Starting with the skateboard

Simplifying the approach

This week was very busy. Even though I was not able to get that much done because of some personal stuff, I still got quite far.

I tried a different approach this time. Instead of immediately trying to solve the whole building at once, I started with the absolute basics first.
By that I mean the skateboard version: the simplest form that already carries the core idea. From there, I can iterate on it step by step until it (hopefully someday) evolves into a fully fledged car.

This meant writing down the core sequence of what should happen when traversing through the level, then drawing these paths and only then start doing stuff in 3d.

Rough route first

Right now, the sequence is basically this:

• The player wakes up and is directed toward the cellar.
• Leaving the apartment should immediately frame the larger destination across the atrium.
• The route toward it should move through corridors and multiple levels to build verticality.
• At some point, the original way collapses, so the player has to find another way through.
• Eventually, the player reaches the stairway and makes their way down toward the elevator.

That part was actually really helpful. It stopped me from only thinking in rooms and shapes and made me think more in terms of progression, visibility, and how one space should lead into the next one.

Right now, I am relatively happy with the main path the player takes up to the elevator. The stairway, however, is still not finished yet. I want it to look enormous, and I was not completely sure yet how to do that in a way that feels readable and not just messy.

The "drawing" I created is really horrible, i apologize for that.
Since this was the first time I've ever tried something like this, I mean it was bound to get ugly :D

I was also unsure how to plan / display multiple floors. I just sketched over it with a different opacity, but I believe that was the wrong call. Maybe creating different sketches for the unique floors would’ve been better. Kind of like a collage: copying the base layout, but only showing what is actually on that specific floor.

Scripting and testing signals

I also got back into some scripting and tested Godot signals a bit more.

I tried opening and closing doors based on proximity, and I also did the lift down to the main floor. I am already pretty happy with that, mostly because the movement feels decent now. It starts slow, gets faster up to a certain speed, and then slows down again based on v² / (2a).
So the lift does not just move, it actually feels like it has some weight to it now.

Coming down, you get a nice overview of the run-down shops and destroyed furniture on the main floor. Just because I found it funny, I thought I would make that a slightly more “special” layout to cross. Maybe you will notice it.

Current state of the blockout

That is the current state right now.

It is still very much the beginning, but it already feels good to have made enough progress that it finally feels like there is actually something there. Not just disconnected ideas anymore, but at least the beginning of a proper route through the space.

I also recorded a rough walkthrough of the current level state. It is around three minutes long and mostly there to show the flow, scale, and general direction of the blockout rather than just the visuals.