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Development Update: Crowding, Pathfinding & UI Improvements

[p]Hi everyone,[/p][p][/p][p]I wanted to share a quick update on the latest development progress. I don’t have screenshots or videos to show just yet, but there have been some major changes to the game that I think you’ll appreciate.[/p][p][/p][h3]What has been done so far?[/h3]
  • [p]Crowding[/p]
    • [p]Creatures can no longer occupy the same space. Each tile is divided into a 3×3 grid, meaning a maximum of 9 creatures per tile.[/p]
    • [p]Creatures now pathfind and move in relation to each other — they can’t pass through one another, so when things get crowded they’ll find alternative routes or ask others to move out of the way.[/p]
    • [p]Creatures will never get stuck due to a bad dungeon layout. They will always find a way out (though it may take some time).[/p]
    • [p]Slower creatures can force faster creatures to walk behind them during the same phase (if there are no alternative routes).[/p]
    • [p]Ghosts and living creatures are allowed to occupy the same space.[/p]
  • [p]Pathfinding[/p]
    • [p]Fishmen can travel through water just as they would on land, and they can also fight from water.[/p]
    • [p]Trogosaurs can travel through lava just as they would on land, and they can also fight from lava.[/p]
    • [p]Bats can now move over both water and lava.[/p]
  • [p]Exploring[/p]
    • [p]Creatures now explore as intended, and their Exploring property determines how far from their base they’re allowed to go.[/p]
  • [p]Fonts[/p]
    • [p]I refactored the text system so we can use fonts that aren’t installed on the system — instead, they’re bundled in the game folder.[/p]
    • [p]Updated the font to something more appropriate.[/p]
    • [p]Text is much sharper now.[/p]
  • [p]Creature Status bar[/p]
    • [p]Updated to a more modern version (the old one was more than 10 years old).[/p]
    • [p]Includes LOD behavior depending on camera distance and whether the cursor is hovering nearby.[/p]
    • [p]Shows only what’s necessary — default states like full health or good mood are hidden.[/p]
[p][/p][h3]What is left?[/h3]
  • [p]Balancing creature combat and fleeing.[/p]
  • [p]Making sure the new font works with Simplified Chinese.[/p]
  • [p]Ensuring possession works as intended.[/p]
  • [p]Adding a new “Crowding” status that can lead to unhappiness if it gets too high.[/p]
  • [p]Optimizing the pathfinding algorithm to use less memory.[/p]
  • [p]Other minor bug fixes.[/p]
[p][/p][p]I’ll try to share a video or screenshots as soon as I have time — I tend to prioritize development over marketing (probably my biggest weakness).[/p][p][/p][p]One side note: after more than 10 years of working on Dwelvers, I’ve accepted that I probably won’t earn back all the time I’ve invested. But I keep developing it because I genuinely love it — and because I still believe the game has huge potential.[/p][p][/p][p]Until next time![/p][p]/ Rasmus[/p]