DevBlog - A new way

Since the last devblog, soooo much has changed—you wouldn’t believe it! 😸
So, let me get you up to date on the most important stuff.

A New Way to Handle Characters

In my earlier games, characters were built using traditional character classes (like most games do). However, because I want a dynamic world where characters react and change based on your decisions, this approach had its limitations.

Introducing: Character Structures!

What is a Character Structure?
A Character Structure is a collection of data that defines a character in-game. Instead of having one class per character, now all characters use the same class, with their unique traits defined by their structure.

This makes everything more dynamic and flexible!

For example, characters can now have:
✔️ Different hair, fur, or eye colors
✔️ Various clothing options
✔️ Unique stats and attributes

Here’s an example of a Character Structure in action:

(Image showing the structure in the editor)

And here’s the script responsible for assembling the body, clothing, and all the fluffy, soft details you’d expect from your favorite kitty. 😻

Why This Matters

✅ Easier Bugfixing
Having a single character class simplifies debugging. Fixing one issue can solve problems for all characters at once, and new features are automatically shared across the board!

⚠️ Harder to Code
I won’t lie—this was a long journey of trial and error… But now that it works, development will be much faster since everything I could think of is already built in!

How It Works: Character Creation

1️⃣ The game creates a Character Structure. Default structures are stored globally and can be accessed anytime.
2️⃣ A HaremCharacter class is spawned with the structure.
3️⃣ The character class builds the character by:

• Loading assets into RAM

• Creating skeletal & static meshes

• Adding fur (if needed)

• Spawning groom systems for hair

• Adding clothing and other assets

Faster Loading & No More Loading Screens!

📌 Faster Loading
Since assets load only when needed, this drastically reduces initial load times. It also helps free up VRAM and RAM, since unused assets can be unloaded dynamically.

For example, the old system required 4.6GB of memory per character class…
Now? Just 4MB, with everything else loaded only when necessary! 😮

📌 Seamless World & Events
The same system is used for character interactions and level transitions, meaning no more loading screens—ever! 🎉

Tomorrow, I’ll share some cool optimizations and a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of my new bear for Frost! 🐻❄️

♥u all,
Your furrier 🐾