Swag Bags, Attic Antics, and Character Customisation - Devlog 20/04

I've been frantically adding the final few touches which were needed for Early Access release over the past month, as well as getting things ready for Playtest 8, which is now announced! It will start on the 28th April, check the discord for details.

Swag Bags

Small stealables have long been the bane of any would-be completionist burglar. So far, you've only been able to carry up to two items at once, which means lots of runs back and forth to collect books, small electronics, and other annoying objects.

Thankfully, the developer has heard your cries. I added a swag bag, which lets you quickly bag up a bunch of small items and carry them out in one go. It's a very simple storage device, allowing you to put an item in, or take items out at random. In VR mode, you just have to drag the item to the mouth of the bag and release to add it. To remove items, you just hit the trigger while holding the bag. In non-VR, you can left-click items to bag them, or left-click empty space to unbag a random item.

Attic Spaces

Does anyone actually like the bungalow level? I always felt it was a bit lacking, being the smallest level with no real verticality to it. I originally wanted it to be simple because it was the first level I developed completely from scratch, but I figured it could use something new.

So I added this attic space, in place of the previous boring roof. You can get in either through the external attic windows, or the entry points inside the house, through the ceiling. Both of these are randomised though, so there's no guarantee you'll be able to reach the attic easily. This will also be added to the house level, which is still in progress. I also want to experiment with basement areas in both these levels, and in the mall.

Character Customisation

Another much-requested feature that I only just got around to is being able to customise your character's look. This is a simple one, but I think it's pretty important in multiplayer to be able to tell the difference between all your friends, which was impossible before due to randomised and non-synced skins.

I added a little changing nook in the corner, just between the main menu and the intel board, which allows you to select your character's clothing, skin, and hair, and it will now be synced properly in multiplayer. There aren't many options yet, and I plan to flesh this out a little more in future, but it will do for now.

That's all for now! I hope you can join the playtest, and I look forward to seeing your screenshots and challenge submissions!