🧠 New Systems, New Smarts
We’ve been rebuilding core gameplay with a focus on clarity and depth.
That means not just adding new features but sharpening the ones that are already in place.
⚖️ Character Stat Balancing
We defined and tuned base stats for each playable family member's health, stamina, and damage to reflect their personality & playstyle. This gives each character a clearer role in your strategy.
💥 Stagger & Stun Mechanics
We added two new core combat stats:
Stagger: Briefly interrupts an enemy’s action.
Stun: Freezes them longer, giving you a clean window to react or punish.
These mechanics help differentiate attacks and give players more tactical control mid-fight.
⏸ Freeze Frame (Hit Stop) System
Impact now feels really impactful. Freeze frames, small pauses on hit, give attacks more weight and help players feel the rhythm of combat. We’re fine-tuning duration per character, per move, to maximize satisfaction.
🤖 Behavior Graph AI (Unity 6 Upgrade)
We’ve begun translating our enemy logic into Unity’s Behavior Graph, a visual node-based system that replaces hard-coded behavior trees. It allows us to:
Build smarter, modular enemy decision-making
Debug and adjust behaviors faster
Scale up complexity (without losing our minds)
Combined with our recent upgrade to Unity 6, this sets the stage for richer encounters and smarter enemies.
🧵 Bram & Gory Ann: Combat Kits Finalized
We finalized the designs for the last two playable family members:
Bram (The son): Wields a mechanical yoyo. His style is ranged, bouncy, and just a little chaotic.
Gory Ann (The mother): Dual-wields oversized sewing needles. Think fast, precise, close-range pressure.
Their rigs are updated and ready for animation.
💻 Steam Deck Testing
Yes! It runs! The full build of our current demo now works on the Steam Deck, complete with:
Procedural level generation
Sound design and music
Dialogue system
Polished visuals and effects
Hazards, enemies, and boss battles
This version still has bugs and rough edges, but it’s a big step toward performance flexibility and accessibility.
🧠 New Production Framework
After gathering feedback from PAX West, we paused new feature development to realign as a team. We built a more agile framework to guide upcoming sprints, defining:
Implementation rules for new systems
How we evaluate polish readiness
The production flow for the remaining vertical slices
It took time, but it’s already paying off. We’re moving faster, with more clarity and less chaos.
🎓 Animation Mentorship: Riot Games x Stay Dead
A major highlight this month: a mentorship session with Brendan Russert, Lead Animator at Riot Games.
Brendan reviewed our animation passes and gave targeted feedback on:
Expressiveness
Weight and timing
Combat clarity
We left that call with actionable insights and a boost of creative energy. Huge thanks to Brendan for the guidance!
💬 Wrapping It Up
Stay Dead is leveling up in both content and quality!
This isn’t just about flashy moves and undead chaos anymore (though we still love those). It’s about building an action combat game that feels tight, satisfying, and full of strange soul.
More characters. More smarts. More teeth.
Until next time, join the revolution and wishlist Stay Dead!