Heyo! It's me again! That one... nevermind, you've already memorized the quote.

Third status update post, neat. This one isn't going to be too long, I just wanted to share something I think you all would be interested about.

STUFF

Final exams will be starting soon for me. Just about a week or so away.

This means that development will be a bit slower than usual. But I will still try my best to get some cool stuff out to you all.

SCRAPPED 3D MAZE MINIGAME
(PRICKLZ REDASHED)

Remember back in the May 2026 Status Update post, where I mentioned a couple of scrapped minigames? Let’s talk about the idea that followed the Pac-Man experiment.

After cutting the previous concepts, I wanted to try something incredibly ambitious for this segment. I decided to build a fully 3D maze.

Now, I wasn’t using Firefly or anything like that. Instead, I was utilizing the Mode7 object to create an illusionary 3D aesthetic. To get a headstart, I actually used a known kit, Tails7 (made by foxioo), specifically messing around with the schoolhouse template to lay the groundwork for the maze.

The gameplay concept itself was psychological. It was meant to play out like a standard, retro 3D maze, but as you progressed, things would start becoming more and more "wrong." The atmosphere was designed to make you completely paranoid, constantly looking over your shoulder thinking something was out to get you... when in reality, absolutely nobody was there. It was just you and your own growing dread.

Sounds cool on paper, right? I really, REALLY wanted to make this work. But Clickteam had other plans.

Without going too deep into specifics; the engine just couldn't handle it. The object count bloated to somewhere around 3,000 objects. Because of that, the optimization became an absolute nightmare. The FPS violently spiked down every few seconds in a incredibly inconsistent rhythm. I tried everything to save it. I even went as far as downscaling the internal resolution all the way to 360x240 just to see if it would stabilize.

Still, to no avail.

After staring at the laggy engine tests for a long time, I finally came to the realization that this was simply too ambitious for what the software was capable of handling. I had to let it go.

Since there's no reason to hide the corpse anymore, here is a look at what that Mode7 schoolhouse template test looked like before I pulled the plug:

So, what now?

Without giving away too much, I've decided to pivot to a concept that is significantly simpler to build, will run completely flawlessly; something that fits the narrative direction and the specific character I'm trying to build up way better than anyone expects. The new direction is still in the planning stage, so news about it will take a bit of time.

Let's just say you might want to brush up on your deep-cut trivia knowledge. Long-time players may be in for a few surprises, assuming you know what you're doing.

Making a separate section here, because I also made a few variants of the post image:

That's all for now. Told you it'd be short :p

Anyway, I'll probably have more news soon. But, until then, take care, stay safe, God bless!