Posted on July 25, 2025 by DrPyspy
It's been a long journey and a long wait... and you'll still be waiting after you're done reading this post. BUT!!! Soon enough, you'll be able to sample some Tomb Fetus-flavored action! The demo feature list is locked in, and most of the finishing touches have already been applied. Allow me reveal some of the things to look forward to in this EPIC DEV UPDATE!!!
Know Your Enemy('s weapons)
Very early concepts for weapon visibility
A common suggestion I've received during testing is to have a way to tell what your opponents are packing whilst in a battle. For a while, I had my doubts as to how useful it'd be in a shooter as chaotic as this, but I figured that multiple requests meant it was time to try something out. Immediately, having the players hold the weapons was off the table — the very first obstacle was the amount of sprites that'd be needed to have each character hold each of the 13 weapons. After that, you've got team color variants of the player sprites... Some of them don't even have hands!!!
With player sprite variations off the table, I began exploring other possibilities. Suggestions included floating icons, floating weapon sprites à la Blood, and a floating manifestation of the player's weapon. That last one was a fun idea, but it only really worked well for the larger weapons.
In-game implementation! A weapon for each season...
Eventually, I settled on the icons — very simple, very recognizable if designed right, and I could reuse the weapon carousel icons! This also helps with association — if you know the Gavling Gun's icon is a circle with six-barrels in your weapon carousel, you'll know what an enemy is carrying when they've got that same icon over their head... as well the damage that they could do if you stick around too long!
Prioritize your targets! It's a lot like chess — but a little more flamboyant.
Even in the initial tests with bots, it had a notable impact. In hindsight, it's a little obvious — knowing if you need to prepare for a barrage of rockets or a series of sniper shots makes encounters a little easier to strategize for. Plus, the implementation works well with Tomb Fetus' sprite-based characters, circumventing the issue of having the characters holding the weapons themselves. Woo!
Oh... That's AI
Pictured: Evil-ass artificial lifeform breaks free from prison
One of the features I deem necessary for release are BOTS! Many players will know the struggle of getting into obscure shooters without proper artificial players to shoot down, and it's arguably worse if they're not even a match for humans. So, the bots in the demo release must be bots that can:
- Fill the void of human players for practice/convenience purposes
- Navigate the arenas in a believable way, moving the same as players can
- Seek out all the items at their disposal, whether it's health, weapons, powerups, etc.
- Strike a balance between fighting fairly, and... actually fighting
Zandronum's default bots are sophisticated in the realm of standard Doom levels, but they can't quite comprehend the vertical and Doom-divergent worlds of Tomb Fetus. Give those bots a building with multiple floors, and it's a miracle if they end up navigating their way through it. They don't even know what a Friend-Bryo is! Do YOU know what a Friend-Bryo is? Probably not.
Rather than just throwing the player against the default bots and calling it a day, a ton of work has gone into helping the bots navigate and use the same tools as players. It's not a new concept — mappers place down a series of nodes that tell the bots where they can go and how to get there. Then, it's up to the bots to figure out what they want to do. If they need weapons, they'll seek 'em out. If a powerup spawns, they'll book it as fast as they can to grab it. If they need health, they'll look for a health pickup in the arena. If they have a target and they're in a healthy condition, they'll make sure their target is fragged six feet under!
I've got you in my sights...
Aiming for bots is also handled differently — instead of snapping to targets, bots have a sort of 'virtual mouse' that they move around to try and lock onto their enemies with. It's far from the most sophisticated implementation of this concept, but even in this early stage, it has helped make the bots feel more 'human' when fighting against them. They try their best to keep their sights on their target, but they can miss their shots if they're not careful! In the near future, I'd like to give bots the ability to lead their shots for weapons that need it, like the Blocket Launcher or the Duper Soaker.
The bots aren't yet up to the standard I'd like them to be, but the bots you'll encounter in the demo will still be a worthy opponent! Not too easy, but not too hard. I'll also be looking into implementing difficulty levels for the bots, so you can tune them to your liking!
Friend Beside Me
That's right! Friends! Friendship is an important aspect of Tomb Fetus. Probably. Maybe. Kind of. HOWEVER — imagine yourself in a situation where there are no friends to be found, such as good ol' free-for-all deathmatch... WAIT! Deathmatch is the most basic foundation of Tomb Fetus! How are you to acquire friends in a friendless world? Luckily, I have just the thing for you...
Do not swallow.
FRIEND-BRYOS! These spherical capsules have been elusive in previous development discussions. They're not quite weapons, not quite powerups, and not quite inventory items — yet they can be found in the arenas all the same. If you find one and manage to grab it before anyone else, you'll want to break it open FAST. Why? Because it has a living, breathing organism inside of it!
Howdy, pardner.
Once you release your brand new friend from their technicolor prison, they'll join alongside you in this lawless free-for-all! That's right — you're a couple! A couple of BESTIES! The moment they're broken out, they'll stop at nothing to aid you in your goals, but each one has their own ways of doing so. Some shoot erratic laser beams from their eyes, some unleash barrels of bullets, and some just run into enemies and boink 'em. Will you find your perfect friend? More importantly — will you take up arms with your new comrade, for better or worse, in sickness and in health? Only one way to find out!
You don't wanna get on his dark side.
If you find yourself struggling in a particular round, try hunting down a Friend-Bryo while the other players are gunning for powerups or superweapons! Keep in mind that you can only have one friend active at a time, so don't even think about trying to start a small private military that blossoms into a sovereign nation.
That's everything for this devlog! We got weapon icons, bot enhancements, and FRIEND-BRYOS! I'll hold off on announcing a release estimation for the demo at this time, mostly to avoid tempting the bad luck gremlins from entering my home and stomping my skull. BUT... I'm committed to having a release this year. If I don't make it before New Years... I might be dead. Or being held for ransom by martians. Stay tuned for another slightly-more-punctual devlog in the near future...
