Hey everyone! So there's going to be a delay on the demo... By how long, I haven't worked that out yet! When speaking with marketing-savvy people, they made it clear that the demo is going to be critical to RIA's success, so I'm making sure it's polished and impactful. I'm currently in the process of remaking some of the demo areas and creating some new models.
NEW FEATURE – Robot Companion!
(Terrible WIP name)
I've been working on a new feature that ended up changing a lot of how everything works in RIA. What started as a fun idea quickly turned into a redesign of a lot of core mechanics. The companion is a small, cartoonish drone that acts as the player’s assistant. Think: small, cute, cartoonish - almost like a pet.
What will the companion drone do?
- Scan areas to highlight interactable stuff, hint where collectables are, etc.
- Collect out-of-reach resources
- Help out with puzzles (pull levers, activate pressure plates, etc.)
- Pick up/move certain objects – similar to the Zelda BOTW magnetic ability. This has actually opened up so many more puzzle ideas.
- Deploy items such as temporary bridges and ramps
Race Abilities
I don’t want it to mess with racing too much. Right now, the only planned ability is scanning ahead for shortcuts and highlighting them. I'm also playing with the idea of letting it grapple and swing the player car around tight corners, but I’ll see how that goes.
Will it be customizable?
- Most abilities listed above will be unlockable as upgrades to the drone.
- Colour customisation.
- Different ‘body’ types.
- And of course, you’ll also be able to name it!
