Hello everyone!
For the first time ever, this devlog is also available in the form of a YouTube video! Let us know if you like it!
If you take a closer look at our games it’s quite easy to see that we like creating detailed environments for our games. Whether it is the apocalyptic wasteland in D.I.P.R.I.P., the apocalyptic wasteland in Zombie Driver or the apocalypse in the making in X-Morph: Defense (I’m noticing a pattern here…), the game world is packed with small elements that add to the immersion. They can be anything - posters, billboards, scattered trash, fallen street lights or cars left in the middle of an intersection. Their purpose is to make the world seem to have been alive at some point.
In The Riftbreaker the setting is completely different. The planet we arrive on has not been destroyed by a global cataclysm and the ecosystems of various biomes are thriving. Making this world come to life is something new for us, but we’re always up for a challenge! There are several techniques we have come up with to make Galatea 37 a very lively place, and most of them warrant an article of their own. Let’s start today with a post about an unassuming, little creature that ties many aspects of the game world together. Meet the Quelver.
Quelvers are crustaceans. They are small creatures by Galatean standards, growing up to 50 centimeters in length. Their ovoid body is protected with an exoskeleton. Quelvers are scavengers. The creatures’ entire lives are centered around the search for organic remains they get their nutrients from. Despite the small size, these little bugs are quite fast thanks to hundreds of pairs of legs hidden beneath the body. If threatened, the Quelver will try to run from the danger as quickly as possible. The exoskeletal armor is enough to deter smaller predators, but larger ones will break it with no issue. Quelver has no additional defensive mechanisms, so when that happens it is game over for the little roach.
Quelvers don’t attack, don’t drop loot (or do they?), and the most significant thing they are going to achieve in their lives is to get stomped on by Mr. Riggs. However, they are one of the first things you see upon landing on the surface of Galatea 37 and immediately tell you - there is life here. Even such a little creature can make a lot of difference when it comes to the dynamics of the world. The Quelvers also react to what’s happening around them. If you try to catch them, they will scatter. If there are corpses lying on the ground - they will group around them and start eating them, which is certainly more interesting than just dissolving the bodies after a set amount of time.
Ambient creatures like the Quelver are the bridge between the animate and inanimate worlds of The Riftbreaker. They are important pieces in turning the simple mix of props and creature models into a coherent structure. We can promise you that there are going to be many more neutral creatures like these. Moreover, we’re getting more enemies soon! Be on the lookout for that. For now, remember to join the streams every Tuesday and Thursday at 3 PM CEST and join our Discord. If you have questions about The Riftbreaker, that’s where you can get your answers.
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