Closer and Closer
14 December, 2023
Happy Thursday, folks! This is Squid, your humble Community Manager, with yet another edition of the Weekly Cheese. Things have been very busy here at 3rd Shift (and beyond), so I’m excited to bring you a healthy dose of afflicted news that’s sure to clear up the ol’ sinuses. Results may vary.
Staying the Course
As it was last week, it is again that head honcho Ryan has been leading the charge in getting things done. Could his mania be getting the best of him? Perhaps. Are we experiencing the afflicted equivalent of a renaissance? Yes. Therefore, we say unto him, “press the advance”. Let’s take a closer look at what Ryan’s been up to this past week, in his own words:
Created an economy system using Unity's Game Services.
Implemented an example that adds 1-5 Zombrie DNA to player account. This persists across all devices, as it’s tied to the player’s Unity ID. This means that it'll work no matter what platform they are on.
Created a simple state machine that handles transitions from explicitly defined states to another defined state based on a boolean condition (all defined at runtime). We can use this for Game Flow logic, NPCs, etc.
Got bored and was tired of testing the State Machine manually so I decided to fuck around and see how it would behave in the case of using it on a Zombie AI. Not too shabby.
Did some more work on the Desert maps lighting.
Completely redid the KinematicHitscanWeapon using a proper data buffer design (see the spear gun video on the IG).
Added new cloud script that handles defined Zombrie DNA amount. This way the server will take the players UnityID + their collected DNA amount => fire it off to Game Services.
Added Unity's Lobby system, which will be fully implemented following the integration of the new main menu.
Added Vivox voice chat for Windows (compatible with Unity's lobby system).
Requested Vivox voice developer packages for Core Playstation 4 SDK, Core Playstation 5 SDK, Core Xbox One GDK SDK, Core Xbox Series X|S GDK SDK, and Core Nintendo Switch SDK.
Shitload of clean up on the project.
Added Zombrie DNA pickup prefab and script.
Created Inventory System and Item Database.
Started on the user interface for the Inventory System.
I mean, you’re seeing this, right? The dude is just ripping through the requirements to have the demo shippable at a speed that’s just incredulous. With all of these additions over the past week, it should be no surprise that we’re well on our way to having the demo complete and ready for you all to get your cheesy little hands on.
Ryan is also prepping to share a juicy morsel on socials that details exactly what the community should expect from the demo, so keep your eyes peeled. Bryan has been an integral part of this as well as he continues working to flesh out the specifics of how gameplay and story intersect. This is to ensure the gameplay makes sense for the players while they’re having fun.
Something for the Gracious
I’ll be the first to admit that it’s been a long while since we were able to have the community involved in any sort of playtesting or communal event with us here at 3rd Shift Studios (except for my periodic appearance in stream for one of our prospective streamers). With the demo forthcoming, that should hopefully change, but I’m also looking for more ways to reward those gracious enough to donate their hard-earned dollars to keep us rolling on this project. I’m not fully ready to reveal exactly what I’m working on for that special group of you all, but I think you’ll be pretty pleased with it if we can pull it off.
Aside from brainstorming that particular tidbit, I’ve been keeping in touch with the community as best as I can while still working on updating the prefabs on the Swamp map (the new lighting for which is incredible thanks to Ryan). With how fast Ryan’s been working on things, the maps will need to get shaped up here soon to be ready for our testing. Insiders should prepare themselves to be included in that as well, once we’re ready to get underway.
In Closing
This was a bit of a longer entry into the Weekly Cheese, but I think it’s an important one. Things are moving quick around here, and these weekly checkpoints are a great way to encapsulate all the goings-on at 3rd Shift Studios for you all. It’s my goal that you’re always aware of what’s happening around here, and so you know that we’re actively working on getting this game to you!
Thanks for being here,
Squid