Gennady News

This is not exactly a devlogs. It's more like a small look at how it all started and what we've come to.

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Gennady has been in development for more than three years now. During these years our small team has grown, we completely moved the game from one engine to another, and changed the focus from the mobile segment to PC.



It's also been a year since we started the Gennady page on Steam. During this time we almost passed the 1000 wishlist mark, and managed to screw up Steam Next Fest 2023 by going too early.

Pretty soon, the demo version of the game will be released, and behind it, early access. It's time to take a look at the fresh gameplay trailer!

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We continue to describe the dark and alien world of Gennady. We will tell you about how the work on artifacts goes and why they are needed at all.



[h2]Roguelike or Rogue-lite?[/h2]

No, we are not going to argue what the true difference between these two concepts is. It is important to understand only that we are trying to create a certain mixture between a platformer and a roguelike. Artifacts help us in this.

How do similar mechanics work in other games? "Artifacts" enhance weapon stats, character characteristics, completely change certain game mechanics or give you new ones. Our artifacts do the same thing. The only difference is that we're trying to emphasize not just beating up a bunch of enemies, but platforming as well.



We developed dozens of artifact concepts and divided them into three categories of rarity, depending on their impact on gameplay. Artifacts that are tied to existing mechanics and change only numerical values were not difficult to add, such as increasing the duration of a temporary shield. Another thing is when an artifact adds completely new game mechanics like instant revival after death.

So far, all artifacts can be purchased for larvae from the junk dealer Sho. But we're leaning more and more towards the idea that some artifacts will only be obtainable from unique in-game events, like completing challenge rooms.

Entrance to challenge room

[h2]Improvements[/h2]

In addition to artifacts that can be bought, we also develop improvements for the character and his weapons. You can get them for free in Zina's trade zones.



Improvements, unlike artifacts, are more tied to how and how fast a character moves in the game space. Dash enhancements (the basic mechanics of movement) are exactly what Zina gives. Also enhancements are the only way to, enhance (sorry) your weapon, be it a fist, blaster, or old squirrel extract.

[h2]Choose your frienemies wisely[/h2]

Let's tell you a little bit about frienemies. These are not simple artifacts that you can buy from a merchant. Each of them drastically changes certain game mechanics, giving both a strong bonus and a negative effect. Frienemy can only be picked up at the very beginning of a run, and for a unique meta-currency that is mined during the run.



Frienemies are currently in the concept stage, as their effect on gameplay is much higher than normal artifacts, it will take a lot of time to work out and balance each frienemy.

[h2]And remember[/h2]

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Once again, we welcome people with an unusually strong (and troubling) attraction to larva and tentacles. Another month of development has passed, and we have much to tell and show you.



[h2]What has it got in its pocketses?[/h2]

We are almost finished with the main interface screens within the game, namely inventory, shops, weapon and biome selection. Now in order.

The inventory is built into the pause menu, all the junk you can collect on the back of the alien world is displayed in it. Inside there are sections for character upgrades, weapons and artefacts. Frienemies are given with a separate place. But who are they? We will tell about them in the next diaries.



There are two types of "shops" in the game (well, actually there are three) where you can buy stuff.

The friendly merchant Sho will offer all sorts of junk and antiques for a modest fee in the form of larva.



The charming Zina will treat you not only to an iced coffee, but also an upgrade of your choice.



And the Frienemies… hmmm, are they enemies or friends?



[h2]Home sweet home[/h2]

Some items in the house have become interactive. There are probably a few fresh weapons left in the fridge. And the TV has finally started showing new channels.

To expand a bit more, the player will be able to choose the type of weapon before the start of the run: fists for fans of good old-fashioned mauling, blaster for connoisseurs of personal space, and... concentrate from an old squirrel? Surely that's safe to consume? Anyway, each weapon differs not only in terms of gameplay, but also in terms of upgrades. For each weapon there are different boosts, which form a certain type of game or, if we speak in gamer language, build.



With the help of the TV, the player will be able to choose which biome to start the race from. Tired of the presses and lasers of the first biome? Just start in the second biome and enjoy the alien casserole to the fullest.



To be fair, it's worth saying that it's not all that simple. In order to be able to start the run from other biomes, the player will first need to restore the repeater, the parts of which must be found in the biomes. And it's not enough just to find parts from the repeater, they still need to be able to bring them. It's simple - you just need to play well. And we're all hardcore gamers, aren't we?

[h2]Don't miss them all[/h2]

The old coin system has been completely reworked, and now everything is tied to larva. As we wrote in previous diaries, larva are a living currency that is found inside destructible bio-blocks and enemies.



How it works. Within bio-blocks, there is a probability of a certain amount of currency appearing within a given range from and to. When a bio-block full of larva appears, it is given a random number from this range, and when it is destroyed, the larva that are the sum of this number fall out. Larva come in different types, and the bigger the larva the more valuable it is.

Crush the bio-blocks and don't yawn, cos the larva don't really want to be collected and put into pants. What? Where else would you keep them?

[h2]You ugly son of a...[/h2]

From the base mob, this is what was born. It has the most primitive behaviour, and it can't attack directly. Even so, it still needs some work. However, the mechanism of development of the mob has been worked out, and in the next diaries we will show all the creatures of the first biome in their usual habitat.



[h2]And as always.[/h2]

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Once again we welcome fans of tentacles and bloody mess, we continue to share with you details about the development of Gennady.

Over the past month we have fully drawn and animated all the mobs in the first biome, laid the foundation for their behavior in the engine, started work on the live currency and tidied up the dash system.

[h2]There are no vacancies left at the meat processing plant![/h2]



Multi-eyed, flying, muscular, alien creatures of all stripes. Some of them eat, some of them just hang around. It's just like humans.

Most of them are hostile to the main character, which is not surprising. Others are just doing their job, or trying to escape from the place.



Their behavior is quite primitive. This is the first biome and we, as developers, have to give the player a chance to survive, even if it is small. All they can do is walk back and forth and attack. But some of them will surprise you.

We also thought it was fair if the player wasn't the only one suffering from production injuries. So any mob (if you're lucky) can be crushed by a meat press, or drown in a puddle of green slurry.

[h2]A Mob that can do anything[/h2]

Or base mob. In essence, it is a universal constructor, with which we can build a specific mob. It has all the functionality we need: how it reacts to obstacles, how it moves and under what conditions it attacks or dies.



The more we add features, the more behavioral options we can use, creating unique game situations. For example, with its help we collected the first mob - a larva.

[h2]It's alive![/h2]

Imagine how you once again destroy another mob and get your hard-earned money. But what if this time the money will not watch and wait while you greedily collect it, and start running away? This is exactly what will happen in Gennady.



Larvae are money, get over it. Such is the economy of the alien world. They reside inside bio-blocks and mobs. When the larvae are outside, they start spreading out in different directions, which makes the player put a little more effort to avoid being left on the street in his underwear. Considering that they can be of different sizes, your eyes start to light up at the sight of a fat and juicy larva. And since we've established that it's fair game, the precious larvae can be crushed by the press or other "safe" mechanisms of the workshop.

[h2]A little dash[/h2]

In retrospect, dash has been our core game mechanic since the days when Gennady was developed for mobile devices. Back then, the dash was only required to rush forward, destroying bio-blocks in its path. The game has changed, and dashing has to change as well.

Now the dash is becoming a more complex mechanic. We're starting to put game progression into it, such as the ability to change the direction of the dash, or charge regeneration. These are all future artifacts and enhancements.



Also the dash will have charges, which the player can replenish by savoringly destroying alien faces and bio-blocks. Or just for passing rooms. And if you already imagine a situation in which you will not have dash, do not worry. Since we have a fair game, the first charge will always be regenerated, albeit over time. So we won't leave you with a bare ass!

[h2]And one last thing[/h2]

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Greetings to all those who care about the fate of an ordinary worker, who by chance found himself on the backside of an alien world in his underwear.

We start keeping DevLogs, in which we will describe the game development process in detail. Today we will tell you what we are working on at the moment and what we are preparing for the future.

[h2]They say green slime is damn good for my skin[/h2]



It is found throughout the game: in huge acid puddles at the factory, inside parasitic mushrooms and of course in bio-blocks. Ramming bio-blocks at huge speeds before was quite an exciting process, but it felt like something was missing. It was missing an impact.

If the bio-blocks are filled with green slime, let it spread out in all directions covering everything around it

When a bio-block is destroyed, acid droplets fly out in different directions. Each particle is a physical object that is removed by contact with the surface, and in its place creates another object — an acid stain. In order to properly apply the acid stain effect on the blocks, you need an additional camera, which isolated draws the stains in a special texture to further blend it with the game blocks.

Before drawing the spot texture, the additional camera copies the main camera's parameters and synchronizes it (position, camera window size, etc.) so that the spot mask is applied evenly. When the secondary camera has rendered all the spots, it passes the finished spot texture to the game block materials to mix it with the block texture internally through the alpha channel of the block itself.

Method of drawing acid stains on environment tiles

When a bio-block is smashed by a player, an acid layer is applied to it. The acid layer effect uses a couple of common graphic tricks: Dissolve, Simple Noise.



A layer of acid color is applied on top of the main character texture through color multiplication so that the outline of the character can be seen through it. Over time, the player "dries out" and for better visual perception, a Dissolve effect is used, which uses a Simple Noise texture to blend the layer unevenly.

The more time elapsed, the darker the noise texture, consequently lower the mixing threshold and weaker the acid layer outline

[h2]My life is a rage mode[/h2]



In Gennady, the player is constantly running along a lengthy corridor, avoiding traps and monsters whenever possible. How to make such gameplay even more dynamic? Add more speed!



Rage mode is a special condition in which the character is accelerated very strongly. In order to enter this state, you need to accumulate a special resource — fury. Fury is accumulated by killing monsters, destroying bio-blocks or by continuous running. After accumulating enough resource the player can enter the rage mode by pressing a button.

The transition to the rage mode is accompanied by a special animation

Although this state gives a lot of speed and dynamics, in order to stay in it the player needs to carefully approach the gameplay. A couple of hits or a temporary stop will take the character out of the rage mode and the player will have to get it up again. Such speeds take some getting used to, but the feeling of the game changes radically. A lot of mechanics related to artifacts and upgrades are tied to the rage mode. But we'll tell you about it another time.

[h2]Job openings at the meat processing plant[/h2]

We've started developing the mobs for the first biome, both visually and technically.

Concept art of the first biome's mobs

You can't meet just anyone in an alien factory. In addition to the usual workers who are waiting for their lunch break, there are all sorts of parasites hiding around, waiting for a fresh batch of appetizing biomass.

At first glance you can't tell, but the local creatures exist in a strict hierarchy.

The hierarchy of the alien world

Bones are not valued in this world. Skeletal beings are used as slaves, forced to do the dirtiest work, or are even used for minced meat — let's call it bone discrimination.

[h2]Primitive, but not really[/h2]

Since the first biome of the game is the very beginning, the mobs should correspond to the level of difficulty. But for all the primitiveness of their behavior, sometimes you can get a tentacle on the head, or worse — a stone. There are, of course, more interesting representatives. For example, mimics who hide in a mass of bio-blocks. Or slimecleaners, who live in the bowels of the plant and are responsible for cleaning up spilled green slime.

A nervous worker just wants to eat his sandwich, he's completely understandable

Also among the bio-blocks are these larva, which are highly prized among some merchants. I wonder why... Maybe because of the taste?

We thought it would be interesting to make a living currency that takes a little more hard work to collect

They vary in size and speed and can be killed. Collecting larva quickly and in a timely manner will ensure that the player has a well-stuffed wallet. Or in this case, underpants.

[h2]And more... [/h2]

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