Development Log
Follow the my journey of creating "The Heritage Game". Name is not final. From concept to code, technical challenges, cultural research, and creative decisions this project, I will be discussing and detailing all of them here.
🔄 Scope Pivot: Endless Runner (PC‑Only)
After attempting an open‑world ARPG workflow and tooling, I’ve pivoted the project to a PC‑only endless runner. Keeping the complains short, the main driver is hardware constraints: The main one being GAIA, the asset I wanted to use for generating the world. GAIA recommends ~32GB RAM and ~6GB VRAM for comfortable terrain authoring and world streaming, while my current PC (2013 era, 8GB RAM, 2GB VRAM, 5th‑gen CPU) can’t support that scale like, at all lol. Because of this, I've pivoted to making a game that I am competent that I can make reliably, an endless runner game.
Yes I know that I could have dumbed down the scope of the game instead of hopping genres entirely, but one of my life mantras is to avoid compromising. I know that if I had the hardware, I could do it. That is not the only reason though. As I've made known countelss times already, my development time has been cut by 80% because I started internship. And with the way that I get into my development flow is to spend close to 1 hour just reorganizing things around when I open the project, and then I get deep into continuing progress of development. That 1 hour now I cannot afford and so I cannot get into development flow as I reliably hoped because I would be exhausted whenever I came back from work. It's all good though. With the endless runner genre, it's just me going back to a project that I abandoned some years ago, and with my drastically improved development level since then, I am able to add features out the waazoo. Safe to say, it's only going to get good with what I have chosen and know that I can comfortably achieve. Here's some more develog info on what I have achieved so far:
Core loop: three‑lane running with keyboard controls — A/D or
←/→ to change lanes, Space to jump, Ctrl/S
to slide/attack, optional Shift for sprint/dash. Enemies will spawn into lanes, Rail Grinding will provide
alternate paths, and procedural segments will create endless variety. So yes, basically Blades Of Brim Prime.
I have a lot more features that I want to add though, so do stick with me for what is to come.
And as I've always said, if you have any suggestions or contributions, do feel free to let me hear about it. Thanks for reading!
For the character that I am using, She's my OC, called AyGee. :) She's cosplaying Tifa from Resident Evil at the moment.
PC Implementation Progress
I have the runner mechanics and segment rules all planned out. I am still on cultural hooks — documented
I improved on my previous scripts with new discrete lane swap, jump, slide/attack; input buffering & cooldowns
For lane related movement, I have implemented snap‑to‑lane with eased lateral movement; and coyote time on jumps
Spent like 2 days only on WallRunning and modifying the rules on how and when to allow Wallorunning. I am happy with what I have now. Obviously more updates and bug fixes related to it may come in the future, and I am ready to tackle them anytime.
I have started making the Prefabs for segments. The system I have will use object pooling and LevelSegment scripts to re-use segments and modify them during runtime as gameplay goes on. I will have a dedicated video on this one sometime in the future. I am so happy with what I created I could cry. It has that low of a percentage because .......... I am yet to create the different segments myslef. I only have like 7 of them. I haven't made any obstacles either.
Yes I haven't added any obstacles yet. The only one I have is a kill floor, as can be seen from the screenshot below.
I wanted to bring back the Object Pooling system I had in the previous endless runners that I have made (yes this is the third one that I am making. I have only released one of them though, you can try it out on my Games page above) but after reviewing the code, I chose not to. Yes it's true that having a single source of truth is a great workflow, I've decided to let the level genration manager handle pooling of level segments and then spawning of other objects will be done by other managers. This will allow me to isolate where things work and things don't.
📸 Week 4 — Pivot Screens & Notes
Watch Progress Video
Player Controllers
The 3 Main Controllers pertaining to moving the Player
Default Segement Prefab
The base level segment prefab that other variants will be made out of. Having to input a different ID for each segment is more annoying than it looks, trust me.
Wallrunning Animation Showcase
Bought this asset from CLAZY that has all of the animations that I am currently using a long time ago.
🎯 UI System Integration: HUD and Feedback Systems
Currently in the second week of UI system development, focusing on the initial and very basic HUD components and player feedback systems. The Movement and Combat framework I completed last week is now being expanded with charging indicators, pickup notifications, and combat feedback.
Week 2 Progress Tracking
Bow charging visual feedback integration. I might keep it the existing weapon system I have.
Collection feedback with rarity outline styling
Attack impact and damage feedback. Making the very basics ready for when I implement the Health and Damage system.
📸 Week 2 Development Screenshots
Watch Progress Video
Bow Charge Camera
Setting up a different VCAM specifically for Bows and testing animation override. Also testing the UI integrations.
First Build
Making the first executable build to test initial performance. Works flawlessly.
Develpment Logs
I use the Debug.Log() statement quite a lot to verify that sections of my code runs and without fail.
Foundation Systems: Movement and Combat Framework
The first week I focused on establishing the core foundation systems that would serve as the backbone for all future development. This included implementing the basis of the advanced movement system with tank controls, setting up the combat framework, and creating the basic pickup system architecture. I did these, in my notebook. :)
Week 1 Completed Systems
Tank controls with dash-roll.
Basic weapon system and charging animation layers
Foundation for inventory management and item collection
Cinemachine setup with multiple camera modes
📸 Week 1 Development Screenshots
Initial PLayer Character Setup
Using Unity's Character Controller and building off of it to make the Player Movement System
Weapon System Initial Setup
Importing placeholder Bow pickup model.
Animator Layout
I have tried optimizing the layout of the Animator to reuse as much as possible and reduce transition calls. Just don't look at the Parameter section...
🏛️ Cultural ARPG: The Heritage Game
An Open World action RPG celebrating Ghanaian cultural heritage through video games. Players embark on a spiritual and historical journeys, recounting the history of celebrated historical figures.
🌍 Cultural Authenticity Focus
I try to have every aspect of the game be designed with cultural sensitivity and authenticity in mind. For now, the figure I have chosen to have the game be based on is Komfo Anokye. I have done some very basic "research" (reading through Social Studies books) to gauge the level of complexity the game will require. For the roadmap that I have, my technical prowess is enough.
🔧 System Architecture & Implementation
The game features a sophisticated technical architecture of my Unity game development knowledge and prowess. I am applying all of my strength and technical know-how into this one. For now though, the character assets and animations you see in the pictures and videos are not mine. The ones you see are placeholders. They are from Realm Royale(RIP) and belong to Hi-Rez Studios. I will be making a character, when I start with modeling and creating my own weapon and character models. That being said though, I am terrible at making art, so if you have a design in mind, please do not hesitate to let me see it.
Development Phases Status
Combat, movement, pickup, animation systems
HUD, inventory, feedback, and menu systems
Environments, audio, and content creation
Optimization, testing, and release preparation
✅ Completed Systems
- Base Combat System Backend: The very core of the Combat System, I have done.
- Base Pickup System: Inventory Management with rarity-based outlines.
- Base Animation System: Weight-based animations involving Crouching, Sprinting and Walking.
- Movement System: Advanced tank controls with dash-roll.
- Camera System: Cinemachine integration with multiple camera modes.
📊 From Survey Data to Game Design
After months of collecting responses community through the GAVG survey, I've analyzed the data and extracted key insights that directly influence game design decisions. Took me months to create the development framework based on the community's preferences for action RPGs, cultural storytelling, and traditional aesthetics validated my development direction.
Key Survey Insights Implemented:
- Genre Preference: Action RPG mechanics with cultural storytelling. (Only one story so far)
- Visual Style: Authentic cultural aesthetics over generic fantasy.
- Gameplay Elements: Spiritual/magical combat systems. Asset store will come in handy.
🎯 Design Validation
The survey results confirmed that my approach of combining authentic cultural elements with engaging ARPG mechanics aligns perfectly with community desires. This validation allowed me to proceed with confidence into the development phase.
🚀 Next Steps & Release Timeline
As I've already stated, I will be entering final year UCC schooling. Alongside developing 2 other Paladins fan games, I am going to be ultra busy. But that is not a deterent. I will focus the next 2 months (vacation) on this game and one other to maximize effort. But I am starting Internship tomorrow so development time will be cut by 80%.... (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻
Upcoming Milestones:
- 2025: Complete UI integration and menu systems
- 2026/2027: Environment creation and world building
- 2026/2027: Traditional audio integration and voice work
- 2026/2027: Beta testing with community members
- 2026/2027: Polish, optimization, and release preparation