Post #046 - 04/08/2025 - Monday
Trying to get back into the rhythm, been caught up with other stuff outside of game dev lately. I set up a LinkedIn newsletter that compiles these devlog posts into a monthly post. Also bought a Steam Deck with my tax return, so I’ve been testing the game on that too, it runs great!
Code Cleanup and Structure Pass: Refactored core scripts for better clarity and reusability. Player code, helpers, and camera logic have all been reorganised into neater groups.
Dual Cutscene System Begun: Working off the medication cutscene system, I’ve made it more flexible. One mode supports rotoscoped animation (like the medication sequences), while the other is designed for traditional, frame-by-frame story scenes (which you can flick through at your own pace).
Cutscene System
Post #047 - 06/08/2025 - Wednesday
This month I’m aiming to start and finish most of the game’s first level.
The game kicks off in an apartment complex, you smash and jump out a window, triggering a cutscene before moving to the next area.
Today I tested transitions between areas and different levels altogether. I also added a check, to wait for all players to be present before the cutscene triggers, and started laying out the level’s basic structure.
Also, Contract Rush DX came out and I started playing it today, game freaking rocks! Made by some other Newgrounds peeps with tons of love, definitely check it out!
Level Transitions
Post #048 - 10/08/2025 - Sunday
Made the test stills for the window jump scene. Main focus today was tweaking the cutscene system so it can load any cutscene, instead of being hardcoded to the old “test 1, 2, 3, 4” setup I had before.
Now I can plug in any animation, and if it’s a placeholder, it’ll display that on screen during playback. For levels without proper cutscenes yet, I can still rely on the old “test 1, 2, test 3, test 4” system to fill in until they’re ready. Much cleaner and way easier to expand later.
Still playing the Steam Deck a bunch, and I’m going to enjoy the rest of my Sunday with that. Planning to take a couple days off work soon to really smash out some Shadow Strike development.
Test Stills
Post #049 - 16/08/2025 - Saturday
Added pot plants you can pick up / put down, throw, and smash. As well as a window you can smash.
Building this up will make it easier later when adding more interactable objects to the world.
Picking up pot plant and smashing window
Post #050 - 23/08/2025 - Saturday
Started a mega code cleanup today.
I wrote a small program in Python to scan my GameMaker project directory, then compile all the code into two files:
• GML: The code I actually write.
• YY: The auto-generated stuff GameMaker creates.
Now reviewing and navigating my code is way easier. It’s something I’ve wanted to make for ages, and finally had the time and patience to do.
GML/YY Dumper Program
Post #051 - 29/08/2025 - Friday
Finished the mega code cleanup today.
Made some carpet and wall sprites, then used a script I found at GML Scripts to tile them in-game.
No more manually placing a bunch of sprites, makes editing levels way faster.
Apartment w/ new assets
How the compiled file looks
How the sprite looks in the editor vs in game