Devlog #3 - Stairs, Elevators & Crafting a Sense of Place

Transitions, Elevator & Sync

In this weekly update, I've added drafts for what will become the main ways to navigate The Building™.

The elevator, specifically, was a pain. At first, I just created the illusion of a moving elevator and a simple scene change between the hallway and the elevator to give a transition effect. But as time went on, I realized I want to put a special emphasis in this game on movement, navigation, and space.

The last update—the infinite staircase update—is part of that. What I really want to achieve here is the feeling of so this is where I am. It’s hard to explain in words, but it’s close to the sense of familiarity you get in a Metroidvania after exploring a bit and knowing your bearings.

It also comes from wanting to impose that What’s over there? feeling you sometimes get in 3D games—the spark of exploration when you see an interesting spatial point. Losing one dimension, I always want to compensate for that somehow in this game. We’ll see if I succeed!