Today's Focus

Experimentation with animations, third-party assets, and DOTS-based systems. Started integrating Mixamo's J Nordstorm animations with a third-person controller. Began setting up basic DOTS/ECS structures for VFX and skill systems, plus an input facade to keep vendor code untouched.

Technical Wins

  • Animation integration successful: Integrated idle and walk animations with a vendor third-person controller
  • Rapid prototyping tools: Created a wall and floor generator for quick flat-area testing
  • DOTS foundation laid: DOTS/ECS structures for VFX and skill systems are in place and working at a base level
  • Clean architecture maintained: Input facade system successfully translates vendor controller input into DOTS without modifying vendor scripts

Challenges & Learning

  • Git LFS bottleneck: Still haven't committed to GitHub because Git LFS is not set up
  • Distraction discipline: Lost some dev time playing around with tests instead of pushing progress
  • Hardware limitations: My i7 3770k is showing its age, making dev cycles slower
  • Skill archaeology: Rediscovering old animation skills from my bachelor's days takes time

Design Decisions

Keeping majority of combat as auto-cast/auto-aim for a more relaxed playstyle. This isn't about hardcore skill expression — it's about creating a chill experience where strategy matters more than reflexes.

New Combat Priority System

P0 Movement/Dodge - Player retains full control over positioning and defense
P1 Skills - Manual activation for strategic timing and resource management
P2 Auto-attack - System handles basic combat when player focuses on positioning

Architecture Philosophy

Adhering to modular, separation of concerns, and reusable code practices. The goal isn't just to ship this game — it's to build tools and systems that are portable to other projects or marketable as DOTS packages. Every system should stand alone, be testable in isolation, and serve as a potential building block for future work.

Personal Reflections

On the home front, my girlfriend cooked Swedish meatballs with mashed potato — delicious. She's also painting, and I'd like to hang her work someday in our own home alongside my old 2012 CPU and motherboard — the machine that got me through high school (partly), college, and now my master's. This PC even made the trip from my home country to Australia.

Also hoping to make devblogging a regular habit and maybe build the courage to publish updates on Ko-fi. Want to feel less like a random student, more like a tiny game studio. Still broke, still hungry, but at least I own my name now.

What's Missing

Animations and testing environment exist but not captured today. Would include idle/walk animation tests and flat playtest area in future posts. Need to get better at documenting the visual progress alongside the technical wins.

Next Up

  • Set up Git LFS and commit current work to GitHub
  • Continue wiring combat executor systems with DOTS, integrating the Invector Controller
  • Refine the auto-targeting logic for the relaxed combat experience
  • Add attack animations and skill VFX for first working combat loop

Long-Form Thoughts

This session felt like archaeology and engineering in equal measure. Digging up animation skills I hadn't used since university, while simultaneously building the foundation for a modern ECS architecture. The contrast is jarring — working with a decade-old CPU that's traveled continents, while implementing cutting-edge Unity DOTS patterns.

The input facade pattern is proving its worth. By creating a translation layer between the vendor controller and our DOTS systems, I can keep their code pristine while building our game logic in a testable, modular way. It's this kind of architectural discipline that might actually make this project sustainable long-term.

Technical Insight

The relaxed combat design isn't just about accessibility — it's about sustainable development. Auto-targeting and auto-casting systems are complex to implement well, but once they're working, they reduce the surface area for bugs and balance issues. Less manual aiming means fewer edge cases, fewer exploits, and more focus on the strategic elements that actually matter.

Still wrestling with the identity transition from "student working on side projects" to "indie developer building a studio." It's more than just mindset — it's about professional habits, documentation, regular updates, and treating this work as seriously as any other business endeavor. The Swedish meatballs helped with morale, though.