Hello little deities, here we are again for our monthly update. I'm really happy to see that more and more of you are joining us.
The rework of the citizens' AI that I started last month has finally been completed, and I am really satisfied with the results. If you've read the previous major news before this dev log, you know that the setting of Deity's Domain is shifting from a Roman to a Norse theme. This change within the game is almost complete. However, it will take some time to recreate the materials to apply this change to the Steam page. I hope to complete everything by mid-August.
The transition has been smooth and problem-free for all structures, resources, and the map. However, the rework of the citizens required a bit more effort. Working with character models, skeletons for animations, and so on, always turns into a huge mess, but in the end, we came out victorious. Here are some examples of the issues we encountered ːsteamsaltyː:
Now, let's move on to the substantial matters. I would like to show you the restyling of all the structures implemented in the game so far:
For the creation of each element, I sought references closely related to Norse culture, except for the temple, for which I took the liberty of using a reference closer to a druidic temple than a Nordic structure. Showing the first images of the change, I was often asked if I intended to add snow to the game. Deity's Domain has a food mechanic based on 3-day cycles (this value is provisional and subject to future changes), so I thought snow would be a great visual element to help mark these cycles. Thus, I implemented a weather system to handle this: (Sorry for the low GIF quality, but I had to compress it a lot to fit it here ːsteamsadː)
As you can see from these images, I took the time to implement another aesthetic aspect very useful for adding a bit more mood. Now, each structure has torches that will light up and extinguish based on the time of day.
Additionally, the 3D model of the scale to be used in the warehouse has arrived. In Deity's Domain, you can ration the food to be assigned to the citizens, with rations ranging from six categories (no ration, one-quarter, half, normal, double, and triple). The whole process happens without the use of an interface. Simply clicking on one or the other plate of the scale will adjust the amount of food consumed by each citizen. The mechanic is already present and functional in the game. I will add the aesthetic and animation aspects soon:
Besides this, I have started working on the system for inspecting and interacting with citizens, which is the mechanic that will allow you to read citizens' desires, delve into their characteristics, punish them, bless them, and so on. There's still much to do here and not much to show yet. I have created a definitive roadmap for the Demo and the first part of the gameplay, which ranges from entering the game with the respective tutorials to obtaining the creature. I will release details and publish it when I am sure of the realization times.
In the coming months and until the first playable version, I will focus on implementing this roadmap. A good starting point will be the creation of a solid tutorial system to be used throughout all game phases. Thank you again for following me this far. Your interest means a lot to me, and I can't wait to show you more. Leave a like, and if you have any doubts or questions, don't hesitate to let me know in the comments below.
Keep following the game for more news ːsteamhappyː