Since the last update, much of the focus has been on adding more character to the game to give it a more unique experience. More detail has been added to assets that seemed bland & more assets were added to maps and interiors to give them extra personality. The mechanical update involved working on the coding side to make the gameplay smoother and easier to interact with.

March 2024 Update 1.0


Much has been accomplished recently, the goal was to improve every aspect of the game including:

• New burglary case
  
  
• Free Roam Exploration Checklist (F8)
  
  
• Case Hints & Next Steps (on screen UI implementation)
  
  
• Interactive computer system (In game interactive PCs)
  
  
• More NPC dialogue options
  
  
• Increased frame rate performance (per map optimizations)
  
  
• More assets (map details)

1. New Burglary Case:

A burglary case, which is now my favorite case, features new ideas that were envisioned during the early days of development.

Interactive Case Folder - At the start of the mission, you are given a case folder which you can (RMB) right mouse button click to open and view gathered case contents including: notes, evidence, statements, forensics reports, suspect rap sheets, video surveillance recordings, & more. Most folder items are interactive when clicking on them to view their contents.

The crime scene requires that you search for evidence which then must be turned over to forensics for evaluation. Stolen items must be tracked down and recovered.

This case requires you to choose a suspect from the Police criminal database featured on numerous computers in-game.



2. Free Roam Exploration Checklist:

A checklist appears on screen when you toggle (F8) showcasing 30 interactive objectives that were created. Some of them are worth XP points and some are not. These objectives range from very easy to challenging including: learning to cook & eat, buy a shotgun, find motel room stash, & break into a cop car. Some objectives help you learn how to heal or find necessities & some lead to other objectives which are essentially side quests.

3. Case Hints & Next Steps (on screen)

On screen (UI) case hints and next steps were added to make it easier to understand the current objective(s). I made them as vague as possible like “Search for evidence” or “Track down stolen items” so as not to give everything away. NPC dialogue is the main source of information on what to do next but is currently not reviewable.

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4. Interactive computer system (in game PC interactions):

Most in-game computers feature operating systems with file folders for suspect database & bypassing cases while other computers contain file folders to start undercover cases.



5. More NPC dialogue options:

NPCs include new dialogue that is triggered when your inventory contains specific items or when certain objectives are completed like cases. If you get stuck during a case, sometimes interacting with NPCs will be helpful.



6. Increased frame rate performance (per map optimizations):

Before each update, every map is evaluated for optimization improvements like trimming unneeded or unseen assets that aren’t visible when in game. Removing assets is key to improving performance, while adding assets decreases performance more than any other aspect of game development.


7. New assets:

New assets have been created and added to some maps. The goal is to increase map detail while creating a unique game play experience while also not decreasing game performance.