Lights, Camera, Action?
So, with these dev blogs, I’m aiming to keep things short and to the point. Since I’m doing them weekly, they’ll help me stay focused and make sure I’m walking through each part of the development process properly—without rushing past important steps.
This week was all about setting up the project and laying down the foundation of the game I want to build. I spent time refining the core concept and making sure the overall idea was solid. And honestly, I’m pretty excited about where it’s heading.
I won’t give too much away just yet (I still plan to launch it officially on the Steam store), but the basic idea is a horror-style game. You’ll explore a strange world, solving puzzles and uncovering clues to progress. It’s not going to be a massive, open-world epic like Skyrim or The Last of Us. I’m aiming for something more focused—think Silent Hill or Outlast Trials—but with an open-world feel that lets players explore and make choices without being railroaded through a strict narrative path. There will be a main storyline, sure, but I want players to feel like they have agency and freedom in how they experience the world.
I know the open-world idea might sound ambitious, but I’m keeping it realistic. I’ll be starting small, possibly releasing early versions or a demo and updating the game over time based on player feedback.
The inspiration for all this actually came while I was playing State of Decay 2. That was the first time I seriously thought, “I want to make a game.” I loved the way that game handles mechanics and player freedom. From there, I started looking at other games—Resident Evil, Dead by Daylight, Rust, and even Rust in particular stood out for me. I love how it lets you shape your own experience within a framework of solid mechanics. You can build, survive, raid, form factions… all while the game world sets the stage. That kind of freedom, mixed with a strong core gameplay loop, is something I want to recreate.
So this week’s focus was mostly technical—setting up player movement, animation blending, sprinting, and stamina systems. Sprinting now drains stamina, and you need to wait for it to recharge before running again. I also added camera shake and head bobbing to make movement feel more immersive. One of my favorite touches was adding footstep sounds that change pace depending on whether you’re walking or running. It’s a small thing, but it really adds atmosphere.
To be honest, I didn’t record any footage of this week’s dev work. I just got into the zone and forgot to hit record. You know how it goes—when you’re deep in the flow, stopping to capture everything feels like a disruption. That said, starting next week, I’ll be recording every session. You’ll be able to follow along, see the progress, and hear me talk through what I’m doing. These videos won’t be full tutorials—just dev logs—but I think they’ll be interesting to watch if you’re into game development or just curious about the process.
I’ve had this game idea floating around in my head for a long time. I’ve talked it through with friends, brainstormed different mechanics, themes, even some artwork… but until now, I hadn’t officially started. This dev blog is helping me stay accountable. Now that people know I’m building something, there’s a sense of commitment—it’s no longer just an idea, it’s a project I need to finish. And that’s motivating.
Next week, I’ll be refining what I’ve done so far—tweaking footstep timing, tightening the feel of movement, and starting work on new features like flashlight toggling and equipment handling. I’m still planning the exact order of things, but the core movement and interaction systems will continue to evolve.
Thanks for checking out the dev blog. I’m pumped to keep building, sharing, and eventually releasing something that players can explore and enjoy. Catch you next week!