The Wolf in Me News

[p]No mocap, no actors, just a solo-dev workflow to bring dialogue to life. I use simple facial animations and lipsync to help players connect with the characters, understand their personalities, backgrounds, and the struggles of living in a harsh world.[/p][p]The voices you hear right now are AI placeholders and will be replaced later with real voice actors. This setup lets me prototype, iterate, and shape the narrative while keeping development flexible.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p]This cinematic camera system is only used during enemy finishers that kill the player, or in some player finishers. I call it the Spectator Camera, and it’s fully dynamic, generated on the fly to find the best possible shot based on the environment and the positions of both the player and the enemy.[/p][p]The main challenge is that these moments can happen anywhere and at any time, so the system needs a safety net for cases where the default shot would be poorly framed or heavily occluded. To solve this, every time the camera is triggered, I run a quick test around the center of the action.[/p][p][/p][p]The system checks the four main directions using simple line traces to see which side is free and not blocked by walls or other objects. If a valid spot is found, the camera moves there, and the Black Eye Camera system adjusts the framing and follow direction to keep the shot clean and readable.[/p][p][/p][p]In the video, you can see some extreme cases where finishers happen near walls or in tight spaces, and how the camera adapts to keep the action visible and cinematic.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p]In this devlog, I wanted to share a small piece of lore from Lobo.[/p][p][/p][p]Inspired by The Last of Us, where doors need electricity to open, Lobo features progression mechanics tied to ancient gates. The world is a post-apocalyptic valley, shaped by a brutal war between humans and creatures like the undead and werewolves. Being physically weaker, humans built massive walls around the valley to protect themselves and allow safe travel across the land.[/p][p][/p][p]Today, those walls stand in ruins, silent witnesses to the war. But the gates still preserve their old human-made security systems. One of these mechanisms relies on lanterns placed along the paths: every lantern must be lit for a gate to open. If even one is extinguished, the gate remains locked. This was designed to keep the fog at bay and ensure that only humans, capable of maintaining the lanterns, could pass through safely.[/p][p][/p][p]Some gates were also bound to the life of a gate guardian. Since many of these guardians turned undead during the war, the only way to open certain paths now is to defeat them.[/p][p][/p][p]The world of Lobo isn’t huge, just a single valley between two mountains, but it’s dense with history and rich lore waiting to be uncovered.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

[p]In Lobo, encounters are designed with a few enemies at a time, rather than huge crowds. This is both a design choice and a technical necessity. [/p][p]By design, encounters should feel meaningful and challenging, no matter the enemy’s size. Technically, smarter AI is heavier on performance: the more complex their behavior, the more processing they require. On top of that, Lobo is a small open world. Some enemies spawn at runtime, but most are manually placed in the level. To keep performance smooth while maintaining engaging encounters, I improved enemy “presence” with a distance-based system: [/p]

• [p]A timer checks each enemy’s distance to the player. [/p]
• [p]Distance bigger than 4000 units: Enemies are in sleep mode. No visibility, no tick, no animation, no AI. [/p]
• [p]Distance 4000–2000 units: Enemies are visible in idle mode, but still mostly inactive. [/p]
• [p]Distance less than 2000 units: Tick and animation are enabled, but at a reduced rate depending on distance. [/p]
• [p]Combat range within 500 units: Enemies are fully active, 100% functional, and ready to fight. [/p]

[p]This ensures that only the enemies near the player are fully active and using their potential, while keeping the game smooth and reactive.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p][/p]

[p]Do you like to spam the attack button? Well… I designed this mechanic to protect you from yourself.[/p][p][/p][p]Inspired by games like Black Myth: Wukong, enemies in Lobo can now create space when they detect repeated attack spam. Instead of just standing there and soaking up damage, they react. Some will jump or dash away, others will answer with fast, unblockable attacks that force you to dodge.[/p][p][/p][p]The goal isn’t to punish the player, but to add more dynamism to combat. This system breaks mindless button mashing, encourages better timing and positioning, and makes enemies feel more aware and intelligent. Fights stay tense, reactive, and more fun, without becoming overly punishing.[/p][p][/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]