.

Also, we plan to have some tecno-organic ships. I’ts almost like having dinosaurs in space shooting laser beams.

This week we built the basics of the game GUI. We also completed a first bunch of icons we will be using to identify powerups and upgrades.
In the picture above shields modifiers are defined by circular shapes, hull and energy/shield kits in squares, and weapons modifiers inside rumbles.
Also the Mule is ready for action! Our first “player class” starship is complete and we are starting to use some final assets in game.

Our Blender to Unity pipeline is working fine, for now.

As we get closer to the first playable prototype of Syder, we’ve been refining the game setting and polishing some overcomplicated bits of the game design documentation.

We’ve also been thinking about some sort of pilot progression, in a way that avoids “the grind” as much as possibile, but still provides compelling long term goals to achieve.

Our favourite idea includes skill based achievements and some form of community and faction “karma”, but still requires a lot o thinking.

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