SSH #29 — Trash Planet, Population: You

It's SATURDAY!

I'm writing this on Friday because on Saturday I will be on a TRAIN. And people who use laptops on trains are scary and I'm not important enough to do that.

I'm not being petty! I'm being prompt and responsible with my writing commitments! Don't make me call my lawyer!

Ready or not, it's time for your weekly news on MEANWHILE IN SECTOR 80!

Last week we were beset, as we so often are, by aphorisms and horses.

We continue to be beset by both, but maybe slightly less so. We'll just have to hope Lucien feels like being kind to us.

This week, we're still innovating, moving and possibly even grooving in the world of junk!

Cutting Edge Junk Piles— Laura, Eryn

Eagle eyed readers might remember a post from earlier in June where we showcased early experiments in trash mountain generation.

Laura and Eryn are continually hacking away at the coalface of junk pile generation, with added focus on collisions and how it looks with our new atmosphere and lighting tools.

It's got sliders and everything. I'm scared to touch anything in case I fill my own world with junk. I've heard reports that our junk generation could be even more complex next week. Who knows what the world will look like in a month?

Not me. I'll be buried in a pile of generated junk.

Sector 80 Wipeout Castle— Rasmus

We are going through the motions. Things are moving! Round and around we go. Erm... I'm working on motorized hinges for environmental puzzles and hazards.

Friday Wrap-up— Harry

Hello, audacious contenders of the Second Half Games Newsletter!

Playtest Friday! Not much in the way of new levels this week, as I'm on writing duty again. It means my brain hurts, but in a good way. What's a good rhyme for 'tarsier?' Actually, does anyone even know what a tarsier is?

We've also found out that emojis in Slack are localised. The rest of the team is making fun of me for the emoji :bin_your_rubbish: (🚮) instead of :put_litter_in_its_place: (🚮). We are all puzzled by :articulated_lorry: (🚛) though. The Lorry Is Eternal and International.

You've already seen Rasmus's new play palace. Keep your eyes peeled for even more zany antics in our maps going forward. Lucien's done a lot of tweaking with the camera and the character controller, so a more interesting mix of movement and combat in progression is possible.

Work continues on the junkyard! Here's one of Lucien's playtest screenshots today, showing an area right at the start of the game. Still a bit to tweak, but we're getting somewhere!

Chicken strips and chips (or fries) for dinner.

Be good!

Looking Ahead

Lucien's Rocket League arc isn't over yet. He's upset that nobody has challenged to a duel though. As a reminder:

'If you can beat me in a duel, you can win an early demo of the game. Just join our Discord server and send the message "@lpg It's time to duel!" '

I came to work today and before my daily meeting with him, I heard him yell this to someone on the phone:

'I get it, the prospect of dueling a PLATINUM 3 DUELIST is too much for people to deal with. They understood that they had absolutely no shot, and that I am guarding the game like a dragon with its treasure hoard!'

I'm away to London all of next week, but the plan for the rest of the team is just to keep hammering away at the sticky bits we encountered in playtesting! Maybe some interesting schedule shakeups too, we'll see!