As we enter the early production phase of this project some of the core features and mechanics are starting to feel really solid. This post might be a shorter one but the assets and functionality completed are definitely some of the most important at this point in development. The first thing I'll discuss is the "elevator" asset and system that allows us to finally complete our intended gameloop. With this in place, the player can is able to enter the Abyss and after completing the floor, continue further down into progressively challenging areas, as well as use this to return to the Sothoth Inn. This is the basic layout of what the specific room that houses the elevator looks like and it will be the very spot in which the player spawns upon entering the Abyss or continuing further down. There will be character perched atop this contraption that the player speaks to and is reponsible for doing the actual transportation of the elevator device up and down. This character will tie into some of the narrative and lore with how they're related to our specific theme.

The player can approach the elevator and get the usual "E" to interact prompt, like with other objects that exist. At the time of this writing, they're shown a simple, unstylized prompt and can select whether to return to the surface and the inn, ending their run, or continue on deeper down into the Abyss. At the moment, selecting this option simply reloads the Abyss scene and generates a completely new level, chests, and enemies. For the purpose of our First Playable demo and presentation we required the player to have to eliminate a certain amount of enemies within the level before they could progrss futher to harder floors. This of course will be stylized with some nice UI elements similar to our in-game HUD in the near future.

Another large element of this game was the singular non-combative area of the Sothoth Inn, where the player would enter runs into the Abyss from, shop for new items, read up on passages backstory, and review aspects of their progress through the game. This is meant to be the hub for game/lore information and the "safe" area common to the rogue-lite/like genre. We spent some time stylizing this area, filling it with assets, and programming some basic functionality into what are to be some core systems and menus. Right now, there's not a ton the player can do in this space, but it has the needed assets and triggers to be ready for coding. The giant placeholder pill is intended to represent our shopkeep/inn owner character to come and this would be where the player can purchase new items/equipment. The bed is the entryway into the Abyss, thematically explained by Grace going to sleep and entering this space in between realities. The door in the corner by the player is going to be a diagetic exit of the game space and the return to the main menu. Lastly, the journal on the table will be what the player interacts with to view their progress in terms of what items, enemies and snippets of lore they've discovered so far.

Going forward with our first playable prototype, there will be certain assets or features that get heavily altered or cut altogether for the sake of a deadline, but these two aspects are decently concrete and should only become more fluid and polished as development progresses. Look forward to some big changes very soon!