Hey friends,I hope you’re all doing well!
Another month of development has passed. Between celebrating my birthday (yep, I took a few well-deserved days off 😅) and working on the new alternate storyline “The Evolution Path” (TEP), the month was packed with progress and experiments.
Let’s dive into what’s been done so far.
Old Locations Overhaul (100%)
The old maps didn’t change drastically in layout — their core structure remains the same.However, I refined navigation flow and visual cues so that new players can better understand where to go, while returning players will feel a smoother and more natural level progression.It’s one of those changes that’s subtle, but deeply improves how the world feels.
TEP – Starting Area (100%)
This section consists of just two large rooms, but since this is the “other side” of the ship, I wanted to capture the full scale of parasite infestation.There won’t be combat in TEP — it’s focused on atmosphere, exploration, and storytelling.For this area, I created new environmental assets and special doors that visually hint at what happens to infected male crew members…
TEP Cutscenes (50%)
The first three cutscenes for The Evolution Path are ready!Unfortunately, I had to animate them myself, which slows the process down quite a bit — but I’m confident the remaining three will go smoother as the workflow is now set.
TEP Merger System (70%)
Since Oni won’t have access to the standard save terminals in TEP, the parasite offers an alternative — the “Merger”.By entering this biomass cocoon, Oni can merge her consciousness with the parasite, saving progress and unlocking “Memories” — an equivalent of the video gallery found in the main story terminals.
TEP Interface (80%)
To make the TEP experience more immersive, I decided to give its interface a unique, organic feel — still recognizable and intuitive, but clearly different from the regular UI.
“Hanger” Enemy & Struggle System (100%)
This was a big technical step forward — synchronizing the animations of two interacting entities.The Hanger is a stationary trap-type enemy that inflicts physical damage when it catches Oni. The player must mash [Space] to break free, similar to a light QTE mechanic.
As I’ve mentioned before, enemies won’t engage in intimate interactions during combat — it would break narrative tone, and cause issues with clothing.
Mental Health System (100%)
Finally! This feature took a long time to conceptualize, but it’s now working as intended.Each respawn weakens Oni’s neural stability and resistance, gradually affecting her Mental Health.It doesn’t make her mindless — rather, it reveals another layer of her connection to the parasite and the path toward evolution.The system still needs balance tweaks, but the core mechanics are complete.
Decal Optimization
I learned a lot this month about proper decal handling. Previously, there were over 140 unique decals on scenes, each treated as a separate material.Now there are just 15 master decals using multiple textures.This reduced unnecessary shader load significantly, cutting total texture memory from 213 MB down to 38 MB, with barely any loss in quality.
A small change — but a meaningful one for performance.
Material & Shader Optimization
Yes, I know… optimization again. 😄But seriously — cleaning up the environment materials reduced the total shader count from ~1300 to 689.On my RTX 5070 Ti this gives a modest +1–3 FPS, but for weaker GPUs it’ll make a much bigger difference.Plus, it keeps the project cleaner and easier to maintain.
Infection Visuals (100%)
Following last month’s Infection System update, there’s now a visual distinction between Spore and Slime contamination types.When either of them affects Oni’s body, it’ll now be reflected visually — enhancing both immersion and storytelling.
Airshaft Props (100%)
Many players noted that ventilation shafts looked too spacious — Oni could almost stand upright inside them.So I’ve added more detailed props and structural elements to fill empty space and make those areas more believable and claustrophobic.
Lotus Control Rig (100%)
The new enemy “Lotus” now has a fully prepared Control Rig, ready for the animator to start producing new animations.This one took quite a bit of time (and patience), but it’s done and works perfectly.
What’s Next
At this point, the finish line is finally visible.The major remaining tasks are:
Finishing the remaining cutscenes
Adding transition animations
Completing one more (and quite complex) enemy
A few small polish passes
Then — internal testing
If everything goes smoothly, the next Early Access build should be ready for supporters at the start of December. 🤞
Thank you all so much for your patience and support.Your feedback and encouragement keep me going through every late night of development.See you soon — and stay tuned for the upcoming build!
— Kodman