It's been a while since I've properly talked about how Floodgate is going, and somehow this thing has gone from me messing around with 3D development to being an actual game that I can play a pretty big chunk of.

So here's where everything is at right now.

The First Fourth of Floodgate Is Done

This is probably the biggest thing:

The first fourth of the game is basically done.

Which feels weird to say.

Floodgate is planned to have around 100 rooms, and I've now reached the point where roughly the first quarter isn't just a bunch of gray boxes and ideas written down somewhere. It's an actual playable section of the game.

You can enter the facility, go through rooms, collect research, deal with entities, explore, and eventually reach Sebastian.

There is still plenty I want to polish, change, decorate, but the actual game is moving forward.

Sebastian's Shop Is Done!

Sebastian's shop is now finished and working.

So Sebastian is stuck in a vent, because apparently this is the kind of game I'm making.

You walk around his little shop and interact with the things he's selling. Research you've collected throughout the facility acts as your currency, and you can decide what you actually want to spend it on.

One of the upgrades I've already implemented is a flashlight upgrade, which makes your flashlight brighter and gives it a wider beam.

It's a small thing, but I really like having upgrades physically sitting there instead of everything being another UI screen.

Also Sebastian talks to you.

A lot.

Because of course he does.

I'm really happy with how the shop turned out. It's one of those areas where I actually want players to slow down for a minute instead of immediately running toward the next door.

Which is probably a good idea.

You might want the break.

The Sky Above Us

Okay.

So while making my horror game about going through an underwater facility, I somehow also wrote a book.

It's called:

THE SKY ABOVE US

or TSAU, because I'm not typing that entire thing every time I mention it.

TSAU is an optional post-game companion story about what happens after Floodgates True ending.

Floodgate is mostly concerned with one question:

Can you get out?

TSAU is more interested in:

Okay. You got out. Now what?

What happens when these characters aren't trying to survive the facility anymore?

What does an ordinary day look like?

Where do they live?

What do they do?

How do they adjust to having an actual life?

And what happens when being free turns out to be the beginning of something instead of the end?

It's much more character-focused than the main game. There are serious parts, stupid parts, quiet parts, and parts where I apparently forgot I was supposed to be writing a horror game's bonus story and just started writing about these idiots trying to live normal lives.

I really like it.

TSAU is completely optional. You don't need to read a gigantic story to understand Floodgate.

It'll be available through an in-game reader, and it'll have a big spoiler warning because it obviously talks about things that happen after the game.

If you finish Floodgate and that's enough for you, that's fine.

But if you reach the ending and immediately think:

"Wait. What happens to everyone after this?"

That's what TSAU is for.

TSAU chapter 1 teaser

SEBASTIAN: Oh, don't start.

CHIP: WE CAN BUY ANOTHER CEREAL!

SEBASTIAN: THAT'S YOUR FIRST THOUGHT?!

CHIP: I DON'T KNOW HOW MONEY WORKS!

Sebastian looks at the Expendable.

SEBASTIAN: Why the hell are we living here?!

The Expendable signs:

I like it.

Sebastian looks around.

Tiny kitchen.

Tiny couch.

Tiny living room.

Sebastian's tail is literally preventing the refrigerator from opening completely.

SEBASTIAN: Well, I DON'T.

So What's Next?

Well...

The other three fourths of the game.

:P

I'm moving deeper into the facility now, which means more rooms, more entities, more environments, more secrets, and a lot more opportunities for Unity to randomly decide something that worked perfectly yesterday no longer exists.

The first quarter has also taught me a LOT about how I actually want to build the rest of Floodgate.

I'm faster at making rooms.

I'm getting better at decorating them.

I'm getting a better idea of when something needs gameplay and when a room should just be allowed to exist and build atmosphere.

And most importantly:

Floodgate has been in development for about two months now.

And I've finished...

one fourth of it.

25%.

I still have around three quarters of the game left.

If you want a release date estimate, expect mid 2027

anyways.....

That's everything for now.

Sebastian's shop is finished.

The first fourth of the game is finished.

TSAU somehow exists.

And Floodgate continues to become an actual fucking video game.

Back to work. :P

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