This was a relatively quiet week, but I still managed to implement an important feature: a new dialogue system.
Previously, conversations worked more like Ultima II, you would talk to an NPC and receive one or two preset lines of text. Now, the system is closer to Ultima IV.
What changed this week
- Tweaked and finalized the integration of time gates, allowing proper travel back and forth between eras
- Performed a major refactor of how entities, items, and other game elements are defined in the codebase
- Rebuilt the dialogue system
The new dialogue system now transitions to a dedicated conversation screen. The player can type keywords, and the NPC responds accordingly. Conversations can also trigger events, for example, an NPC might reveal the location of a time gate.
There’s still work to be done, but it’s already quite functional.
Video Progress
Toward the demo
It’s finally time to start working on the demo.
At this point, I feel like the engine has enough core mechanics to support an experience lasting about an hour. Now the challenge is designing the content itself, especially deciding how to gate certain areas or features in a way that feels natural.
I’m not sure how long it will take, but I’m feeling confident about the direction things are heading.