The current technical foundation of Tainted by the Stars: The Dead Among Us is in place.

The game can run, the core systems are connected, and the basic structure works. After testing the current direction, I decided that the next build should focus less on adding more content and more on proving the actual survival loop.

So the next version is becoming a more focused prototype.

The new direction is a short, intense run through an underground tunnel system. Somewhere ahead is a crashed meteorite. Your goal is to reach it, but the path there should feel tense, dangerous, and readable.

The pitch is simple:

You are not powerful.
You are not safe.
But you are not helpless.

The prototype focuses on four core elements:

Light

The flashlight helps you understand the space around you.
But using it should also come with risk.

Sound

Sound should become useful information, not just background atmosphere.
You should be able to hear danger, movement, pressure, and sometimes misleading signals.

Panic

Panic is being tested as a survival tool with consequences.
It can help in the moment, but it should not be something you use without thinking.

Consequence

The closer you get to the meteorite, the more your earlier decisions should matter.

That is the main goal of the next prototype: a run that feels short, tense, and fair. Not random. Not confusing. But dangerous enough that every decision matters.

This also means the next build will take longer than a normal update. It is not just another layer on top of the old prototype. It is a focused test of the idea that should define the game.

If the loop works, dying should not feel cheap.
It should make you think:

“I should have heard that.”
“I should have turned the light off.”
“I should not have used panic there.”

That is the version I am working on now.

I will share more when the prototype is ready to show properly.

Thanks for following the project.