Puzzle Game – Imagine Beyond

May 12, 2025May 16, 2025

🧠 DevLog #4 – The Camera Saga

Welcome back!

This past week was all about the camera — and not in a cinematic, dramatic, “look at this beautiful shot” kind of way.
More like “why is the robot vanishing off-screen while the camera stares into the void” kind of way.

🎥 The Camera… Situation

What started as a small fix turned into a full-blown side quest.

The camera wasn’t moving
Then it moved too late
Then it moved weirdly
Then it shook for no reason at all
And then it just… stopped responding altogether

I tested it.
I tweaked it.
I fixed it.
Then I broke it again.
Then I fixed it better.

I think the camera and I have finally reached a mutual understanding: it follows the robot, and I stop threatening to delete it from the project.

✅ What’s Working Now

Smooth camera follow behavior
Snappy framing on movement
No weird jitter or lag
And most importantly: the robot is back in view like it’s supposed to be

It’s not fancy, but it works — and right now, that’s enough.

🔄 What’s Next

Now that the camera isn’t fighting me every step of the way, I’m heading back to the level loader.
There’s still a lot to add — support for multiple robots, switches, gates, and all the logic to tie it together — but having a stable view makes it way easier to debug and design.

Next up:

Expand layout options
Improve internal wall handling
Start placing real game elements in levels
Try not to break the camera again in the process

🙃 Final Thought

Some weeks you build features. Some weeks you fix features you thought were already built. This was definitely the second kind.

The camera’s back on track. The robot’s visible again. Time to get back to building puzzles.

– Chris

May 5, 2025May 2, 2025

🧠 DevLog #3 – Breaking It Down to Build It Right

Hey folks, and welcome back!

This week was all about the level loader. I’ve got big plans for it, and if I want to keep this game flexible and future-proof, it has to be rock solid. So instead of layering on complexity, I decided to tear it all the way down — and rebuild it in the simplest terms possible.

🧱 The Plan: From Corners to Chaos

I started with the basics:

4 corners

4 straight walls

Then extended versions of those walls

Then L-shaped rooms

And eventually… rooms with walls inside of them

Everything had to click together like a digital Lego set — and after some trial and error (and more grid counting than I care to admit), it’s finally shaping up the way I imagined.

Perfection? Not yet. But directional perfection? Absolutely.

🚪What About Robots, Gates, Switches?

Once I had the room structure working, I was excited to start adding gameplay elements — placing in the robot, a gate, maybe even a working switch…

That’s when I noticed something odd.

The camera wasn’t moving.

No tracking. No shake. No flash. Just a stoic, silent observer in the wrong corner of the map.

Turns out, somewhere along the way, the camera logic gave up and walked off the job. So that’s my next mission: convince the camera to follow the robot again without staging a full-scale rebellion.

🎯 What’s Next

Fix camera tracking (or start a new religion around the corner of the map)

Finish phase one of the level loader

Begin placing interactive elements again (and make sure they still behave!)

Maybe — just maybe — get a proper test level loaded and playable

🙃 Final Thought

Some weeks are about cool features. Others are about foundational work that no one will ever see — but everyone will feel. This was the second kind.

Here’s to a week of structure, setbacks, and slow but steady progress. The robot’s not the only one learning how to navigate a maze.

– Chris

April 23, 2025April 23, 2025

🧠 DevLog #1 – So… I’m Actually Making a Game

Hey there, and welcome to the very first devlog for my mobile puzzle game — name pending, robot approved.

This is something I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid glued to Super Mario Bros. on the NES. I’ve worked in software development for years, earned a degree in Game Design along the way, and spent more time than I’ll admit just “tinkering” in Unity. But now? I’m really doing it.

🔧 What I’m Building

This game is a free-to-play mobile puzzle game where you control a small robot and navigate hand-crafted rooms filled with logic-based challenges — switches, gates, obstacles, and whatever else I cook up between coffee breaks. No timers, no lives to refill, no shady ads every 3 seconds. Just puzzles and chill robot vibes.

I’m aiming for something smart, clean, and satisfying — a game that respects your time and doesn’t shove monetization in your face. There might be optional ads, and maybe a way to buy extra hints or lives, but those features will never be the core of the game. You’ll be able to pay once to remove ads forever if you want to. Fair and simple.

🛠️ What’s Done So Far

So far, I’ve got:

A working movement system for the robot
A grid-based room structure that supports obstacles and interactive elements
Prefabs for switches, gates, and goals
Level loading from text files (so I can design quickly and flexibly)
A basic non-rectangular room layout system that will let me make weird, interesting puzzles

Right now, the robot can walk, bump into stuff, and get confused. Same, buddy.

🧪 What’s Next

Finish the prototype before May 1st
Launch a one-week Kickstarter to raise $4,500 so I can keep working full-time on the game
Set up a community Discord where backers and players can help name the game, suggest ideas, and test early builds

💬 A Question for You

Would you rather see the robot with wheels, legs, or some kind of floaty hover system?
I’ve got a soft spot for hover-bots, but I’m open to being outvoted.

🙌 Thanks for Reading

This devlog is going to be pretty chill. I’ll post updates here each week (or when something big happens), and I’ll keep it honest — the wins, the bugs, the coffee-fueled code sprees. If you’re into that kind of thing, stick around.

Thanks for being here. Let’s see where this robot goes.

– Chris