We’ve been heads-down in code, diagrams, and a few too many late-night coffee runs. And while our zombie neighbors may not sleep, our dev team definitely does (eventually). Here’s what we’ve been up to lately—and why the latest playtest build almost melted our brains in the best way possible.
Let’s start with the family, the dead one that is. The Rottingtons are finally moving like they mean it.
Over the past few weeks, we reworked our entire switch, roll, and sprint system to feel smoother, smarter, and more… family-ish. Your zombie crew now follows the leader with pathfinding that actually feels organic. We hit a snag early on—characters were body-blocking each other like they were in a conga line gone wrong. So we rebuilt their positions, then softened them up with sinusoidal offsets (aka: zombie wiggle magic).
The result? Your crew feels less like a pile-up and more like a pack.
We’ve also been elbows-deep in Yarn Spinner—our current dialogue engine of choice. Our goal? A system that lets us blend branching, story-driven convo with more chaotic, reactive moments.
Building this hasn’t been easy (read: we may need a full custom solution), but the potential is exciting. We’re chasing a system that doesn’t just deliver exposition—it lets our zombie cast talk like themselves.
Ah yes, the procedural level generator—aka, the secret sauce behind Porto Morto’s ever-shifting layout. This baby has gone from spaghetti-code fever dream to something we’re genuinely proud of. We squashed the overlapping room bug, added support for branching paths, and implemented a visibility system where only the current room is shown, adding tension and surprise as you explore.
Our next step? Giving rooms difficulty values. So if you’re breezing through early zones, don’t get too comfy, C.A.R.E. always has something nastier waiting around the corner.
For our most recent playtest, we whipped up a fresh batch of hazards: laser beams, treadmills, smash hammers, and other joyfully lethal nonsense. Our personal favorite? The Laser Death Effect™—which instantly turns your zombie into a sizzling skeleton if you mess up. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll respawn. It’s perfect.
And thanks to all our playtesters who dove in and gave us raw, unfiltered feedback (and memes). We’re making something better together one play test at a time.
So yeah—things are moving. Systems are clicking. And our weird little zombie world is starting to feel very, very alive.
If you’re curious about how we’re pulling all this off or you just want to see more skeleton lasers, stay tuned. Or better yet, join the Discord and help us build it!
Until next bite,
— The Stay Dead Dev Team 🧠
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