Creating an NPC Village and ZOMBIE enemies for my Indie Game - Devlog

In this #devlog 10, I show my process of creating NPCs, new types of enemies, new interactable objects (fire), and making SFX sound effects using food. This goes from the concept art stage (quick sketches) to the fully fleshed out game mechanics and objects that are completely playable.
I also fool around with cinemachine and Unity elements such as occlusion culling and put a lot of emphasis on polish and game feel!
I also created a new undead enemy based on Barry who is a kind of low level threat in the game. He's meant to be a fun monster to defeat.
I use Unity, Playmaker, and Blender 3D to make my indie game, called Toby's Topsy Tale which was funded on Kickstarter. It is a psychological horror 3D platformer with Lovecraftian elements (which means inspired in part by the works of H.P. Lovecraft). These dev logs are meant to serve as a way for me to track progression as I work towards my dream of being a solo indie game dev. Game design is hard but it's easier with such a great community!
This is hopefully of interest to people who play games as well as those actively pursuing their indie game dev journey and those who have an interest in someday learning how to make games!

Speaking of which, make sure you LIKE and SUBSCRIBE!
Here's the link to my Discord if you're interested!

[FreakyGamma]

Wow absolutely love the popsicles moving when you're not looking! Your whole graphics style and game feels like a Nintendo 64 game, conquers bad fur day, donkey kong 64, banjo kazooie, it just shows you don't need 4k graphics to stand out. I hope you take great inspiration from such games when you get writers block, or I guess dev block.

Suggestion: You can find doors throughout the level that require certain color popsicles to look at them for them to open! Ooooh I just love how random quirky things can lead to actual mechanic ideas!
Suggestion 2: To break up the gameplay loop/attack rythm of the game, you could have special mobs that don't die on hit, rather you need to knock them into fire or have them walk into it as your only means of killing them.

[stoicfx]

The Popsicles are looking killer! Love the Weeping Angel effect. A lot more ominous than a simple player track! Keep up the good work! (:

[MetaCzech]

Nice devlog. If you ever need to increase the game performance, you can set-up LOD system which automatically swaps between lower quality models based on the distance of the model from the player camera. But it requires you to have 1 model in multiple version which takes time. PS: The new Doughnut character is my favorite from now on. <3

[HeavenComet]

love your doughnut animation with the eye popping out really took me by surprise lol

[hecdor]

thanks so much for adding my idea to your game.

[coneman]

Yo nice work man!!! I also have some new ideas. Maybe you could make the Doug’s eyes follow you when in their sight line? Also I absolutely love the cake Npc death it’s just funny to me lol

[PixelPicklez]

Your game has inspired me so much in a project im working on! You are way too underrated!

[MrVook]

The game is coming along great, awesome to see! Love the creativity!!

[PixelPicklez]

maybe give the ice variants of the enemys the ability to slow or freeze you, if they hit you

[LighthoofDryden]

This is cool! I’m only working on 2D, so I didn’t know you had to set up occlusion culling like that.

[littleowlgaming-unity-tutorial]

for the art style, i would add post processing, and turn up the saturation. also a camera shake on landing and on hitting things.

[fraggerthefrickinfrog]

Hmm. Kay the cake. I think that name is just neat. You have a nice day, 3 gnomes.

[UwU-For-You]

surely this will apease the algorithym

[gluhbuh]

2:47 we have made it into the devlog boys

[residentreptile]

going fantastic big man! i was so giddy to see all the new stuff you added!

[jaidenkulawiec]

If it's possible, I think when you're running on ice it should be slippery

[allandomahabeer]

You've accomplished so much. Congrats!!

[michelveraliot]

Make that when you kill the villager and the campfire disspear you simply freeze to death

[Aizam]

Maybe for npcs you shouldn't kill them but instead do something else like injure them. I think this will set the difference between enemies and npcs since you can kill everything in this game right now. BTW your game looks amazing and is very inspiring

[AlAtOMI]

Any chance you'll lower the brightness of the freezer? It would help with the atmosphere and give the fog a boost in obfuscation.