This week has been very strong for Echo Terminal overall.

I’ve been working a lot on the environment art, and I think I’m finally getting the PS1 style look that I wanted. It’s funny how tricky it can be to get the look of an old console.

There are a few reasons I wanted to do it this way.  The first is just that I think its cool, I love how atmospheric it can be to use this style, it leaves room for your imagination in a way that super HD graphics don’t. It is also very practical, these models are so much faster to make and edit than high end 3D, which isn’t achievable for me on the time scales I want to work on.

 

 I also rewrote most of the code for how you interact with the terminal. This doesn’t come across in the screens, but I’ve had a surprising amount of trouble making the console feel good to use, while balance the right amount of information that you give to the player to get the atmosphere that I want. I have a few other theories that I want to try here too to make it feel more alive, so there is a good chance I will end up doing this work again.

 

 

 Finally, I’ve been working on some more story elements. I have so many ideas, but they way that I’m putting the game together means that firstly it has to be complete and functional. After that I can start adding some cool stuff like this screen on the left.

I don’t want to give away too much here, partly because I’m not sure how it will end up, but also cause its half the fun of playing! I’d love to hear your theories though.

 

 

Next week I will be mainly finishing the levels that I don’t have designed yet and locking down the story. I also have to work on character models and getting a trailer done. I’m probably not going to get all of that done, but I’ll do my best and be back next week with more info!

 

If you really want to see more of the process (which you might do if you read this!) I have a closed Discord channel where I chat about the game and share new stuff almost every day. If you want to join then just ask me and I’ll send you an invite, and you can grab me over on twitter @JamoGames