Update #6

Hello adventurers and welcome to my newest devlog for Torches & Treasures. Since the last update, I’ve made major progress on several foundational systems that push the gameplay experience forward in a big way. The new Objective System is complete, and it lays the groundwork for rewarding exploration and progress tracking. I also finalized the Currency System, which paves the way for an item-based economy. I built out the new Dungeon Codex which is a centralized menu that ties everything together in one place for the player. I spent some time creating new rooms for the first map. Lastly, I completed the first big puzzle that requires simple problem solving but should offer challenge to players due to other variables at play. This was all a total blast for me! Coming up with ideas and going from concept to production is a very rewarding thing in game development.

Let's dive in!

Objective/Achievement Progress

Player objectives and achievements will form a vital part of the core gameplay loop, guiding adventurers deeper into the perilous dungeons and compelling exploration. Each dungeon, or distinct region within a dungeon, will present adventurers with a base set of objectives, providing clear direction amidst shadowy corridors and hidden chambers.

Along their treacherous journey, players may encounter wandering NPCs eager to impart additional objectives. Consider these side ventures akin to one-way quests. Such objectives can naturally lead to further tasks, encouraging continuous progression deeper into the dungeon's mysteries rather than constant backtracking to previous areas.

The core design philosophy behind objectives is to maintain a steady, forward-moving pace. Traditional quests often demand significant backtracking and multiple interactions with NPCs to resolve; our objective system intends to minimize interruptions, keeping adventurers moving steadily forward through eerie hallways, trap-laden passages, and formidable boss encounters.

Completing a full set of objectives in an area or dungeon will unlock rewarding treasures or enhancements, though exact details remain to be finalized as itemization and gear progression systems are still in development. When an objective is fulfilled, players are immediately notified via  screen notification, and the achievement is recorded with a completion mark in the Objectives menu found within the  Dungeon Codex (more details coming soon).

The objectives themselves will also vary depending on the selected game mode—such as extraction scenarios where swift, decisive actions may be essential, or classic adventuring mode, emphasizing exploration and thorough dungeon delving.

There are many objective and achievement type possibilities. Let's go over some. 

Combat 

• Kill Counts: Defeat a set number of enemies or a specific enemy type.

• Boss Defeats: Defeat dungeon bosses or mini-bosses.

• Timed Battles: Eliminate all enemies in a room within a certain time limit.

Exploration 

• Secret Areas: Discover hidden rooms, pathways, or zones.

• Full Map Reveal: Fully uncover the dungeon map.

• Landmarks: Reach unique landmarks or vantage points within dungeons or outdoor maps.

Puzzle 

• Puzzle Completion: Successfully solve various puzzles.

• Sequence Challenges: Complete puzzles within limited attempts or timeframes.

• Hidden Clues: Discover hidden clues that help solve larger puzzle sequences.

Collection 

• Currency Collector: Gather a certain amount of gold or diamonds.

• Artifact Hunting: Locate rare artifacts scattered across maps.

• Monster Drops: Collect specific items dropped by defeated enemies.(Rare drops)

Skill-Based 

• Stealth Challenges: Navigate areas undetected or disable traps silently.

• Speed Runs: Finish a dungeon or puzzle quickly.

• No Damage Runs: Complete sections without taking damage.

Social

• Team Objectives: Complete cooperative puzzles or dungeons with friends.

• Revival Counts: Successfully revive fallen teammates a certain number of times.

• Competitive Leaderboards: Rank players based on objectives achieved (fastest clear times, most enemies defeated, etc.).

Currency and Crafting in the Dungeon

Gold and Diamonds are now implemented as the game’s two core currencies. They behave like regular inventory items, but they’re tracked separately through a new UI system in the top-left corner of the screen. The currency values are updated dynamically when players pick up coins, loot chests, or earn rewards, aaaaand the system is fully networked so that each player’s stash is tracked individually

So what exactly will players spend their hard-earned gold and shiny diamonds on? Items, obviously—but let's dive deeper. Most usable items—potions, special tools, rare consumables—will be acquired through NPC merchants or hidden specialty shops tucked away within each dungeon. Think of mysterious vendors nestled in shadowy alcoves, eager to exchange their rare wares for the spoils of your adventures.

I'm also planning to include crafting, but not the typical armor or weapons. Instead, crafting will focus heavily on consumables and unique utility items. Players might create single-use healing potions, stamina-restoring concoctions, or special gear to help navigate dungeon hazards, such as rope ladders, torches, lockpicks, or perhaps magical scrolls with unique effects.

This approach ensures currency remains meaningful and encourages players to carefully consider their resources, balancing purchases with crafted preparations, adding strategic depth to each dungeon expedition.

Boiler Room & Gear Puzzle

The Boiler Room acts as a gateway separating players from the dark depths of the dungeon's Sewers. To gain entry into the murky tunnels below, adventurers must first overcome a challenging timed puzzle within this hazardous chamber. The path leading down to the Boiler Room itself is fraught with  pipes and scalding steam traps designed to test players' dexterity and patience.

Once players reach the Boiler Room, they immediately enter a danger zone filled with damaging steam, continuously eroding their health. Amid this pressure, they must quickly decipher and solve a complex gear-switch puzzle. On the wall before them, four colored gears spin relentlessly, each corresponding to a similarly colored switch located throughout the room. Players must disable these gears in a precise, randomly determined sequence. Selecting the wrong gear triggers a harsh penalty, resetting the puzzle entirely and inflicting immediate damage upon the unfortunate adventurer. The clues for this pattern can be deciphered by the color of the heat emitting from the floor grates above the furnace. 

Creating this puzzle presented several challenges, particularly in managing the synchronization of multiple timed sequences and ensuring smooth multiplayer functionality. Handling multiple coroutines proved tricky initially, as overlapping timers and animations needed precise coordination to prevent unexpected behavior and puzzle resets.

Dungeon Codex – One Menu to Rule Them All

To unify everything and give the player an organized way to view their progress, I created the Dungeon Codex. This new UI menu replaces the standalone achievement window and now houses Objectives, Achievements, Character Stats, Map, and Controls all in one clean interface. The player can still press O to bring it up at any time.

Even though not all of the systems (like the map) are fully implemented yet, having a centralized location for all player data is a huge improvement in terms of usability. It’s modular, too — so adding new tabs or sections in the future will be quick and easy.

New Dungeon Rooms - Central Plaza, Boiler Room & Sewers

The Boiler Room is now fully complete, and significant progress has been made on the Central Plaza, which currently stands around 50% finished. The Central Plaza serves as the primary hub for the dungeon, linking together several major wings. Designed as a relatively safe zone, players can expect to find helpful NPCs and potentially a few shops to stock up on essential supplies.

Below the dungeon lies the Sewers, planned as an expansive network of winding tunnels and chambers. This area will connect adventurers to an even more challenging region—the Deep Catacombs. Exploring the Sewers promises hidden dangers and rewards, setting the stage for the deeper mysteries that await below.

Other Implementations

Audio Zones
The AudioManager got a big upgrade! I implemented a flexible audio system that gives precise control over the ambient music throughout different dungeon areas. Now, specific rooms or zones can seamlessly transition between music tracks, gently fading out one audio track while fading in the next. Additionally, I added customizable audio zones—special areas where entering triggers a smooth crossfade from the main dungeon track to a zone-specific theme. This works similarly to the location discovery system, enhancing immersion and atmosphere significantly as players explore deeper into the dungeon.

It's been 30 days since I began this project so let's have a recap of what is working so far. 

Fully Networked Multiplayer 

• Host/Client connections

• Character spawning & unique prefab identification

• Synced animations & player positions

Player Systems

• Player Health & Death system 

• Respawn logic with animations and Game Over screen

• Stamina and regeneration mechanics

• Player traits (Disarm Trap trait for Rogue)

• Custom Player movement controller

Character Class

• Rogue class (unique trait and mechanics)

Inventory & Item Management

• Networked player inventories

• Item containers (loot chests, pickups)

• Currency system (Gold and Diamonds)

• Health Potions

• UI-integrated currency tracking

• Action Bars (Hot Bars) with drag-and-drop functionality

Objective/Achievement System

• Location discovery objectives

• Item collection objectives

• Objective completion UI notifications

• Dungeon Codex consolidating Objectives, Achievements, Character sheet, and Controls

Puzzle & Trap Mechanics

• Pressure plates triggering doors & events

• Floor and wall Saw Blade traps

• Boiler Room timed gear-switch puzzle with random color hints

• Gear puzzle includes sequence-based challenges, failure penalties, and spatial audio feedback

• Puzzle integrates randomized elements to enhance replayability

Audio & Ambience

• Dynamic audio zones with seamless music transitions

• Custom audio manager handling ambient tracks, zone-specific tracks, and sound effects

• Custom-made ambient music and SFX produced in FL Studio

Environmental Interaction

• Doors & hatches triggered by player interaction

• Key system 

• Camera clipping system to prevent camera from clipping through walls/buildings

• Item pickups & Spawnables
• Healing Sanctuary

UI & User Experience

• Dungeon Codex integrated UI (Objectives, Achievements, Map placeholder, Character, Controls)

• UI popups for objective completion and player feedback

• UI fading transitions and notifications

• Action Bars

Main Menu & Character Select screen

• Players choose their class/character
• Host or connect to a hosted session
• Quit application

Closing

I've laid down a solid foundation of core fundamentals, and over the next week, I'll focus on polishing and refining these mechanics while continuing to build out the first adventure-style dungeon map. Currently, the game feels remarkably stable, with no significant bugs detected, and performance is mostly optimized, though some tweaks and adjustments are certainly possible.

The next devlog might be relatively brief since the majority of my time will be dedicated to this polishing phase. However, I'm beginning to turn my thoughts toward implementing combat mechanics. There's still a lot to figure out regarding combat design, so for now, this aspect remains conceptual.

Looking forward, I'm aiming for a demo release on May 5th. At this point, I'm still undecided on whether the demo will feature single-player or multiplayer gameplay, or whether combat will be included. I'll provide more details on these aspects soon.

As always, keep your torches lit, and safe journeys my friends. 

Until next time.