Looking back + major progress (Patreon)

After some good playtests, I think Lethal Company is at the highest point it has ever been. I have always liked this picture, because I can always map out where I was at which times:

It could be a little cocky to assume I'm on the upward trajectory before the project is finished, but I think it's safe to say it's out of murky waters now. This is sort of what happened for Lethal Company:

I skipped the initial "This is harder than I thought" stage, because I knew very well that making an online game would be hard. The only reason I thought I could undertake this challenge was that I had gained incredible momentum while working on The Upturned, and my spirits were at an all-time high. I felt like it was now or never.

And in hindsight I think I was correct. Because this might be more accurate:

These transformations had more to do with the game's design than any of my troubles learning net-code; part of the difficulty was that I wanted Lethal Company to be bigger and slower-paced, but I had just finished The Upturned. (The greatest indicator of this is the now-scrapped elevator.) So Lethal Company started with a bad footing and had to move a long way to find its identity. But I think the personality from The Upturned still comes through in the character models and animations.

What's up now

The past two weeks I have been scrambling to get the game ready; I am thriving off the boost of energy you always get when a deadline comes near.

I modelled and rigged three new enemies, along with a stun grenade item, in one crazy day. After that I coded the first enemy, which has a unique movement system and fantastic kill animation. I then did some playtesting and fixed a handful of bugs. This playtest was one of the most fun so far, and it actually felt like the game was working as a playable game and not just a playground (if that makes sense). It seems like the only thing necessary to do is add more and more enemies and items until each expedition always feels different from the last.