ABSENT LOG Dev Update 10/15/2024

In this month's update we give some much needed love for our boys in blue, getting our AI closer to a viable state!

Looking back at our previous build from last year, we thought long and hard about what we had originally developed, and given this recent chance to start fresh we really want to capitalize on that to nail down the ultimate feel for the finalized project. We had mentioned this before, but with the renewed focus for combat and general movement being slower and more tactical, Enemy AI needed to reflect this vision.

Before, Mandrones were snappy, unrelenting, and quick on the trigger. A lot of high maneuverability with aggressive dashes and dodges, able to gain fairly generous amounts of distance to assault the player. Looking back, although fun at times, it was developed within a scenario where the play space was wide and open, and there was little to no world variability to really gauge how well enemies could navigate and fight in a tighter, more enclosed space. 

(Reference link to an example of older build)

https://x.com/LoomingColumn/status/1698765884448219254

We wanted to identify some areas of the older iteration where we felt certain things really worked and try to rework them to fit our refined vision for game-play. One key thing we wanted to establish was that, specifically for the base MD (the major enemy being fought through the majority of the game.), it should be very methodical and context-driven in how it deals with the player. Things like optimal paths to assault the player, utilizing key areas for cover and repositioning based on player location, varying levels of “alertness” such as patrol, investigate, and assault, and communication with other allies.

At the start when we first got some base mechanics implemented for AI, we had some basic functionality set up, including attack, investigation, and taking cover. But with some of the overhauls this month we focused on making them feel much more reactive and dynamic.

UPDATES TO COVER SYSTEM:

MDs are now much more accurate about taking cover, choosing the most ideal location from the player position. There is still some variability that needs to be fixed, but in a majority of cases, they will pick the most optimal cover location.

If an MD peeks from cover to fire upon the player, but does not see the player any longer, they will attempt to investigate the player's last known position. If found, the MD will attack while repositioning itself. The speed at which they will move towards the last known position is dependent on starting distance from that position. Meaning, if they are a dozen yards away, they will rush to investigate, if they are a few feet away, they will slowly move to investigate.

If an MD is in cover, and the player rushes their position, or has a clear sight of line on them, they will exit cover and attempt to reposition themselves to a better cover location, while attacking the player. 

UPDATES TO SENSES AND PERCEPTION:

Although ALOG is not a bonafide stealth game, some basic stealth features are being implemented to give the player more play options and to boost immersion for exploration.

MD’s visual perception has been completely overhauled, and instead of operating on a single tick stimulus source, they now have a sight detection meter.

How this works is when the player is “noticed” by an MD, it will take some time for them to become fully aware of your presence. This is noticeable by a small “eye” icon that appears above their head.

As you remain within their vision, the icon will fill up. When at max, it will flip red and blink, indicating an MD is fully aware of your presence and is set to attack.

When an MD is in an “ATTACK” state, it will assault the player and will attempt to maintain visual contact with them. If the player is not found while in the attack state for a certain threshold of time, and all attempts to locate them have failed, it will move to an “alert” state, cooling down eventually back to a patrol state. 

The updated sight detection also works based on normalized distance. Meaning the closer you are to an enemy, the quicker and easier it will be for them to notice you.

We’ve also reworked how MD’s respond to certain sounds. The player will not only act as a visual stimulus source, but an audible one as well. When crouching, your sounds are soft enough to not be noticed, but when walking, jogging or sprinting, depending on distance, MD’s will be able to hear and investigate the source of this noise. The radius at which the noise can be heard will grow depending on the speed of movement. Sprint makes louder noises, whereas simply walking makes softer noises.

This also has been set up for weapon firing (currently this only works if the player is firing). Firing any weapon makes the largest amount of noise, and can be heard even in other rooms. If heard, MD’s will move to investigate the source of the fire.

FIRST STEPS AT AI COMMUNICATION WITH EACH OTHER:

A big focus for how enemies will fight the player is that we want them to operate as small squads of 2-3 units at once. Combat is brutal and getting caught out in the open can quickly melt your health. We want the player to treat each enemy encounter, whether 1 or 3 enemies, as a serious threat.

A major component for getting this feel down is establishing some basic communication between MDs. The first and most important part is alerting others to your position if found. When an MD is fully aware of your position, he will now alert others within a vicinity to your exact location, or the last known position you were at. This doesn't just happen the first time you are noticed, but each time even in combat.  This means that MDs are more precise and accurate the more there are in a given area. When alerting others, it takes any other MD that is within a certain radius of the first MD to notice, and then ticks on their assault state and feeds the player position information to them. 

There is still some refining and polishing that needs to happen with these updated perception mechanics. Under rare scenarios they are unreliable and occasionally the AI will run aimlessly for a few seconds, as if being caught in a logic loop. So these new mechanics are quite complex and need a lot of testing to ensure they work as intended.

WISHLIST ITEMS FOR FURTHER MD AI DEVELOPMENT:

Once we get these perception items really working properly, the next step is to really expand AI to AI communication, and maneuverability options. Certain things like:

Giving MDs the option to vault, mantle or jump over certain obstacles if it will give them a shorter more efficient path to the player. 

Better tactics and communication with AI, including things like flanking or suppressive fire.

Ability to evade or dodge a short distance if not in cover but within the player’s line of fire.

Melee attacks for when the player gets too close.

And utilization of equipment, like grenades, traps, or support gear.


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(Unfortunately Patreon doesn't allow video embedding directly so click the you-tube link below to view, be sure to watch at full 1080p!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dKsoGYx6zM


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ART ASSETS:

Artifacts/Charms/Ritual Items

“An important aspect of the setting of ALOG is the blend of the low tech superstitious/cosmic with the high tech machinery and world design. This on its own isn't something that is entirely a revolutionary idea, (DUNE, Homeworld, 40k, etc…) but it’s a certain aesthetic that has really stuck with us for a long time. We wanted to design a few world items that reflect some of that. Certain items that invoke beliefs, procedures, or a non technical purpose gives some contrast to an environment that is relatively cold and mechanical. The general concept of the AH-Sahmar in a literary sense is that of a cosmic idea that instills aspects of itself onto others in a parasitic manner. As a presence or “idea” it cannot reproduce, but instead it will attempt to court with a species, in order to inject aspects of itself upon it. Some believe that we are heightened to a greater sense of self realization due to these aspects that are implanted within us, others believe these are deeply human traits that are appropriated and led to believe they exist independent of us. Either way, remnants of both beliefs manifest themselves through visual, environmental, and especially physical objects.”

- Looming

List of items:

A - WHISPER SHRINE

A small shrine fashioned from polished stone invoking a visage of the Ah-Sahmar. Prayers and ruminations are often given in the form of incense, bathing its surface in a sweet yet bitter, earthy aroma representative of the ripe and ruin of life.

“Despite the secularization of imperial culture, the aestheticism of the ritualistic still maintains its foothold, even if superficially.”

B - INVOCATION SCALE

A diminutive icon fashioned from pure brass, said to represent a serpent’s favor.

Though not used as currency, they are often given and received as charms, and its meaning depends on who receives it. Some view it as a blessing of virility or fertility, others good fortune and great ambitions. 

C - RITUAL HERBS

A small bundle of earthy aromatic dried herbs, used to be burned with the cremation of bodies. 

Some believe the Ah-Sahmar’s chosen few would wander blindly to find spirits to ferry to her coil. Burning the bodies with these herbs would produce a sweet warm aroma, guiding the ferrymen.

D - PRAYER CARD

Cards used as prayer templates or references. Oftentimes they are representative of key values, chants, or specific declarations.

Prayer is taught to be enacted towards certain concepts or ideas. To “pray for rain” is to more accurately channel one's ambition to manifest it. It is commonly accepted that the idea to manifest one's ambition is a gift from the Ah-Sahmar.

E - RING OF MEN

A crude ring made from rough stone jeweled with a ferrite pin, 

understood as the raw materials of men.  Although a majority of races have fallen under the beliefs of the Ah-Sahmar,  ancient remnants of spirituality and mysticism have resurfaced, such as ancestor-worship and anthropocentrism.

To wear such a ring is to declare one's mind to be free of cosmic influence. However, many scoff such a thing as a form of traditionalism or contrarian-ism.

OVERLANDE GARDE SWORD REDESIGN

“One of the few items that was lost a while back was the original design for the short sword used by the Overlande Gardes. So I took this opportunity to do a refinement pass on it to get a better cohesive visual feel, I wanted to get a balance of tactical utility with a flair of regalia. Sleek simple design with a very harsh, bold appearance. Making an asset like this isn't terribly difficult, so it wasn't a huge loss when I realized I'd need to make it from scratch again.

Overlande Gardes ideally will be set up in a way where they rely on quick hit and run tactics with vicious cqc and melee attacks, utilizing their shortsword heavily. Light weight and distinctive silhouette for readability were some of the prioritizing points for this rework, especially in conjunction with gameplay for how their attacks will be animated.”

-Looming


AUDIO ASSETS

https://on.soundcloud.com/51HMcGMvuqKyynvUA

“When designing the audio track for Zero-G, we wanted to prioritize an audio profile that would be serving in the background to flavor the experience as opposed to intense or heavy sounds that would distract from it. Zero-G, specifically a vacuum operates on a very specific set of rules, both visually, physically, and audibly as well. Tw’s movements and interactions with the world are heavily altered in a low gain filter to give more of a “feel” rather than sound. Hitting an object or moving around you can hear vibrations rather than sounds. Key points for getting the music to flow was to establish a droning sound that fits with the established theme of the rest of the soundtrack, to invoke a great sense of distance and scale. Subtle elements of gongs stretched out almost infinitely, simple, repeating rhythms and low variation of harmonizing elements helped to give this feel for this track.”

-Machine Ghost