Post #034 - 03/05/2025 - Saturday
• Commented most of my code, making it easier to navigate.
• Added a settings menu to the pause screen. Now you can tweak things mid-game!
• Build 0.00.008 is OUT NOW!: The web build is publicly available on Newgrounds (password: HolyCrapLoisIt'sShadowStrike) and exclusively accessible to playtesters on Steam.
Pause Settings
Post #035 - 10/05/2025 - Saturday
• Implemented visual detection. Can't have stealth gameplay without managing visibility!
• When the visibility bar turns yellow, the game slows down to give you a moment to slip back into the shadows before you're fully spotted.
• Build 0.00.009 is OUT NOW!: The web build is publicly available on Newgrounds (password: HolyCrapLoisIt'sShadowStrike) and exclusively accessible to playtesters on Steam.
Visual Detection Demo 1
Visual Detection Demo 2
Post #036 - 28/05/2025 - Wednesday
Started work on the Anxiety System. Right now it’s based on visual and audio levels, affecting movement speed. In the future, it’ll be more dynamic. For example, being near a group of zombies will increase anxiety.
Anxiety Demo
Post #037 - 29/05/2025 - Thursday
The player now has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), which significantly affects their anxiety levels. One of the core mechanics in the game revolves around managing the player’s orientation, the direction they’re facing.
This is inspired by a real form of OCD where a person experiences intense distress unless they are facing a "correct" or "safe" direction. Even in familiar spaces like their home, they can freeze up or become overwhelmed with anxiety if they aren’t oriented in a certain way. This compulsion often overrides their ability to focus or function normally, something I’m trying to authentically represent in the game.
In gameplay, managing orientation becomes part of the challenge. If the player turns too far in the “wrong” direction, their anxiety rises and their movement speed slows. The mechanic is designed to simulate that creeping sense of internal discomfort, the feeling that something is off, wrong, or unsafe unless you're facing just the right way.
I had no idea how I was going to get this working technically, but after a few hours of experimenting, I’ve got a basic prototype functioning! It’s rough, but it already adds an interesting tension to how you move through the space.
OCD Demo